Ephraim Serrette believes Trinidad and Tobago’s track and field performances at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games in Asunción, Paraguay have done more than fill a medal table: they have revealed a generation ready to be moulded into relay-capable Olympians. And the president of National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) stressed this could happen provided that planning, funding and targeted exposure begin immediately. “I thought we had a good showing,” Serrette said. Team TTO’s track and field contingent bagged one gold through Shaniqua Bascombe (Women’s 100 metres), two silver from Jaden Marchan (Men’s 400m) and the Women’s 4x100m relay team of Bascombe, Jenae De Gannes, Alexxe Henry and Sierra Joseph, and one bronze from De Gannes (Women’s long jump). The NATT president saw this as confirmation that the Under-23 pathway is working. “I like the idea of the Under-23s...that transition from junior to pro. From the performances, I think I am looking forward to 2028. That’s where my focus is.” Watching the performances in Paraguay has convinced Serrette that concerted, relay preparation can yield dividends at Los Angeles 2028. “The Women’s relay, with the addition of Leah Bertrand, (Reese) Webster and the twins (Sole and Sanaa Frederick), Lisa Raye, I think we should be in good shape for that Women’s 4x100 come 2028,” he said. On the men’s side he was equally bullish: “We have always had the traditional relay from back in 1964 with (Wendell) Mottley and them. So the 4x4, with those two guys’ performances (Marchan and Shakeem Mc Kay, fourth in 400m) — first time under 46. (And) we have one or two other boys in college and Jereem [Richards] will be on the other end (of his career) — that might be his last Olympics — I think we should have a decent showing in the relays.” Bascombe’s gold and return to form also encouraged Serrette. “Bascombe coming back after two years and running 11.1 — she was always a talented athlete, and I’m happy to see her return in this happy space,” he said. Project ‘28 Serrette also singled out Henry and De Gannes for their upward trajectories and noted encouraging marks in the Women’s triple jump, with Keneisha Shelbourne leaping 13 metres for the first time — 13.11m and 13.18m. “So when athletes do those things, it gives the NAAATT encouragement. They didn’t win a medal, but at least they are trending in the right direction and doing personal bests. That is very encouraging.” Yet Serrette is candid about gaps. The quarter-miler pool, particularly among the women, remains thin. “Men’s 4x1 we have to look at, and we hardly have women quarter-milers. But I think by 2028 we should have three solid relay teams.” To that end, the NAAATT president has drafted a blueprint to institutionalise relay preparation. “Coming out of these performances, I’ve already developed a proposal, calling it Project ‘28, focusing on relays, specifically having two camps annually with the athletes and preparing them. We’ve got to get their minds in that space from now. We can’t wait until 2028. So we have to put that in place now; get some relay events during the year — Penn Relays — make sure we go to the World Relays and those kinds of things. So by 2027 we should have a shortlist of athletes who we are moving forward into ‘28 with. But it takes money to get that done. So I have started to develop this proposal called Project ‘28 and whether I could pitch it to the Government or a sponsor, it’s part of the marketing plan.” Serrette is clear that Project ‘28 must achieve buy-in across stakeholders: athletes, coaches, clubs and funders. “We have to really get the athletes and other stakeholders to buy in. Yes, we will have people focusing on the individual events. But as a federation we would want to put that emphasis on the relays.” Officiating complaint Not everything in Asunción was rosy. Serrette aired sharp criticism of officiating in the Men’s 4x400 relay final that he felt cost the team a medal: “The boys last night (Friday) were hungry for a medal, but I would say poor officiating cost them. There was definitely an infringement; they could have either rerun the race or TTO could have run by themselves. It happened in Rio — the US women’s 4x1 ran by themselves and qualified for the finals. We would have beaten Jamaica in that race. They got a poor deal and officials didn’t know their rules.” However Serrette concluded: “Everything augurs well as we move forward to 2028 because that is the plan — the preparation for 2028. There will be other competitions along the way that will play their part on the way to ‘28. But I think we are in a good space. One gold, two silvers and a bronze — I think it was a good showing and it gives the NAAATT board the encouragement to continue seeking sponsorships, either liaising with the Government or whoever it is to have these teams prepared so that we can represent TTO to the best of our ability in LA.” Boodram 30th Overall Team TTO secured 11 medals overall at the Junior Pan Am Games — one gold, two silver and eight bronze. Golfer Jerseem Boodram could not add to that tally yesterday. He finished 30th of 31 in the Men’s individual event after a final round of 93 for a three-day aggregate of 266 at the Asunción Golf Club.