By Rawle Toney
Guyana’s lone gold medallist in the 38th Junior CARFITA Games Jevina Straker is overjoyed about her victory and proud to have snagged the top prize for her country as well as the opportunity to participate in the World Youth Championships (WYC) in Italy.
The 14-year-old emerged the winner when she clocked 4:42.89 in the Girls Under-17 1500 metres beating Jamaica’s Petrene Plummer (4:43.65) and fellow Guyanese Jonella Jonas (4:45.05) at the George Odlum Stadium in St Lucia.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport from St Lucia on Sunday, Straker said she was elated because “I worked hard to get here and to win gold in my first time at the games makes me feel really special.”
The Tutorial High School student said too, “I feel special by winning Guyana’s only gold medal.”
Describing her run, the diminutive athlete said, “When I started I know that I had to run real hard because I heard about the Jamaicans and so on and then I had two of them in my race, so I know I had to run real hard.” She said too she had a good start and was full of energy which made it very easy. The champ said, “I know that I had to run hard against Jonella as well because she is very good but after in the last lap somehow I got more energy and sprint away ahead of the girl from Jamaica.”
Straker was also high in praise of her coach Leslie Black for providing much needed encouragement. “I would like to thank my coach because he was there for me and supported me well. He talked to me throughout the race shouting from the stands….this made me feel great and I listened to everything he said and I was able to win,” the fourth-former said.”
Meanwhile, Black commended his athletes. He said what was remarkable was that they all listened to his instructions and executed them well. “I thought our team did well even though we didn’t get plenty medals, all the athletes performed at their best. I say this because I know how they run locally and to me they have all improved,” he said. Regarding Straker’s win he said, “she really surprised me because of how she performed…she listened to me and did exactly what I told her and she came out on top in the 1500 metres.”
Other than Ricardo Martin and Alika Morgan, none of the other athletes have ever competed at the Junior CARIFTA Games, and this team’s performance showed that they are ready to take on the region’s best athletes. Black said that the athletes seemed different and more purposeful compared to when they competed on the local scene.
Double victory
Guyana finished the Games with three medals from the ten athletes that participated; additionally, Straker, Jonas and Martin have all qualified for the WYC set for Italy in July. The three all made the required times for the Under-17 800 meters prompting a delighted Straker to say she feels she has won two medals because she has qualified for the WYC. Straker also said she hopes the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) can make her dream of attending the games a reality.
Black echoed these sentiments adding that the AAG owes the athletes the chance to compete further afield. He told Stabroek Sport that since the new executive was installed he has been trying to persuade president Colin Boyce to allow a large contingent to attend the CARIFTA Games in order to capitalise on the opportunity to enhance themselves. “I feel with the three athletes making the timings for the World Youth Championship, it would open the eyes of the AAG to send plenty athletes to games like these because you can never tell when an athlete will have their breakout point as in case of Ricardo, Javina and Jonella,” Black said, adding “I just hope now that they reward them by sending them to the games so that they can continue to excel.”
Black said too that more opportunities should be made available to Martin who hails from the Rupununi. He said Martin should be relocated to Georgetown so that he can participate in more outings abroad, particularly since he performed so well at the Games.
Synthetic track
Guyana was one of the few countries at the Games whose athletes don’t use a synthetic track. This has been a growing problem for local athletics since many persons believe that the time has passed for competitions on grass tracks. The AAG has also spent a number of years trying to remedy the situation.
Black, who has been around the sport for about 20 years, said he met the person who laid the track at the George Odlum stadium and was advised about how it could be done in a cost-effective way. “I was told that we don’t need a stadium to have a rubber track…we can start by having a few bleachers and then build around that as time [goes] by,” he said. Black said too he collected the person’s contact information and intends to pass it on to the AAG to push his efforts to ensure that Guyana’s athletes have the best facility. “I was amazed to [see] how we adjusted to the track and if only we can have one in Guyana, people in the Caribbean would be amazed at what we can and will produce,” Black said.
