The presence of Darren Alfred on the national 4x400 metres team for the recently concluded World Games, speaks volumes for the UTT High Performance scholarship programme.

Coming from Tobago, Darren Alfred was nurtured into national and international stardom in 2017 by UTT’s Track & Field Coach, Lester Osouna. During that year, Darren was part of a UTT 4x200 metres relay team that won the National Championships, thereby gaining qualification for UTT to the PENN relays. The UTT Team of Arinze Chance, Christopher Richards, Darren Alfred and Kirdell McIntosh blazed the track in 1:26.42.

Darren Alfred second from right at National Champs 2017

Subsequently, Darren also won the National Championships 400 metres men’s event with a time of 47.09 secs, later improving to 46.73 secs at the Grenada Whitsuntide Games. 

2017 was definitely a great year for Darren and UTT’s Track & Field programme as he went on to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. During those games Darren qualified for the finals of the men’s 400 metres finals becoming the first Trinidad and Tobago athlete to make the finals of any World University Games event. 

This year, Darren produced a 46.63 secs run that gained him selection on the National Team for the recently concluded World Games in Doha where he performed creditably. Coach Lester Osouna has predicted that Darren Alfred would be selected as a third leg runner on the 2020 Olympics 4x400 metres team. 

Once Coach Osouna’s prediction is correct, UTT’s Academy of Sport: Centre for Kinesiology, Physical Education and Sport would have achieved one of its long term goals of playing a significant role in producing an athlete to represent Trinidad and Tobago at an Olympic Games. The icing on the cake would be when a UTT nurtured athlete, medals at an Olympic Games. Stay tuned, it’s soon to come.

Darren is now at St. Augustine University in the United States.

Darren Alfred (2^ndfrom right) after his run in Doha