Profiles: Heroes, Role Models and Pioneers of Trinidad and Tobago - by Nasser Khan

157 Crawford’s last international medals were a bronze and a silver which he won at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres relay respectively. • 1972, 1976, 1977 T&T Sportsman of the Year • 1976 Trinity Cross • 2000 Trinidad & Tobago Athlete of the Millennium • 2000 T&T Sports Hall of Fame • 2005 Central American and Caribbean Hall of Fame MANNIE DOOKIE (1915-1968) H is name will remain in the history of T&T athletics because he was a top class long-distance runner and because he was a pioneer: the first athlete to represent us in international athletics at the 2 nd British Empire Games in London in 1934. Mannie Dookie was probably the most famous T&T athlete of his time. St. James-born, he lit up the running scene at the age of 15 when he surprised everyone in completing the Saddle Road 15 ½ mile race in 1 hour and 39 minutes. One of the things that became his trade mark was that he never liked running in shoes for which he became known as “the bare-footed runner.” In 1931 at the Queen’s Park Oval at the age of 16 he beat the field to win again and established himself as an up and coming star. Dookie again held the attention of the sporting public when he beat all rivals in a road race from the St. James bridge to Teteron Bay. He covered the distance in the fast time of 1 hour and 8 minutes. He followed this up in 1933 with one of the greatest victories of his career, this time a miler at the Queen’s Park Oval for its grand sports meeting. At the sound of the starting pistol Dookie took off and against all predictions he turned in a great performance, beating the favourites in 4 minutes 43 seconds. Also in 1933, running for T&T in then British Guiana, he became the West Indian mile and three-mile champion.