Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Its participation in the Beijing games marked its eighteenth Olympic appearance and fifteenth Summer Olympic appearance since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, excluding its joint participation with Jamaica and Barbados in 1960 as the West Indies Federation. With 28 athletes, more Trinidadians had competed at the Olympics than in any other single Olympic Games in its history before Beijing. Athletes representing Trinidad and Tobago advanced past the preliminary or qualification rounds in twelve events and reached the final rounds in four of those events. Of those four events, silver medals were won in the men's 100 meters (by Richard Thompson) and in the men's 4x100 meters relay (by Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender, Richard Thompson, and Aaron Armstrong, who participated in the first round only). The latter was upgraded to gold due to one member of the quartet that crossed the line first, Nesta Carter, testing positive for a banned substance, resulting in their disqualification. The nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony that year was swimmer and Athens medalist George Bovell.
Background Trinidad and Tobago is a two-island nation in the Caribbean that lies close to South America. The nation has participated in the Olympics since the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, and has appeared at every Summer Olympics since then with the exception of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, when it joined Jamaica and Barbados in a political union called the West Indies Federation. Overall, Trinidad and Tobago had participated in eighteen Olympic Games (15 Summer Olympics and 3 Winter Olympics) between its 1948 debut and its appearance at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and its fifteenth Olympic game since its independence, which was in 1962. The Trinidadian delegation in Beijing comprised its largest delegation by far, with 28 athletes. The previous record included 19 athletes, which happened in 1968, 1972, 2000 and 2004. Between 1948 and 2008, Trinidad and Tobago accumulated 14 medals (one gold, five silver and eight bronze); two of those medals were won in Beijing (a silver in the men's 100 meters another in the men's 4x100 meters relay). Richard Thompson, a male track athlete, medaled in the men's 100 meters but also medaled as a member of the Trinidadian relay team. All Olympians participating in Beijing for Trinidad and Tobago, with the exception of Dexter St. Louis in table tennis, were planning as of the end of the Beijing Olympics to continue training for future Olympic Games.
Trinidad and Tobago's flagbearer at the opening ceremony was swimmer George Bovell, who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics as part of the Trinidadian delegation.
Trinidad and Tobago's athletes arrived in Beijing's Olympic Village early in August. The athletic contingent of Trinidad and Tobago's team arrived in Beijing from Finland on August 5, 2008, but spent only one night before leaving for a training camp in nearby South Korea. The athletics team returned on August 11. Sharpshooter Roger Daniel, along with the entirety of Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee's administrative and medical staff, had arrived in the Olympic Village by August 3, 2008.
Medalists Medal Name Sport Event Date Athletics Men's 100 m August 16 Keston BledmanMarc BurnsEmmanuel CallanderRichard Thompson Athletics Men's 4 × 100 m relay August 22
Athletics
Men's competition
Men's 100 meters
Then 23-year-old Darrel Brown, a sprinter from Arima on the island of Trinidad, participated on Trinidad and Tobago's behalf at the Beijing Olympics. His participation in Beijing marked his second Olympic appearance; he previously participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens as part of the men's 100 meters race. During the August 14 qualification round, Brown was placed in the fourth heat, finishing the event in 10.22 seconds and tying second-place finalist Pierre Browne of Canada. Browne and Brown finished behind Jamaica's Michael Frater (10.15 seconds), but ahead of Japan's Nobuharu Asahara (10.25 seconds). Out of the 80 athletes participating in the qualification round, Brown tied in seventh place with Browne and the United States' Tyson Gay. Brown progressed to the quarterfinal round.
Quarterfinals took place on August 15, and Brown was placed in the first heat. He finished the race in 10.93 seconds, finishing eighth of eighth athletes. He directly finished behind Poland's Dariusz Kuc (10.46 seconds). The leaders of the heat were Dutch Antilean Churandy Martina (9.99 seconds) and Jamaica's Frater (10.09 seconds). He finished last out of the 40 advancing athletes, and did not advance to semifinals.
Then 25-year-old Marc Burns, an Auburn University graduate from Port-of-Spain on Trinidad, represented Trinidad and Tobago in the 100 meters at Beijing. His participation marked his third Olympic Games (2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens) and his second time running the event for Trinidad and Tobago. Burns raced during the August 14 qualification round in the ninth heat, where he completed his race in 10.46 seconds. Burns came in second and tied Slovenia's Matic Osovnikar, falling behind Qatari sprinter Samuel Adelebari Francis (10.40 seconds). Burns and Osovnikar finished ahead of Honduran athlete Cruz Rolando Palacios Castillo (10.49 seconds). Tying Osovnikar and Germany's Tobias Benjamin Unger for 38th place out of 80 athletes, Burns advanced to quarterfinals.
Burns was placed in the third heat during August 15 quarterfinals. He finished it in 10.05 seconds, taking first in the heat ahead of Kittitian athlete Kim Collins (10.07 seconds) and British athlete Tyrone Edgar (10.10 seconds). Francis, the leader of his qualification heat, took fourth place (10.11 seconds). Out of the forty quarterfinalists, Burns took sixth place. He advanced to semifinals.
Semifinals took place on August 16, and Burns was placed in the first heat. He ran his fastest time of the event during this race, completing the 100 meters in 9.97 seconds. Burns placed third behind the heat's leaders, Jamaica's Usain Bolt (9.85 seconds) and the United States' Walter Dix (9.95 seconds). Out of the sixteen semifinalists, Burns again placed sixth. He advanced to the final round, which took place later that day. Marc Burns finished the final round in 10.01 seconds and took seventh place, defeating the American Doc Patton (10.03 seconds) but falling behind Jamaica's Frater (9.97 seconds).
Then 24-year-old Trinidad-born sprinter and former Louisiana State University athlete Richard "Torpedo" Thompson also participated on Trinidad and Tobago's behalf at the Beijing Olympics' 100 meters race, marking his first appearance at any Olympic Games. On the August 14 qualification round, Thompson raced in the third heat and completed his race in 10.24 seconds. He placed first in his heat of eight athletes, defeating French runner Martial Mbandjock (10.26 seconds) and Italian athlete Simone Collio (10.32 seconds). Thompson tied Antigua and Barbuda's Daniel Bailey for 10th place out of 80 athletes, and advanced to quarterfinals.
The August 15 quarterfinals saw Thompson in the second heat, where he again took first place when he finished the race in 9.99 seconds. Thompson defeated the United States' Tyson Gay (10.09 seconds) and France's Mbandjock (10.16 seconds). This time, out of the forty quarterfinalists, Thompson tied the Netherlands Antilles' Martina for second place behind only Usain Bolt. Thompson advanced to semifinals.
Thompson competed in the second heat during the August 16 semifinal round. He finished the race in 9.93 seconds, placing second out of eight athletes. Jamaica's Asafa Powell took first (9.91 seconds), and Churandy Martina took third (9.94 seconds). Thompson placed third out of the sixteen semifinalists, moving forward to the final round. Richard Thompson completed the final race in 9.89 seconds and medaled silver. In the event, Bolt medaled gold with a world and Olympic record-breaking 9.69 seconds, and Walter Dix medaled bronze with a time of 9.91 seconds.
Men's 200 meters
Then 30-year-old Houston-born Olympian Aaron Armstrong, son of American Olympian Debra Armstrong (née Edwards) and Trinidadian Olympian Ainsley Armstrong, participated on Trinidad and Tobago's behalf at the men's 200 meters event. The qualification round of the event took place on August 17, and Armstrong was placed in the eighth heat. He finished the race in 20.57 seconds, ranking first out of the finishing seven athletes in his heat. Armstrong bested Antigua and Barbuda's Brendan Christian (20.58 seconds), who finished second, and Canada's Jared Connaughton, who finished third. Out of the 66 competing athletes, Armstrong ranked eighth. He advanced to quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals took place on August 18, and Armstrong competed in the third heat, tying fourth-place finalist Marcin Jędrusiński with a time of 20.58 seconds. Armstrong and Jedrusinski fell behind Belgium's Kristof Beyens (20.50 seconds) but placed ahead of Nigeria's Obinna Metu (20.65 seconds). The leaders of the heat were Antigua and Barbuda's Christian (20.26 seconds) and the Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina (20.42 seconds). Overall, Armstrong placed 19th out of 32 qualifying quarterfinalists. He did not progress further.
Then 22-year-old Siparia, Trinidad-born runner Rondel Sorrillo participated on Trinidad and Tobago's behalf in the men's 200 meters dash, marking his first participation in any Olympic Games. Sorillo participated in the fifth heat of the August 17 qualification round, placing first in his heat with a time of 20.58 seconds. Sorillo defeated Usain Bolt (20.64 seconds) and Kristof Beyens (20.69 seconds), the second and third-place finalists in his heat. Out of the 66 event competitors, Sorillo tied Japan's Shinji Takahira and Antigua and Barbuda's Brendan Christian for ninth place. Sorillo advanced to the next round.
In the August 18 quarterfinals, Sorillo was placed in the fourth heat. He completed his event in 20.63 seconds, placing fourth out of the seven finishing athletes in his heat. Sorillo placed just behind Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (20.45 seconds) and just ahead of Azerbaijan's Ramil Guliyev (20.66 seconds). The leaders of Sorillo's heat were Ireland's Paul Hession (20.32 seconds) and the United States' Wallace Spearmon (20.39 seconds). Out of the 32 quarterfinalists, Sorillo tied Takahira for 21st place. He did not advance further.
Men's 400 meters
Then 29-year-old Trinidadian Ato Modibo, a former athlete of Clemson University and the husband of Caymanian sprinter Cydonie Mothersille, marked his third Olympic appearance (after the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics) upon his participation in Beijing. Modibo represented Trinidad and Tobago in the men's 400 meters dash as an Olympian for the third time. During the August 17 qualification round, Modibo was placed in the fifth heat. He completed the event in 45.63 seconds, placing fifth out of eight athletes in his heat. Modibo defeated Alleyne Francique of Grenada (46.15 seconds), but fell behind Belgium's Jonathan Borlée (45.25 seconds). The leaders of Modibo's heat were LaShawn Merritt (44.96 seconds), Nigeria's Saul Weigopwa (45.19 seconds) and Italy's Claudio Licciardello (45.25 seconds). Out of 56 athletes, Modibo ranked 26th. He did not advance to later rounds.