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

159 Puerto Rico - 1,000 meters Time Trial (1st); Match Sprint (1st) --1966 GOLD X 2: British Commonwealth Games, Kingston, Jamaica - 1,000 meters Time Trial (1st); Match Sprint (1st) --1967 GOLD X 2: Pan American Games, Winnipeg, Canada - 1,000 meters Time Trial (1st); Match Sprint (1st) • 1969 Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Medal Silver Gene Samuel also did T&T proud in the 1980s and 1990s on the cycling track, locally, regionally and internationally. JOEY KAUFFMAN (1934-1999 ) A British Guiana (now Guyana) native, he was the driving force behind the development of swimming in T&T. He established himself as the top swimmer from the late 1950s, capturing gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Jamaica in the 200 metres breaststroke. From 1960 to 1963 he was the West Indies’ top swimmer. He was also a success as a coach but it was when he formed the Blue Dolphins Club that other clubs took root, bringing about inter club competitions. In 1982, he joined a group of top swimmers of the past in forming the Trinity Master. In 2008 he was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame. HAROLD (1933-2016) and KWAILAN LA BORDE (1933- ) H arold La Borde began his sailing career by building dinghies, in which he taught himself the basics of the sea by reading books. Sailing is a sport and although they competed against no one but themselves and the elements, their adventures are included in this ‘Sports’ chapter. In his first book, ‘An Ocean to Ourselves’ , La Borde tells of how he built the 26 foot boat the Humming Bird. Together with his new bride, Kwailan, and a friend, Buck Wong Chong, they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the Humming Bird from Trinidad to Trinidad. The La Bordes spent some time in Nigeria from 1961, then returned