| Trinidad and Tobago at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | TTO |
| NOC | Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 32 in 8 sports |
| Flag bearer | Keshorn Walcott[1] |
| Medals Ranked 78th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 British West Indies (1960 S) | |
Trinidad and Tobago competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. This was the nation's seventeenth appearance at the Summer Olympics, although it previously competed in four other editions as a British colony, and as part of the West Indies Federation.
Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee fielded a team of 32 athletes, 21 men and 11 women, to compete in eight different sports at these Games. It was the nation's largest ever delegation sent to the Olympics, eclipsing the record of 30 athletes who attended the London Games four years earlier.[2][3] For the first time in Olympic history, Trinidad and Tobago registered its athletes in artistic gymnastics, judo and rowing. As usual, athletics had the largest team by sport with 24 competitors, roughly three quarters of the nation's full roster size.
The Trinidad and Tobago team featured five Olympic medalists from London, including sprinter Lalonde Gordon in the 400 metres, and javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott, who won the nation's first ever gold after nearly four decades. Looking to defend his title in Rio de Janeiro, Walcott was selected to lead the Trinidad and Tobago contingent as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1] Athens 2004 bronze medalist George Bovell joined the elite club of world-ranked swimmers who have participated in five Olympic Games, while shot putter and reigning Pan American Games champion Cleopatra Borel made history for Trinidad and Tobago as the first female athlete to compete in four Olympics. Other notable athletes on the Trinidad and Tobago roster also included Laser sailor Andrew Lewis, London 2012 semifinalist Njisane Phillip in track cycling, Canadian-born gymnast Marisa Dick, and 39-year-old single sculls rower Felice Chow (the oldest competitor of the team).[2]
Trinidad and Tobago left Rio de Janeiro with only a bronze medal won by Walcott, following up on the gold he had earned in London and narrowly sparing from an out-of-medal feat for the first time since 1992. Several athletes on the Trinidad and Tobago team missed the opportunity to join Walcott on the podium, including Borel (seventh, women's shot put), Cedenio (fourth, men's 400 m), and sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye, the first woman from her country to appear in three finals at a single edition.[4]
- ^ a b "Flagbearer Walcott keen to repeat". Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee. 6 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ a b "TTOC announces 32 athletes for Rio Games". Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ "32 T&T athletes confirmed for 2016 Summer Olympics". Loop News Website. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ Laurence, Kwame (2 September 2016). "Keshorn the Redeemer". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.