Devin Augustine rides Gophers' pipeline from Trinidad and Tobago to the Olympics

There are at least two of us with current Minnesota ties who look back at the soccer contest played in a small, rain-soaked stadium in Couva, Trinidad with considerable amusement.

The date was Oct. 10, 2017, and Trinidad and Tobago, the two islands that make up the southernmost country in the Caribbean, defeated the United States 2-1.

It was the final qualifying game for the 2018 World Cup, which would be played in Russia at a time when Vladimir Putin was just warming up for an invasion of independent neighbors.

The loss to Trinidad and Tobago (aka Soca Warriors) kept the U.S. out of that Cup — and it also provided material for an afternoon drive radio show in the Twin Cities that was building momentum toward cancellation.

We went down guffawing, with the oft-repeated observation: "I don't get why a small country like the U.S. has to play both Trinidad 'and' Tobago. No way that's fair for our noble kickers."

There was an opportunity to repeat that line during a phone call to Point Fortin, Trinidad, late last week, and it did earn a laugh from Devin Augustine, the Gophers' Olympic-bound sprinter.

"I bring that up all the time when a teammate or someone else mentions soccer for any reason," Augustine said. "I am terrible about reminding people of that match."

That's OK, Devin. The "needle" is a fine tradition in sports, and Gophers followers surely will be rooting for you when the 100-meter qualifying starts in Paris on Aug. 2.

The Gophers have had history with sprinters from Trinidad. Recently, Akilah Lewis sprinted for the Gophers, transferred this season to Ole Miss, and will be running the first leg for Trinidad's women's 4x100-meter relay team in Paris. Kion Benjamin has a year left with the Gophers and was part of the men's 4x100 relay team that missed the last slot in the Olympics by one.

"It was COVID as I was getting out of high school, and I took a gap year before college," Augustine said. "I was looking for a school, and Minnesota contacted me, and Kion was there. I decided without ever making a visit."

This was Augustine's junior season for the Gophers and he was named the top male athlete at the Big Ten championships. He kept searching to hit the 10-flat qualifying time for the Olympic 100 meters.

"I was really close; I had a 10.02 at the LSU meet, I had a 10.05, but I couldn't get there," Augustine said. "I came home for our country's championships; won it, but wasn't close to 10-flat."

He was home in Point Fortin, a town of 20,000 on Trinidad's southwestern coast, early this month.

"I was sleeping at my grandma's, for some reason, and my mom was trying to call me," Augustine said. "She finally got me and I said, 'Why are you calling at 7:30?'

"She said, 'Call the secretary for the Olympic team. You just made it in for the 100.' I thought she was dreaming. I didn't have a 10-flat time."

Turns out, there was one more opening for the 100-meter field, and Augustine made it on "points" accumulated with excellent finishes and times in big meets.

Trinidad and Tobago will have 17 athletes and 11 officials in its Olympic delegation. "We have the women's 4x100, a few individuals in track," Augustine said. "We have two cyclists, and a boxer … a swimmer, too."

The track athletes start training at a camp outside Paris next Tuesday and then move in to the Olympic Village.

Dexter Augustine is Devin's father and Keisha Alexander is his mother. Devin is part of two families now, with six siblings.

"My father was a really good athlete, but he had to stop to take care of his family," Devin said. "He made sure I was well-trained."

And Mom? She makes sure that her son gets back home with regularity. For Christmas; for the country's January carnival, when possible; for a chunk of the summer after the college season ends.

"She is supposed to go to Paris, too, but she told me yesterday, 'I don't think I should go,' " Augustine said. "She doesn't think I do my best when she's there."

Why's that?

"She thinks I'm too happy, too relaxed," he said. "But she has to go. A mom can't miss a trip to Paris."

She can't. So, go Gophers, and always remember "the needle" that defies time:

Trinidad and Tobago (pop. 1.5 million) 2, United States of America (325.1 million in 2017) 1.

"That was so great," the 2024 Olympian said.