The 400m track and field finale event at the 2016 Rio Olympics concluded with a serendipitous occasion. The gold-winning effort came from the South African legend Wayde Van Niekerk with a time of 43.030. However, all eyes were fixated on a Tobagonian track and field athlete who watched the podium finishers with an avid gaze. Although, more than 40 seconds late to the top berth of the winner’s podium, his time of 44.010 screamed of a promising overture.

Machel Cedenio is a two-time Olympian out of Trinidad and Tobago. He has yet to secure an Olympic medal to certify his 400m dominance that has brought him the gold medal in the 2015 World Championships relay event. Now, he is all set to satisfy his cravings for the coveted hardware in the Paris Olympics 2024 and has a fierce message for his rivals.

Machel Cedenio’s oath for the Paris Olympics 2024

As the most prominent 400m runner in Trinidad and Tobago’s track and field sphere, Machel Cedenio is pushing his boundaries to earn the glory of a podium finish in the Paris Olympics 2024. His dominance was summed up and narrated on an X post from Track Spice alongside a training video from the athlete prognosticating his upcoming performance. The caption conceded, “Machel Cedenio who holds the 400m Record in Trinidad and Tobago is working on a comeback for the Olympics this year. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and came fourth with a personal best of 44.01 seconds. This is the fastest fourth-place time for the 400m in the Olympics!!”

For Cedenio, the previous accomplishment means nothing in the absence of a verifiable measure of excellence. He provided more insights into an elite athlete’s mindset in a monologue featured on the video post. He said, “The work you put in from the start like all now you’ll see the results…men does be laughing when we gying in practice and stuff but that’s the point of training…you come back stronger”. His full-throttle campaign in the 2024 season is fueled by reminders of a miserable past in the previous Games.

Machel Cedenio resolves to bounce back

Machel Cedenio dipped from the fourth rank to the eighth rank in his subsequent Olympic 400m engagement in 2021. Since that disappointment, the athlete has been training in Grenada under the expert mentorship of Antonia Burton. His campmates Michelle-Lee Ahye and Ruebin Walters often exchanged notes on their athletic journeys. However, in the Olympic year, Cedenio severed his physical ties with the United States and moved back home.

Read More: 22-Year-Old American Track and Field Prodigy Crashes Out Due to Heat at Major 400M Event

Declaring the motive behind the sudden shift, Cedenio said, “I’m getting older. This would be my last Olympics in my prime, so I just want to lock in, try to make the final, and be on the podium”. Will his Olympic campaign finally result in a successful medal grab?

Watch This Story: “Genetics of a Goddess”: Bodybuilder Granny Graciously Defying Aging Leaves Fitness World Astounded