Sport2 min(s) read
Published 12:54 12 Jan 2022 GMT
Olympic sprinter Deon Lendore was tragically killed in a car crash in Texas on Monday, January 10. He was 29.
Lendore competed for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympics, and won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics in the 4x400m race.
Per Reuters, Lendore died at the scene. The driver of the SUV, a 65-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, DPS said.
The driver of the vehicle sideswiped by Lendore before the collision was not injured. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee confirmed his death in an official statement on Tuesday.
Pat Henry, his coach at Texas A&M University, said he had been on his way home from volunteering as an assistant coach at the university, the committee said.
"Words cannot adequately express our sadness at the devastating and untimely loss of 3x Olympian and Olympic and World Championship bronze medalist Deon Lendore who has been an inspiration and motivation to us all both on an off the track," the committee wrote on Twitter.
The sports brand Puma, which sponsored Lendore, said it was "saddened" by his passing in a separate tweet.
In 2014, he went undefeated through 14 races at 400 meters while winning individual NCAA indoor and outdoor championships with Texas A&M.
"He epitomized hope and joy each time his feet landed on the track," Trinidad Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe said.
"He was indeed a trailblazer, a life gone too soon. We thank him for everything he has done and for giving distinguished and diligent service to TT."
Lendore spent the past two years as a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M while he continued to compete professionally.
"I can't even express this loss," Henry said. "Over the years our relationship had changed to not only one of my athletes to coach, but he was loved by my wife, children, and grandchildren. He was part of my family. It hurts, it really hurts."
The Texas A&M Track and Field/Cross Country team posted a tribute to their late coach on Tuesday.
"It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of Deon Lendore," the team wrote on Twitter.
"An inspiration and motivator to those around him, the impact he had not only on Aggie track & field, but across the world, will be greatly missed."
