Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 24/Sep 04:56

Keshorn: Fifth Olympics not far-fetched

TWO-TIME Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott, who added a World Championship gold medal to his cabinet, is not blanking out a fifth appearance at the Olympic Games but is not looking too far ahead and will take his career one year at a time. Walcott, 32, became the first Trinidad and Tobago athlete to win gold at both the Olympic Games and World Championships when he topped the men's javelin at the latter event in Tokyo, Japan, on September 18. It was a memorable event for TT as men's 400-metre runner Jereem Richards added a silver medal. The Olympic Games have never been short of success for the Toco-born javelin star after copping gold at the London games in 2012 and bronze at the Rio games in 2016. The 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Games are on the back of his mind. Speaking on his arrival at Piarco International Airport on September 22, Walcott said, "At the end of the day, I will say everybody knows inside here that I am no longer the youngest person in the room, but at the end of the day, our main focus is taking things year by year. We are going to focus on the next year...and we are going to move from there. "I will not allow myself to go into that place where I think about Olympics in 2028 because why would I stress myself thinking about something that I have no control over. Not knowing if I would make it there or not, but yes, the goal will be to represent my country at LA, but at the end of the day, we have to take things that are in front of our faces first. The main focus is 2026." Walcott remained driven, despite not getting on the World Championship podium after several attempts in the past. "I love what I do. Javelin is my passion. Outside of just winning medals, once I have the javelin in my hand, I enjoy it, I have fun...so being able to continue throughout, whether it be bad, good (is an enjoyable journey)." Results will not always go your way, he said. "All athletes can attest to this, knowing that you are never going to be on top all the time. It is never going to always be what you want, you are never going to always get the result. It has been 13 years of highs and lows, but fun also...because if I woke up every day thinking of medals, then I would have stopped a long time ago." Many officials from the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, the Sport Company of TT, the TT Olympic Committee and the National Association of Athletics Administrations welcomed Walcott, Richards and women's sprinter Leah Bertrand back home. Women's long jumper Tyra Gittens-Spotsville also competed at the World Championships, but returned to her US base. The post Keshorn: Fifth Olympics not far-fetched appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.