 Inside the last 18 minutes of the Sports Max zone for this week starting Monday and we're going to talk now about the First Citizens Sports Foundation awards in Trinidad and Tobago Saturday. And this was live on Sports Max. Top honors going to cyclist Nicholas Paul, winning the senior sportsman of the year honor. While sprinter Michelle Lea Yicop, the senior sportswoman of the year title. Meanwhile the top youth athletes were 4-20-23 swimmer Nicola Blackmun and that's on the boys side and track and peels Jene De Gans for the girls and outstanding long jumper who also sprints as well. So I don't think Mariah and Ricardo that Nicholas Paul's being given the sportsman of the year honor was a surprise given his world rank at the moment as a top track cyclist. But maybe the women's honor was a little bit more competitive and up for grabs. Yeah for sure. Nicholas Paul without a doubt is well deserving of that title and of course you know he got the award. I just want to speak about before we delve into the Michelle Lea Yicop aspect of her sportswoman of the year award. Just the event on the whole because Lance I think it was a really well put on event of course glamorous. We spoke to one of the persons belonging to the foundation last week Friday and of course this award has been in existence for quite some time. So of course the quality, top class quality there was a sports minister present, a lot of prestigious sportsmen and women. It was well attended so of course a really really top class event so I have to say you know it's nothing new it's always been a glamorous event and of course it lived up to what we expected of Ryan Bechu there from PNC3 speaking a short while ago. The Michelle Lea Yicop award I can understand why people felt as if you know that award may have been a bit contentious because of the fact that you know when did she win last last year? Just the Pan American bronze right but then you know people will ask the question what about the other women that were nominated is there anybody Ricardo in your estimation you feel as if how to edge? Well it's difficult to say right and it comes down to criteria and from what I see is that clearly the Pan American Games was looked at as one of the top events of 2023 and so it seems to me that those who did well at that event were duly recognized in that way. I want to make the point though that I completely agree with Mariah in terms of how the ceremony was put together I thought it was absolutely fantastic and I think that any athlete who got an award on the night must have felt like it was something special because the entire presentation had that feel about it like yes I really deserve this is something really great. Yeah man it was fantastic it was a great watch and I think the look and feel of it was just wonderful so you really have to give credit to First Citizens for putting on what I thought was an awesome event. Outside of that, Jene De Gansu won the Junior Sports Woman of the Year award lands very impressed with her you pointed out young long jumper had a wonderful year last year and I can't wait to see what she delivers at the Carrifta Games this year she is part of the Trinidad and Tobago under 20 team she is listed for the under 20 girls long jump I suspect she will be part of their 4x100 team in Grenada as well so I look forward to that and Nikolai Blackman who won the Junior award on the male side has been doing extremely well in the pool for a number of years now last year though he won the world he won a world Junior title which was a massive feat and that came on the back of three Commonwealth youth titles so he had a sensational year and I don't think there was any doubt that he would be the winner of that category either. Yeah and he is a repeat winner of that award as well. He's won it four times which I said he's been doing well for a few years. Yeah college in the United States at the moment so Mark Mungo of the First Citizens Foundation spoke to us live on the show on Friday and he did suggest that with so many years behind them 61 years now it started back in 1962 they have the know-how so I'm just saying that to illustrate your point about how well put together the function was that it's sort of par for the course for them now because you know it's it's it's their business to look good. Yeah one thing I would ask though because let's notice that Nikolas Paul wasn't present because he's away competing Michelle Lea he was not present either Nikolai Blackman was not present either and I wonder if there's another time period on the calendar that the award could be held where there is a greater possibility that those winning would be there I know Paul's parents collected his award Michelle Lea's mom was there to collect her award but I thought it would have been really great if the athletes themselves you know could themselves could have collected that award because it was really a beautiful ceremony. Yeah and I think that point is even more potent because it is happening so late in the year in March because you know I would I would hope stroke suggest that you know January would have been early January and that might give the more of an opportunity for some of the key players to be to be present. Yeah. We'll be back with more on the sports might zone after this.