Manny L. Ramjohn (15 November 1915 – 23 January 1998) was an athlete from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, born in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, and educated at

Naparima College Naparima College (informally known as Naps) is a public secondary school for boys in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in San Fernando, the school was founded in 1894 but received official recognition in 1900. It was established by Dr. Kenneth J. G ...

in San Fernando. A long-distance runner (5,000 m and 10,000 m), Ramjohn was the first to win a gold medal for

at a major athletics event, the CAC Games in 1946. He was also part of the first group of five athletes to represent

in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

(1948). Between 1936 and 1951 he achieved 96 victories, 40 second-place and 13 third-place finishes. Ramjohn joined the Fifth Naparima Scout

Troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...

in 1930 and in 1937 he was elevated to King Scout and Patrol Leader. In this capacity he was one of 12 representatives from Trinidad and Tobago at the

coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...

. He remained involved in the

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

movement for the remainder of his life. Ramjohn was awarded the Humming Bird Medal (Silver) for Social Work and Sport by the government of

. In 2000 the

Manny Ramjohn Stadium The Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, located in Marabella, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, is named for long-distance runner Manny Ramjohn, the first person to win a gold medal for Trinidad and Tobago in a major international sporting event. The stadi ...

, a new football and athletics stadium at Union Park,

Marabella Marabella is a former town in southern Trinidad, between San Fernando (to the south) and Pointe-à-Pierre (to the north). Early 19th-century maps highlighted it as Marabella Junction because of the railway intersection to Williamsville and other ...

was named in his honour. Ramjohn's career included the following significant accomplishments: * 1939 White City Games,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

- 1 mile; 3 miles * 1946

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

- 5,000 meters (1st, 15:54.8) * 1948 Olympics, London, England - 5,000 meters; 10,000 meters (Did not finish)

Awards

* 1948 -

Wood Badge Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skill ...

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was for ...

of the United Kingdom * 1973 - Medal of Merit,

The Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago The Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago is the national Scouting organization of Trinidad and Tobago. Scouting was founded in Trinidad and Tobago in 1912 and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1963. The associ ...

* 1979 - Silver Ibis Award for meritorious service, The Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago * 1980 - Silver Platter 50-Year Award, Point-a-Pierre District Scouts Association * 1982 - Trinidad and Tobago Humming Bird Medal Silver for Social Work and Sport Manny Ramjohn was the cousin of former President of Trinidad and Tobago

Noor Hassanali Noor Mohamed Hassanali (; 13 August 1918 – 25 August 2006) was the second president of Trinidad and Tobago (1987–1997). A retired high-court judge, Hassanali was the first person of Indian descent along with being the first Muslim to hold the ...

and of former

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Dr. Jean Ramjohn-Richards, wife of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George Maxwell Richards George Maxwell Richards (1 December 1931 – 8 January 2018) was a Trinidadian politician who served as the fourth President of Trinidad and Tobago, in office from 2003 to 2013. He was the first President of Trinidad and Tobago and hea ...

References

*
Mannie Ramjohn
from bestoftrinidad.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramjohn, Manny 1915 births 1998 deaths Trinidad and Tobago male long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent Scouting pioneers Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Competitors at the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Games People from Gasparillo People from San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics

Awards

See also

References