"There is nothing on this earth could explain exactly how I feel right now," Natoya Johnson said, moments after her cousin, Lalonde Gordon, crossed the finish line in the men's 400 metres final, copping third place at the London 2012 Olympics yesterday.

Johnson, who viewed the race at the Express office in Scarborough, Tobago, said she was overjoyed a medal had finally come for this country, especially as Gordon is from Lowlands, Tobago.

As the race began, Johnson sat on the edge of her seat, hands clasped and nervous. But that all changed as Gordon crossed the finish line.

"Immediately there is a heat that is rushing through my body. My stomach is bubbling I have goose bumps, I took off my shoes, is like a rush inside, because you know the kind of excitement this will bring," she said.

Gordon left Tobago in 1996, and resides in Queens, New York, USA.

His father is also in Queens, while his mother Cynthia Cupid is in London with her son. Gordon's cousin is Opposition MP Donna Cox.

"After feeling that heat inside my body, I feel the excitement now of being from Trinidad and Tobago, and then thirdly as a Tobagonian. Knowing how Lalonde grew up, knowing how comical this young man is. We were just talking when he was here three weeks ago, and we ate curry, buss up shut and these kinds of things," Johnson said.

Johnson said shortly before Gordon left for the London Olympics, he said it was not like he was going for gold or so.

"He was just excited to get in, as this was the first time he would have tried out and qualified as well, and knowing that he did that because he wanted to try it, and got in, that alone was the excitement. He was just bonding with his family, he is a family guy," she said.

Celebrations are set to begin when Gordon returns home. Gordon lives in New York and is pursuing an athletic scholarship. Johnson called for the Division of Sports, of the Tobago House of Assembly, to be equitable to all Tobago athletes.

"Keep the patriotic vibes up and let us continue to support our athletes, not every four years, but every day of every year," she said.