Keshorn Walcott and Teniel Campbell both spoke of gratitude, determination and forward plans after being crowned First Citizens Senior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the “Legacy Takes Flight” ceremony at the Lord Kitchener Auditorium of the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) on Saturday night.

“First of all, I would like to say, thank you for recognising my hard work. Thank you for recognising 2025...It’s been hard,” Walcott said as he reflected on a season that saw him return to the very top of his sport. The Olympic champion capped 2025 by claiming the World Athletics Championships javelin title in Tokyo with a season-best throw of 88.16 metres, his first global medal since Olympic javelin bronze in 2016.

“Yeah, okay, okay, okay. It’s something that I’m very, really proud of knowing that it did not come easy. But now that we are here, as you said, what’s next, right?” Walcott added, underlining that the award is a milestone rather than a finish line. He said that after returning home in September he briefly wondered whether his career had reached its end: “After 2025, after I came home in September (after World Championships men’s javelin gold), I sat down and I told myself, oh, maybe this is it. Maybe I’m finished.”