Olympic gold medallist Richard “Torpedo” Thompson has hailed market network super app LUHU (Let Us Help U) as a “one-stop shop for athletes”.

The Trinidad and Tobago track star explained the usefulness of the app.

“As an athlete, you could spend months at a time out in Europe training and competing. Being in a region you’re not familiar with, you have no idea where to go for the best food, massage therapist generally, you wouldn’t know where the best places are for resources. What I learnt to do was reach out within my network. For example, I could ask Ato (Boldon) where to find a massage therapist.

“This is an area where LUHU becomes applicable,” Thompson continued, “since you now have access to multiple networks. You can also link up with other athletes and have the benefit of shared costs. There’s the payment issue as well. Some of the smaller meets still pay athletes cash, and you could end up with 10/15 thousand euros. LUHU is a safe way to receive payments.”

LUHU co-founder Zwede Hewitt is a former national athlete. He secured Carifta Games 400 metres gold in 2007 and Commonwealth Games men’s 4x400m bronze in 2014.

Thompson, who earned men’s 4x100m gold and individual 100m silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said that Hewitt’s involvement is a huge plus for LUHU.

“It’s fantastic to hear that these solutions are being addressed by someone who has travelled the world, sitting in the shoes and experiencing first-hand what athletes go through. He can relate to these challenges.

“I’m in full support of digital transformation in sport,” Thompson declared. “LUHU is a great place for sporting enthusiasts to connect with the athletes they support. It can be the portal that brings them together.”

Another T&T Olympian, sprint hurdler Mikel Thomas also expressed his support for LUHU.

“The digitisation of sport is necessary. LUHU can be a global tool to integrate different communities to sport. It’s essential to support sport at grassroots level, and LUHU can be that one central hub to connect to sport in any country they’re in.

“Given what’s going on with Covid-19,” Thomas continued, “and how sport is affected, this initiative is like a good leg in a relay. LUHU can be a strong second leg in the transformation to digitisation. We’re at a pivotal point in sporting history, and LUHU is well-positioned to carry things forward.”

Hewitt said both Thompson and Thomas view the LUHU platform as “a fantastic opportunity to give back to sport and to connect with their fans at a level that has never been possible before.”

Florida-based T&T track stars, Jereem “The Dream” Richards and Machel Cedenio, and collegiate standout Tyra Gittens are also supporters of LUHU.

Additionally, the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) has entered into a partnership with LUHU. Hewitt and TTOC president Brian Lewis met recently to seal the deal. Another local sporting entity, the Concorde Track & Field Club has been using LUHU to advertise its training programmes.

The first version of the LUHU app is currently available at the Play Store and the App Store. In addition to sport, there are accommodation, education, events, food, products, services and transportation categories featured on the app.

LUHU is expected to be officially launched in the second quarter of 2021.