Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has sent hearty congratulations to T&T Olympic runner Lalonde Gordon, who on Monday earned a bronze medal in the men's 400m final of the 2012 London Olympics. "We are very proud today of Lalonde's achievement in winning bronze and we congratulate him! He has brought glory and pride to our country with his medal-winning performance. As a small twin-island state, we have once again made our mark on the world stage with excellence in the international sporting arena," she said in a media release.
Persad-Bissessar was at the time in Jamaica as a guest of that country for its 50th anniversary of independence celebrations. She is due back home today. "All of our athletes who are representing Trinidad and Tobago at the London Olympics have brought us pride for their great sportsmanship," she said. "Their performance demonstrates how the will to succeed and a hunger for excellence can indeed bring rewards. Certainly, there can be no better tribute to our nation than to have achieved Olympic glory in the year of our 50th anniversary of independence."
Persad-Bissessar also noted the performance of athletes from neighbouring Caribbean nations who she commended on behalf of the Government and people of T&T. "We note with great pleasure and congratulate our Caribbean neighbours Jamaica, Grenada, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, whose athletes have also brought Olympic victory home to their countries. Grenada, through Kirani James, now takes its place on the world stage, having copped its first Olympic medal.
"As small-island states, I hope that the performance of our athletes will serve to inspire others to believe that nothing is impossible," the PM said.