ryan.bachoo@cnc3.co.tt
T&T’s world-record powerlifter Rondel Hunte has become the newest Brand Ambassador for National Petroleum (NP) Ultra Lubricants. The announcement and signing took place at the UTT Theatre, National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain on Friday.
The 23-year-old signed an undisclosed agreement that will see him sponsored for the next year. An overjoyed Hunte said, “I would have never thought I would have been here today (Friday) so the message I want to leave with you all today is simply a message of perseverance, a message to believe in yourself.”
His coach Sanjeev Teelucksingh was happy that Hunte won’t have to deal with the headache of raising money to attend international competitions, but could instead focus on a big year ahead. He said, “People tend to forget the psychological stress that goes with being an athlete. The way he coped with not having funding, not having a lot of things going our way, and the way he dealt with injuries, the boy is honestly a gift from God.”
NP’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernard Mitchell stated that it is not only the popular sports that the company will back, but it’s also important to assist sports that are now growing. “The sport of powerlifting is in the embryonic stage so there is the opportunity to uplift it, but more than that we will focus on profiling the individual who can make a difference, and this will benefit not just NP, but the nation as a whole,” Mitchell said.
Hunte was the 2017 Trinidad Strongest Man, the 2018 World Junior Powerlifting champion and he holds three junior world records. He will attempt to set even more world records when he takes to the World Championships later this year.