Roxroy Cato could hardly disguise the wide grin that was lingering at the corner of his mouth minutes after the men’s 400m hurdles finals at the JAAA/Supreme ventures National Senior Trials at the National Stadium last weekend.

With the Olympic A qualifying standard already tucked away and finishing third behind defending champion Leford Green and Josef Robertson, he had just punched his ticket to the Olympic Games in London later this month.

Cato who is the first former Green Island High athlete to make an Olympic team told Observer West that “I feel pretty safe this year, no last minute disappointments this time.”

He was referring to last year when he also finished third at Trials but was replaced on the team to the IAAF World Championships in Daegu on the final day of qualification by Isa Phillips.

The Sheffield, Westmoreland native said, “trust me I feel good, I did not execute the race as well as I wanted but I feel good,” adding that he has work to do to get ready for the Olympics.

Michael McIntosh who coached Cato at Green Island said the athlete’s success “is the highlight of my tenure here and helps to validate our programme.”

Since the race on Friday, McIntosh said his phone has been ringing almost non-stop and residents of the community have all been commending him on a job well done.

McIntosh who also coached Odail Todd to the World Youth Championships 100m gold last year, as well as several CARIFTA games and CAC Jnr medals, said Cato’s success has “catapulted interest in the school and several of our team members are now saying they are next in line for an Olympic berth.”