USA-based T&T field athlete Portious Warren earned this country’s first medal at the 2019 Napoli 30th Summer University Games with a silver medal in the women’s shot put at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples, Italy, yesterday.
Warren, who was third in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March after finishing 11th at last year’s outdoor championship, had a best throw of 17.82 metres for second spot behind Canada’s Sarah Mitton, who won with a heave of 18.31. Poland’s Klaudia Kardasz took bronze with 17.65.
The T&T athlete set the University of Alabama school record in the shot put during the outdoor season with a toss of 18.61m.
The only Alabama women’s shot put athlete to post a mark over 57 feet, she now owns the top-10 throws in school history, with four of them coming yesterday.
The medal for 23-year-old Warren, a silver medal winner at last month’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship (18.11m), made amends for her dismal showing in the discus throw finals on Monday, where none of her efforts were legal in the final. This after she qualified as the eighth-best overall athlete for the final and fourth from qualifying heat two with a best of 52.94, while fellow T&T competitor Cherisse Murray (44.41) was 11th in heat one and 26th overall.
Speaking about Warren’s achievement afterwards, Tertiary Sport Association of Trinidad and Tobago (TSATT) president Ian Pritchard told Guardian Media, “It’s a great feeling that Trinidad and Tobago has created history by gaining its first medal at these prestigious games.
With five athletes at these games and making four finals we have definitely signalled that TTO can be a force at these games.
“We experienced tremendous difficulties along the way but eventually Portious has done us well and brought glory to Trinidad and Tobago.”
Pritchard thanked the Government for its support of the athletes.
“It shows that when our student athletes are given the necessary support great things can be achieved,” he said.