Richard “Torpedo” Thompson is keen to give back.

The 2008 Olympic Games men’s 4×100 metres gold medallist retired from track and field last year, and is now an athlete agent. He wants to use his expertise to help develop the sport here in Trinidad and Tobago.

“As of right now, I am an advisor,” Thompson told the Express, shortly after arriving at Piarco International Airport, on Monday evening with his wife Monique and sons Rhys and Ryan. “When you look at the years of experience I’ve had at every level, from junior to collegiate to being a professional, there’s a wealth of knowledge that I have, as well as other members of the 4×1 team.

“For us, it’s about seeing the next generation take the baton. I know what it’s like to be in the position of the Eric Harrisons, the Kion Benjamins. You’re young’ you’re talented’ you’re hungry for success, but you may not necessarily know how to take it to the next level. I’ve done it in an unofficial capacity, talking to those guys and trying to steer them in the right direction.”

Thompson, though, wants to do more for track and field here in T&T.

“It’s really to try to get on board with the TTOC, with the NAAA, with the Ministry of Sport to implement programmes that allow us to help those who are already making the national teams and those in certain colleges and so on, but there should also be a streamline from us, to the universities, to the professional coaches.

“We understand,” the 2008 Olympic 100m silver medallist continued, “that not everybody may have the academic background to get into the Division 1 universities. Maybe we could streamline them to the junior colleges, or maybe we get them in the programmes like the Lance Braumans and the Frannos (Stephen Francis) in Jamaica.”

Thompson said it is crucial for young athletes to get proper guidance.

“What we cannot do is sit back and allow people to make those decisions for themselves. I’ve seen talent go to waste. A number of names come straight to mind when I think of people making junior teams, doing very well, and they end up in a place where the programme has no history of producing great athletes.

“A local mentality and a Caribbean mentality sometimes is that foreign is better, which is not always the case. It depends on where you end up. I’ve helped a few athletes over the years to get into LSU and some of the other universities. I would love to be, in an unofficial capacity, or maybe an official capacity, an ambassador that allows the talent of Trinidad and Tobago to go to the next level.”

Last week Tuesday, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, Thompson and his teammates, Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Emmanuel Callender and Aaron Armstrong received their Beijing 2008 4×1 gold medals from International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach. Jamaican Nesta Carter’s doping violation resulted in T&T’s promotion from silver to gold.

At the Medal Reallocation Ceremony, Bach heaped praises on the five T&T sprinters, describing them as “true Olympic champions”.

“We’ve treated the game with respect,” Thompson declared at Monday’s homecoming. “We’ve treated our competitors with respect. We’ve represented Trinidad and Tobago with a level of honour and integrity that no one can question.

“When you look at the five guys, spanning from Marc at the 2000 Sydney Olympics all the way to me in 2021, we’re talking about a 21-year period of these five guys representing Trinidad and Tobago, and no implications of drugs, no undermining the system, no short cuts. These guys respected the game, and that in itself is deserving of a respectful reward.”

The triple Olympic medallist said that the golden relay quintet should be part of the decision-making process.

“I don’t want to put a monetary figure on it or say something specific, but I think part of the respect that is due to us is to possibly have a conversation, not just about what we want to be rewarded with but also how we can help. I imagine conversations are being had about rewarding us. If those conversations are being had, we would like to sit in and participate.

“I keep harping on our ability to give back. Too many times,” Thompson lamented, “you see people in Trinidad and Tobago who have done well, and as soon as they are not running or competing in their respective fields any more, it’s like we wash our hands of them.”