Cleopatra in the 2012 Olympics

Photo: BP London 2012

Named after her grandmother, Cleopatra Borel was born on the east coast of Trinidad in the fishing community of Palisance Village, Mayaro. Encouraged by her father Raymond, who was an athlete in high school, Cleopatra pursued her interest in athletics from an early age, quickly developing a passion for the throwing events.

Cleopatra has been competing on the international stage for 10 years, with her first success coming at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, where she was placed just out of the medals in fourth place. In 2003, Cleopatra won her first international medal, a silver at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in Grenada. 2004 saw Cleopatra qualify for and compete in her first Olympics, the Games in Athens, where she was placed 10th in the shot put final.

Cleopatra continued to build on her athletic success. In 2006 she won bronze medals at the CAC Games in Columbia and the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Another bronze at the 2007 Pan American Games paved the way for her second Olympic qualification. She competed in the 2008 Beijing Games where she was placed 17th in the final shot put rankings.

The first international gold for Cleopatra came in 2010, at the CAC Games in Puerto Rico. In recognition of this achievement, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee named her Female Athlete of the Year. Her success continued into 2011, where she picked up a silver medal at the Pan American Games and a gold medal at the CAC Championships. 

Cleopatra is currently an assistant coach at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. She works closely with the throwing coach, Gregory Jack, who is also her personal coach. Cleopatra would like to become a college coach in the future. She is conscious of her status as a role model for young Caribbean throwers, a position that comes with being one of the most successful female field athletes from the English-speaking Caribbean. 

Cleopatra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County." 

~BP London 2012