Baptiste T&T’s flagbearer at Tokyo Olympics

Sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste will carry T&T’s flag at today’s opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste will carry T&T’s flag at today’s opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The concept for the opening ceremony of the delayed Games is “United by Emotion” and Baptiste will certainly be emotional, featuring in her fifth Olympics.

What’s even more special is that it is the first time in the history of T&T’s participation at the Games that a woman will be the flagbearer. The parade will take place at the Tokyo National Stadium with no spectators from 7 am (T&T time).

T&T’s previous flagbearers were George Bovell III, Rodney Wilkes, Wendell Mottley, Hasely Crawford, Ato Boldon, Marc Burns and Keshorn Walcott.

Tokyo 2020 will be unlike any other Olympic Games in history because it will take place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, far beyond anything ever faced before.

Baptiste will represent the red, white and black in the women’s 100 metres along with Michell-Lee Ahye. They will see action on July 30 in the preliminary round heats at the National Stadium. Both are also members of the 4x100m relay team.

On Friday night, rower Felice Aisha Chow open T&T’s participation in the women’s single sculls at the Sea Forest Waterway.

Andrew Lewis begins competition at his third Olympic Games in the men’s laser event at Kamakura from 11 pm (T&T time) on Saturday. Lewis, who represented T&T at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games, will seek out the top spots in races one and two in the morning session and later in races three and four in the evening session.

On Sunday, respective First Citizens Sports Foundation and T&T Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) “Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year”, cyclist Teniel Campbell and swimmer Dylan Carter will be in action in their respective events

Campbell, the first T&T women’s cyclist to qualify for the Olympics, will chase gold in the road race at 12 am at the Fuji International Speedway and Carter, competing at his second Olympics, will aim to touch the wall first in the men’s 100 metres backstroke with the heats starting at 7.19 am at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.