 Welcome back to the Sports Mag Zone. We continue to relive some of the top moments from the 51st Carrifter Games. Trinidad and Tobago's Jeneda Gans walked away with the prestigious Austin Celia Award at the end of three gripping days of track and field in Grenada. The Austin Celia Award is presented to the most outstanding performer at the Carrifter Games. The Gans leapt to a Carrifter record of 6.50 meters on her first attempt to win the under-20 girls long jump. The mark also placed her at number three in the world in the under-20 category. The Gans joins us and of course she joins sprinter Darryl Brown, two-time winner, middle distance runner Gavin Nero and hurdler and current team manager Jehu Gordon as Trinbegonian star won the Austin Celia Award. Jeneda Gans joins us now via Zoom to talk about her success. Jeneda, welcome to the Sports Mag Zone. How are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm doing fine and I'm so happy that of course you and Trinidad and Tobago, sweet Trinidad and Tobago, now has that Austin Celia Award. Yes, it's really a pleasure to be given this award, being the only female from Trinidad and Tobago to receive award. It's really, I'm just in awe at the moment. Yeah, talk to me though about just your overall experience at the Carrifter Games. How was it for you now that you're back home and you finally got some time well hopefully you got some time to really sit back and think about what you did at the Carrifter Games? Honestly, I haven't sit back and thought about anything. I think I would take this week to actually sit back and reflect on what I did over the weekend. But you know, my first Carrifter game, I remember, my first Carrifter game, I remember that I didn't matter individually and I was heartbroken, you know, I bore my eyes out, but I used it as a motivation in my second Carrifter game, which was in Bahamas. I wanted the gold medal, I didn't get the gold medal, it comes second. And I said, Janne, you know, this year, you're going after that record, you're going after that gold medal, and I said, same thing I said, same thing happened, so yes. Janne, and I know it's not only because, one, you cried, and two, you said, alright, I'm doing this. Talk to me about the work that went into Genetic Games, breaking these records, and of course, walking away with the top player. I work really hard, you know, I, some days I feel like giving up, but my coaches always encourage me that, you know, sometimes it might feel like this way, but they must always stay focused, always trusting God, and trusting the self, and that was the voice and encouragement from my coaches as well as my family, who are always there by my side, and saying that, you know, I go to them, and they always, you know, try to make me feel better, and, you know, I face a lot, you know, there's not at home, you know, my mom is sick at the moment, and I just use that as motivation to break the record. What did she say? I'm sure she's so happy that you went to Grenada, and you came back as a champion. Of course, of course. I made up my mind. Yeah, really good stuff from you. Where in Trinidad and Tobago are you from, and what school do you attend? Well, I'm originally from Tobago, but I'm not sure what Tobago people are from. But I attend Bishop Antsley High School, Pottersville. Okay, very, very good, Lance. Yeah, I want to ask you quickly, Janay, about your earlier years in track and field, because I remember you winning awards from, you know, a long time ago. I think there was an under-12 award that you had won from the N3As when you were probably in primary school. Can you take us back to those years, and if you, at that point, had seen yourself achieving what you have now? Yes, I have. I always trust in myself. As I said earlier, I have the support from my family, and my family always makes sure that, you know, I'm good, I'm comfortable, and I want to make sure that I achieve great stuff. Yeah, and, you know, we always say that long jumpers need to be fast, and there are a lot of good sprinters who are excellent long jumpers as well. So your background not only is in long jumping, although you excel there, but how much has sprinting and track running assisted in your long jump development? It might really help me, because I do both 100 and 200 meters, but this year I decided to do the long jump alone, but my coaches, you know, always use speed, help me with speed work, and help me, which helped me still get off, run on the track, run on the runway, and yeah. During out at Tobago's Metal Hall this year was pretty solid at the Carifter Games. In the past decade, there's been some years when TNT's Metal Hall dropped below, you know, what track and field fans in TNT and outside of TNT would have expected. How do you feel about the current state of track and field in the country and its ability to get back to its best years? I feel really great because this year Carifter Games, you are looking to be the record of 14 medals, but you only got it 27, but I'm so proud of the team. We have a lot of great athletes in TNT and Tobago, just that we need to develop properly, and I think once we get proper programs and the support, of course we will be able to, you know, hopefully get closer to Jamaica some way, some how in the future, but does it hope? Yeah, talk to us about your team manager, Jehu Gordon, because he was an Austin Seal award, Sealia award winner himself back in 2010, and I gather that he played a really key role in motivating your team and, you know, inspiring the athletes. Can you say something quickly about the impact that your team manager, Jehu Gordon, a former world champion as well, has had on this TNT Carifter team? You always make sure that you are comfortable. You always ask, you know, if it's anything you all need, and if it's anything we need, you always surprise, and he just was like a father figure to those that, you know, who don't have that father figure in their life, and he always encourages and motivators as a team. So I shout out to Jehu Gordon for the support that he's been giving us thus far. You just mentioned earlier on trying to eventually challenge Jamaica, who have been dominant for decades at the Carifter Games. Can you talk to us about the atmosphere at the Games and how challenging it is as a TNT athlete and even, you know, the other athletes from Guyana or Bahamas and so on in trying to fend off this Jamaican train, if you might call it that? First of all, you must trust in yourself because I trust in myself to go out there and bring home the gold medal. And if you've been training hard, you know, just stay patient, because as I always say, like the mango treat, always have a season, and just, you know, everything have a season. Just stay patient and just remember what is your reason, what is your purpose in coming out there. And I think once you just stay focused, you'll be able to defeat anyone. Yeah. Janay, I'm so impressed with you, which is why I would have asked you about the school that you attend, because I think that always has a very big part to play in any person's development. That's the reason I asked that question. You know, we here at Sportsmax were really, really proud, because, you know, of course, there's a lot of questions as to should the award have gone to Janay or should it have gone to somebody else? They'll always be at that discussion. But can you respond to that if I were to ask you, just to the people that are saying maybe you shouldn't get that award? I believe that is the award. There were many great... there were many great athletes that performed great on the weekend. I must say kudos to them. But, you know, I really came out there and pushed myself on the first jump, you know, a jump, 6.5-year break in a record. Yeah. And I told you earlier that, you know, my mom is sick. I went up injuries, back-to-back injuries, leading up to character gains. But I put all that aside and, you know, make sure that, you know, that I come out there and do my country justice, you know, bringing the first gold medal to Trinidad and Tobago individually and making my team know that, you know, as the captain, you know, leading examples for the rest of the team, team Tobago medals as well. And that same day, we got three gold medals on the last day. And also, as I just believe, you know, this is the award, you know, coming in four by four relay. I wasn't supposed to run, but I was feeling really sick. My head was hurting. And I said, Johnny, do this for your team as a team captain. Put everything aside and just run for Trinidad to be gone. Yes, I believe I deserve the award. I want you to send some get well messages to your mom for us here, coming from the Sports Mac Zone. We wish her a speedy recovery and we wish you the best of luck for the remainder of the year. And the World Juniors is coming up. That would be on your plate as well. So all the best to you and your family. Thank you. Take care, Johnny. Well deserved and congrats. You really deserved it. Thank you. Take care. All right, Johnny. The Gans Day, of course, the Austin Sealy Award winner. She had a stellar Carrifter performance and of course we continue to, you know, follow her career as she grows from strength to strength. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.