FOLLOWING a memorable performance at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games, cousins Tyriq Horsford and Kelsey Daniel don’t want the superiority to end there as they want to make their mark at the Olympic Games.
Daniel copped silver in the men’s long jump and Horsford earned bronze in the men’s javelin event. It was the only medals TT earned at the games in Cali, Colombia.
The athletic talent in the family tree does not end with Horsford and Daniel as another cousin in Andwuelle Wright is a former national junior standout who was part of the TT Olympic contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Unfortunately, Wright did not get the opportunity to compete in the men’s long jump as he tested positive for covid19 just before the event began.
The cousins all hail from Tobago.
The three athletes are only separated by a few years.
Wright is the oldest at 24, followed by Horsford who is 21 and Daniel is the youngest of the trio at 20.
They all competed at a high level for TT at junior level and are now transitioning to the senior ranks.
Wright is the national senior record holder in the men’s long jump.
Reflecting on the Junior Pan Am experience, Horsford said, “Sharing that stage with my cousin it was a feeling that I was just elated to have …we really grew up together, we grew up being on the beach together, we grew up just hanging out together.
“Just being able to see his (Daniel) growth personally it made me appreciate track and field even more because just being able to have that relationship with him where we not in Tobago, we not in Parlatuvier anymore, but we in a different country trying to do the best that we could do. Is just something that I was really grateful for.”
Horsford landed the javelin 71.33m to capture the bronze medal and Daniel leapt 7.90 metres to snatch the silver medal in the long jump.
Horsford wants to continue competing alongside his family members for years to come and he has one of the most anticipated sporting events in mind.
“I just don’t want this competition to be the last where one family wins medals.
“It is something that I want to continue for a long time until we retire and hopefully two of us could be at the Olympics and be able to do the same thing. “I am hoping that three of us could be on that level or on that stage and just competing to make the family and the country proud.”
Can the three cousins qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Daniel is confident it can become a reality.
“Yes, most definitely a possibility,” Daniel said.
Discussing his effort at the Pan Am Games, Daniel said, “It was a good performance…a sign of good things to come.”
Daniel is glad he shares the same passion as Horsford and Wright.
“It’s really good. We push one another to go beyond our previous performances and that’s what the most important thing is and to have that support is just unmatched.”
Daniel, who is also a triple jumper, said he has to continue improving.
“Pretty much minor things (I have to work on), just working on getting my legs as strong as possible and getting my abs/core as strong as possible to withstand the phases of the jump.”
Daniel and Wright both compete in the long jump but don’t train together as Daniel is based in Tobago and Wright trains in Trinidad.
Daniel doesn’t have any meets on the horizon, but is “training hard” to do his “very best.”
Daniel said there is no competition between them as the cousins just want to represent TT to the best of their ability.