THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE BEAUTY OF THEIR DREAMS
Since Anthony Nesty’s performance at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Suriname did not gain a place in an Olympic Final, until Jaïr Tjon En Fa’s performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Track cyclist, Jaïr, won 4th place in Keirin at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. This performance is a landmark in our athlete’s path to gaining an Olympic medal. At this stage we believe that it needs no further arguing to convince Suriname and the World that we have a potential Olympic medalist at our hands.
The Track Cyclist Jaïr Tjon En Fa developed an interest in cycling at age 13. At a very early stage, the Surinamese Cycling icon Glenn Stekkel identified Jaïr as a cyclist with great potential. With the aid of trainer Sydney Montecieux, Jaïr was quickly brought to the top cycling region in the Caribbean. At age 16 in the year 2010, Jaïr embarked on an avenue to pursue his dream of gaining an Olympic medal. His Olympic journey started when he joined a cycling training camp in Florida – USA, hosted by Joël Chavez. At this training camp he was spotted by coach Antonio Dieguez who recognized Jaïr’s Sprint talent. Antonio Dieguez took Jaïr under his wings until 2019 and brought him to the top at Continental level in the Americas. Based on his performance at international events, Jaïr became eligible to train at the UCI’s World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland. He currently trains and lives in Switserland.
Jaïr Tjon En Fa made a promise and comitment to himself: “11 years ago, I dreamed of making it to the Olympics. With the support of so many, especially my family and day one sponsors I did so by qualifying for the Tokyo games. I just missed a podium finish, and that performance only fueled my dream to become even better: a podium spot at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. I promise myself, my team and my country that I will qualify for Paris. Now I promise myself and you that I will stay committed and hungry to win a medal in Paris for Suriname. This time around my commitment is bigger than an Olympic medal; it is also about committing my career as a World Class cyclist to use every opportunity I get to be a green ambassador for the most forested country in the world and to inspire my fellow citizens and the world to keep Suriname and the rest of the Earth as green and as clean as we can. That is my promise and I sincerely hope you support me and join the cause!”
Want to support Jaïr on his track towards the Olympics in Paris 2024? Follow him on Facebook and reach out to his foundation Stichting Sprint2Greatness.
