Hundreds gathered at San Juan’s Himalaya Club on Prizgar Road yesterday to mourn the sudden passing of Sean Roach, a prominent Trinidad and Tobago business leader, sports administrator, and beloved mentor to 2012 Olympic javelin champion Keshorn Walcott. Roach died unexpectedly on October 5 at 46, with reports indicating he suffered a heart attack, though official details of his death have not been publicly released.
As the son of Langston Roach, a business icon inducted into the Trinidad and Tobago Business Hall of Fame, Sean Roach built an impressive professional legacy of his own: he served as CEO of family-owned Langston Roach Industries Ltd, and previously held the position of chairman at Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT). But for Walcott, Roach was far more than a business figure – he was a guiding force, lifelong friend, and the quiet architect of the Olympic champion’s career, a point Walcott emphasized during his moving eulogy.
Walcott first met Roach 15 years ago, when the businessman visited the athlete’s family home in Toco to discuss securing a university scholarship for Walcott’s older brother. Even then, 15-year-old Walcott, used to being overlooked as the youngest sibling, refused to be left behind. Though he was initially wary of the stranger in his home, a late-night conversation that stretched past midnight convinced the young javelin thrower to take a leap of faith. With only a few dollars between the two brothers and little more than a shared dream of athletic success, Walcott and his sibling left home to pursue professional sports, with university education planned as a safety net if their athletic ambitions fell through.
“That decision was one of the biggest risks of my life,” Walcott told mourners. “But the unexpected happened – I won Olympic gold just months after I took that chance.”
Over the 15 years that followed, what began as a mentor-mentee relationship grew into a deep brotherhood that shaped Walcott far beyond the javelin field. Meeting Roach and his family introduced Walcott to a new kind of unconditional love and support: he recalled being uncomfortable with the warm, long hugs Roach’s grandmother gave him at first, having never grown up with that level of physical affection. The experience ultimately taught him a new kind of family bond, one aligned with the core principle Roach lived by: “Each one help one.”
Walcott noted that Roach’s guidance was quiet, often unspoken, and his impact far less visible to the public than it was to those he helped. “A lot of people see my achievements and all the things I’ve been able to accomplish, but they wouldn’t know that behind so much of it was him,” Walcott said. “The person standing here today is the result of so many things you poured into my life over the years, most of which you probably never realized.”
The Olympic champion shared that Roach’s sudden death has left an unfillable void, not only for Roach’s wife, children, and extended family, but also for him. He now faces the unthinkable reality of navigating life without being able to call Roach for advice, even on small matters he could resolve on his own. “Navigating this life without you is going to be tough, and I know I’m never going to have all the answers,” Walcott said. “But the conversations, the moments that I may have taken for granted, because I never imagined a day like this would ever come, those will be the answers in the hardest of times. I know he will keep guiding me through the memories and lessons we shared.” Walcott closed his tribute by promising to honor Roach’s legacy by ensuring his children always know how deeply their father loved them.
Jason Roach, Sean’s younger brother and CEO of Rojan Marketing, also shared reflections on his brother’s life, recalling that Sean chose to return to Trinidad and Tobago after graduating from Florida International University (FIU) to work alongside their father in the family business, turning down the chance to build an independent career in the United States.
Born March 8, 1976, Sean Roach developed his passion for track and field during his time at Tranquillity Secondary School, competing in sprints, long jump, and high jump before continuing his athletic career at FIU. At the university, he set multiple track records, including a 400-meter record of 47.15 seconds that stood for 25 years, only being broken in March 2024.
Jason explained that Sean’s athletic background shaped his approach to business and leadership. One of his core management mantras was: “You cannot go where you have not seen” – a principle that emphasized visualizing goals before pursuing them, then raising expectations once a goal was achieved. Jason, who worked as Sean’s personal administrative assistant for several years, shared that his brother had a rare gift for connecting with people, nurturing their growth, and building cohesive teams. Even when Jason was fired from the company for a mistake, Sean helped him build a plan to earn his job back, demonstrating the same commitment to lifting others up that he extended to athletes like Walcott.
For Sean Roach, Jason added, family was the central pillar of his life, and his definition of family extended far beyond blood relatives. From immediate relatives to colleagues, community members, and young athletes he mentored, Roach embraced everyone as part of his extended family. “He truly embraced everyone as his bigger family,” Jason said.