On The Line - Keshorn Walcott
Robert Dumas goes On The Line with Keshorn Walcott in Cuba.
Transcript
00:00 This episode of On The Line is brought to you courtesy the sports company of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:06 I've been doing a lot with the Olympians.
00:10 This time they said this one's going to be easy.
00:13 I'm on the line today with Kishon Walcott.
00:20 In every sport, there's a line.
00:26 All athletes put themselves on the line for club and country.
00:32 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:35 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:39 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:43 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:47 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:51 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
00:55 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
01:00 The Olympians are on the line for the World Cup.
01:03 Today we're on the line in Cuba, home to Kishon Walcott's training camp and trainer Ismael Mastrapa.
01:16 It took us just about an hour to get here and we're heading straight to Kishon's camp.
01:27 We're finally here at the Estadio Olimpico to meet with Kishon Walcott, Shaquille, Cleo's here and of course the one and only Ismael Mastrapa.
01:39 He promises to take me through my paces.
01:42 So I got here in one piece. This is, what do they call it, my wet man ride.
01:49 [Music]
01:51 Alright, well I'm trying something here.
02:11 Where we're at looks a bit like a scene out of the apocalypse, but looks are certainly deceiving.
02:18 This is the entrance to the Estadio Olimpico.
02:21 It's a fountain, in front of me there's a baseball which Cuba's famous for.
02:26 There's so much life and vibrancy happening right here in this stadium.
02:32 [Music]
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02:38 Now a quick chat with Ismael Mastrapa, Kishon's coach.
02:44 He said that the Estadio Olimpico is mainly known for their field athletes.
02:48 There's so many greats, to name a few, Yvan Pedroso.
02:53 But we go and meet Kishon Walcott and as he said, it mightn't look like much, but it's actually just amongst all these champions that you just feel the vibe, feel the energy and everyone's just doing their thing.
03:04 So once again, looks are deceiving because this is certainly right now the home of champions.
03:10 Now this gym at the Estadio Olimpico mightn't look like much.
03:14 There's a lot of noise going on, it's really an iron gym.
03:18 Bareback women pumping upwards of 300 pounds.
03:22 And it's full of Pan American champions, world champions, Olympic champions, you name it.
03:29 All right in what looks like a simple gym.
03:33 But I can tell you, it's anything but.
03:36 [Music]
04:02 Now I'll show you his schedule, but it's a secret.
04:06 It's what makes him an Olympic gold medalist.
04:09 [Music]
04:13 I was just going to ask you, what kind of music you listen to normally when you're training?
04:23 White dogs and this stuff.
04:25 Oh, rock and hip hop.
04:27 What's your favorite? Not soka?
04:29 Yeah bro.
04:31 Yeah, just things that keep you.
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04:37 Now if you notice, when Kishon lifts, the bars are actually bending.
04:51 And what he was showing me in the gym is that most of the bars are bent.
04:55 And that's from people like doing the triple jump when they jump around.
05:00 So with so much weight on it, it actually bends the bar.
05:02 And this is really tough to bend.
05:04 And this guy keeps trying to get me to lift this stuff.
05:10 But he doesn't know I'm good.
05:12 I do this stuff normal.
05:14 Normal.
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05:21 [Laughter]
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05:27 Now everywhere Kishon Walcott normally goes, he's a big fish in a small pond.
05:36 But inside of here, he's amongst peers.
05:39 Everyone's a big fish.
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05:49 Whew!
06:05 Well, Kishon isn't one of the most talkative people.
06:09 He definitely does a lot of talking on the truck.
06:14 I think I made one lap.
06:16 And he's not even sweating.
06:20 But I'm going to go through all the paces.
06:25 I'm going to show him I can throw that javelin at least 90 to 100.
06:30 So, sport company, Ministry of Sport, TTOC, make sure and have that extra ticket.
06:37 Because I'm going real.
06:40 [Music]
06:44 So, Kishon's done his thing.
07:04 Now I get the lesson.
07:07 I'm going to go for about, just for today, I'll go for about 80 meters.
07:10 [Laughter]
07:13 Why are you laughing though?
07:15 Why are you laughing?
07:17 You make a realistic goal.
07:19 You made a realistic goal.
07:21 80 meters.
07:23 Get me into crypto.
07:25 [Laughter]
07:27 I'm not feeling insecure at all.
07:29 The fact that you have your shirt off, I wouldn't dare take mine off.
07:33 Give me a couple of months, I'll be there.
07:36 [Music]
07:37 Let's try this one more time.
07:45 [Music]
08:04 So, I've seen the gym.
08:05 I've seen the training ground.
08:08 What I haven't seen is a bit more of Cuba.
08:11 So, to show us around is the man behind Kishon's success, Ismail Mostrapo.
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12:40 Every night at around 9 p.m. hundreds gather to view the cannon ceremony held here at La Cabana Fortress.
12:47 The Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana was built around 1774 by the Spaniards to control the access of the Havana port.
12:55 Soldiers dress in 18th century uniforms and fire a cannon over Havana Bay at precisely 9 p.m.
13:03 It is a historical reconstruction dating back to the colonial era. Back then the cannon fire announced the official end of the day and the time to close the city gates for the night.
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13:20 I must say this ceremony is certainly worth a visit.
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13:58 You came home to one of the biggest fan fairs I've seen in my time. How did that impact you?
14:06 Seeing all those people in the airport, it was something extremely terrifying and something truly amazing at the same time.
14:15 Knowing that so many people were so happy. Knowing that you can bring happiness to all these people just by one show, by one medal, it's something great.
14:24 A long way from home, from Tokyo now to Cuba.
14:28 Well, this is like my home. Back in 2012, my first training camp was here in Cuba before the Olympic Games.
14:35 It was one of the first places that I achieved some different stuff in travelling, like my first 80-meter throw I got here in Cuba.
14:46 Olympic gold medalist, having that gold is one thing, but you have a plane named after you, a lighthouse named after you, the highest honour in Trinidad and Tobago. Do you think it's changed you at all?
14:56 It changed me in the eyes of a lot of other people. I won't say in my eyes, I haven't changed that much. I'm just growing. I'm still young.
15:05 A lot of people see me and say that you have changed, but I'm no longer 19 years old. I'm not going to stay the same.
15:12 For me, it changed me in terms of things I have achieved, and hopefully I can achieve more.
15:19 From 2009 to 2012, I had non-stop consistent performances that were always one after the next, better than the next.
15:30 In 2013, I had a horrible year. I got injured. In 2014, it wasn't the best of years, but I still came back. I still got a personal best.
15:42 Last year was a 50-50 year for me. It was pretty good. Pan American champion, a true 90-meter. But yet again, I failed at the World Championship.
15:55 That's something I've been trying to figure out. Me and my coach have been trying to figure out what we've been doing wrong.
16:03 It's two times it has happened in the past four years. It's something we need to look at. He always jokes and says, "Hey, you're an Olympic child.
16:14 The World Championship will come whenever it comes."
16:17 You've been to so many events, so many world events. Looking forward to Rio 2016?
16:23 For me in 2012, I didn't know if I could make it to another Olympics. A lot of people don't do two Olympics, three Olympics.
16:29 Rio 2016 is something to look forward to.
16:32 What in particular? Is it the medal? I know the medal is top of mind, but what else are you looking forward to?
16:42 Experiences. Stories to tell when you're old. But most importantly is the medal. To see what I'm capable of.
16:53 To see what God is going to give me this time around. Hopefully, I can share it with my teammates. Share it with my brother, share it with Shaki, share it with Cleo.
17:03 Hopefully, this is going to be Cleo's third or fourth Olympics. Hopefully, this time around, it's going to be much better for her.
17:11 Do you think people appreciate what athletes like yourself and this elite status do day in, day out?
17:16 You've been sacrificing rather than taking.
17:19 It's not for them to know. It's for you. It's for you to understand that this is what I want to do and this is what I do every day.
17:27 Realize that at the end of it, this is the outcome. This is what I've been training for.
17:32 Being able to train for Mondays and Saturdays, you don't have time to do anything else.
17:38 A whole lot of partying, a whole lot of liming. Like a normal 22-year-old.
17:42 Do you think you're missing that youth?
17:44 Um...
17:46 Because not many of them can see they have the aura of 2019.
17:49 Yeah, that's the next thing.
17:51 And a clean beat after them.
17:53 That's the other thing. It's a sacrifice.
17:55 So you have to understand that I want to achieve this. You might want to party, but I want to achieve something.
18:00 Not many people can say that they've traveled to so many different countries before the age of 22.
18:07 In their lifetime.
18:08 Yeah, so this is my experience as a 22-year-old.
18:12 I just want to leave a legacy. I just want to leave something that when my name is mentioned, somebody could say, "Hey, yes, I remember him. I remember what he did."
18:21 And children could look up to me.
18:23 Wherever in the world you go, you mention Brian Lara, it's instant. Click. Train out to Bayville.
18:27 It's like this. You don't have to say, "Hey, what does he play?"
18:32 No, it's like, yeah, that's what I want to be able to do.
18:37 When my name is mentioned, people know exactly what went on.
18:41 And you mentioned Brian Lara. A lot of people don't know that your first love is cricket.
18:46 Cricket was one of my favorite things. Me and my brother, we did all that growing up together.
18:51 How do you deal with the fame?
18:55 Is it people who you keep around you? Is it something that really helps you to deal with fame and the way you live your life?
19:03 I'm not the lavish type to go all out and say, "Hey, I'm here." I'm not that type. I'll go to a party, but I'll be in the back.
19:11 Just to wrap up, do you still talk about the Pelton mango growing up? Or is that a story shelved now?
19:21 A lot of people still mention it when I go places like mango season is coming back, boy.
19:26 I was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." I was like, "No, no. Pelton coconut, no."
19:30 But yeah, it's something that's going to stick with me throughout because mangoes are a big thing in Trinidad.
19:38 And no matter where you go, people are going to mention it. People are going to put it together. Pelton and mangoes.
19:46 Every morning you wake up, you're Kishore Walker. Are there moments that you reflect and go, "Wow, look what I've done."
19:54 It's all about moving forward. You just can't settle for what you have already accomplished. You're just trying to accomplish more.
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20:32 LT, Kishore's older brother. What's it like having Kishore as a younger brother?
20:37 What's the name? Kishi.
20:43 Your mom refers to him. Yeah, exactly. That's the first time.
20:46 Kishi is the definition of discipline. When it comes to training, discipline, he has it. Determination and everything.
20:57 Sometimes it drives him a little too much. Sometimes it's where he falls down. He doesn't know how to lose.
21:02 I've known how to lose for a while because at the bottom, there's only one place to go. So it's different for us.
21:09 He refers to you always so affectionately. Elton's the name. He always goes LT. You always heard him.
21:15 I remember the first time I met him prior to the London Olympics. And then even after that, it's always LT, LT.
21:22 Yeah, because, you know, there's a measure of affection and love that can be beat. And the reality is that I was the one that was there first.
21:34 And perhaps I would say that I inspired him. And now that he has reached a level, I'm at a level. I'm trying to attain the other level.
21:47 And it's perhaps different now that he wants me to aspire and to reach there. And he believes in me. Whether he says it or not, he does.
21:54 And what do you want from him?
21:56 Personally, I would love to see him go on to take the Olympics title this year. The world record, I would love to see that for him.
22:04 Because he has the discipline. All he needs is to just stay focused and just keep driving himself forward.
22:12 Which is actually quite easy for him because to be intrinsically motivated is something that comes easy for him.
22:33 So I've been in Kishon's world. I didn't really do well at all. I was hoping to get at least 80 meters, but I only got like 70.
22:41 What I'm going to do is see how he fares against another Olympian, one of my favorites, Cleopatra, to see if he can throw the shot put.
22:51 The most important thing when throwing the shot, as we all know, is the noise.
22:58 If you don't get the "Ahhhh!" loud enough, it doesn't make for the throw.
23:06 Hey, what happened to you? I can teach you.
23:22 You're going to teach me how to throw the shot put?
23:24 Yeah, that's the shot put technique.
23:27 I'm a boss. I can do shot put, I can do discus, I can bowl like a pro, I can hike better than this guy, I can race better than Justine, I can run better than J.U., I can run better than Richard. I can do everything.
23:49 By slow motion?
23:52 Before we actually wrap up, they always say those who can't teach. Now we want to talk to the coach to see if he can throw the distance.
24:02 He's been laughing at me. He's been laughing at me this entire time.
24:10 Even in Trinidad. One time.
24:14 One time.
24:15 Guys, thanks for being such good sports and most of all for being on the line.
24:31 Thank you.
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24:39 This episode of the Life of a Sportsman courtesy of the Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago.
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