ROWER Aisha Chow will be TT’s first athlete to feature at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. She begins the nation’s Olympic quest at 8:40pm on Thursday.
Chow, who made her Olympic debut for TT at the last Summer Games in Brazil, will compete in the women’s single sculls heat two.
She battles for a place in the quarter-final against Ugandan Kathleen Noble, Greek Annette Kyridou, Singaporean Joan Poh, Ireland’s Sanita Puspure and Mexican Kenia Lechuga.
This event rows off at the Sea Forest Waterway. Only the top three advance to the next round and the remaining crews will have to contest a repechage heat (final shot at qualifying).
On Friday, the opening ceremony gets underway from 7am. TT is expected to have a smaller contingent at the Parade of Nations owing to covid19 restrictions from the International Olympic Committee, Japan government, Tokyo metropolitan government and the Tokyo organising committee.
TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) president Brian Lewis will not attend the ceremony owing to quarantine restrictions.
Additionally, two-time Olympian Andrew Lewis begins his third stint at the Games from 11pm on Friday. He competes in the Laser class – men’s one-person dinghy.
Lewis, his manager Kairon Serrette and physiotherapist Maytas Toth were the first of TT’s Olympic delegation to arrive in Tokyo. They touched down on Thursday and headed to Enoshima Islands in Kanagawa.
They are based in a satellite village - a smaller version of the main Olympic Village set up at another location to host specific events there - in Kanagawa.
One hour later, cyclist Teniel Campbell makes her Olympic debut in the women’s road race.
The 23-year old is the only cyclist from the Caribbean who will do battle against 66 of the globe’s top female road cyclists along a gruelling 137km course. Campbell is the first female cyclist from TT to secure Olympic qualification in this event.
Her historic journey begins at Musashinonomori Park and pedals en route to the Fuji International Speedway. She is currently based close to the starting point in a similar satellite village alongside her Spanish coach Alejandro Gonzalez Tablas.
Also on Sunday, swimmer Dylan Carter is tentatively scheduled to hit the pool between 7.19 am and 7.31 am. His heat and time of race have not yet been announced. TT’s athlete contingent for the Tokyo Games is at its highest ever with 33 (20 male and 13 female) sportsmen and women gunning for Olympic glory.
The number is also a new record for TT female representation at a quadrennial games, beating back the 12 women who donned the red, white and black at the 200 Beijing Games.
TT will compete in seven disciplines; athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, rowing, sailing and swimming.