T&T’s Jereem Richards defended his 2018 Commonwealth Games men’s 200 metres gold medal yesterday, breaking the Games record while picking up his personal best in a time of 19.80 seconds in Birmingham, England. Richards broke Namibian Frankie Fredericks’ 200 metres Commonwealth record of 19.97 set in 1994 and is now the third 200m runner of all time to successfully defend the title.
Success came during a difficult year for the T&T athlete whose close friend and compatriot Deon Lendore died in a car crash in Texas eight months ago. Richards, who had vowed to continue Lendore’s legacy and devoted his racing efforts this season to his memory, seized control from the start of the race.
It was one of the best performances of his career and he finished near five metres clear in a new personal best of 19.80.
Heading into the final, there was talk of a rematch between Richards and British sprinter Zharnel Hughes who finished ahead of the TTO athlete at the last Commonwealth Games but was disqualified for impeding him. Video replays from the 2018 Games which were held in Gold Coast, Australia, showed that Hughes drifted to the edge of his lane and in the process impeded Richards, as his left arm came across and struck him in the face.
However, this time around, Richards blasted through the first half of the race, came off the curve first, and powered away from the field. Hughes was second in a season-best 20.12, with Ghana’s Joseph Paul Amoah finishing third in 20.49.
Richards, who ran in lane seven, had sealed his place in the final by winning semifinal three in a time of 20.40 seconds on Friday.
“This has been a long season and I am just grateful that I have come through,” Richards said after the race.
Later Richards tweeted: “I Need To Hear The National Anthem With The Steel Pan please.”
He tagged the Commonwealth Games’ official Twitter account in his tweet. The medal ceremony is expected to take place around 5 am local time today.
Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe was among the first to congratulate Richards on his record-breaking victory.
“Jereem clocked a blistering personal best ultimately winning gold and defending his 200m title in Birmingham. This is a great moment for sport and the athletic world is celebrating right now. It is with great pride that our entire Ministry, the Government as well as the local sporting fraternity, join in celebrating Mr Richard’s latest victory,” she said.
The minister also acknowledged the significant contributions made by other athletes: “Team TTO continues to fly the colours of our country proudly around the world and we salute them for their exemplary efforts, grit and determination. You never cease to be an inspiration to the next generation of athletes and young people.”
Richard’s record-breaking run came exactly one week after cyclist Nicholas Paul landed T&T’s first medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, winning gold in the keirin event at Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford, London and ending a 48-year Commonwealth Games cycling medal drought for this country. Two days later, Paul won a silver medal in the men’s sprint followed by bronze in the men’s 1000 metres time trial last Monday.
See more stories on Page 50