Morgan again does Guyana proud at 2008 Junior Carifta Games

Once again Guyana’s middle and long distance athletic sensation Alika Morgan did her country proud by copping a silver and bronze medal at the 2008 Carifta Games held last weekend in St. Kitts/Nevis.

Just as she did last year, Morgan made the podium in both of her events, placing third in the girls’ under-20 1500m and second in the girls’ 3000m.

Although her times were slower than last year’s, Morgan returned the same position as she did the previous year in both events.

In the 1500m, Morgan clocked a time of 4:44.48s, three seconds off her last year’s time , while Jamaicans Natoya Goule and Mackola Joseph finished 1-2 in 4:33.69s and 4:45.22s respectively.

At the 2007 Carifta Games in the Turks and Caicos, Morgan placed second to Jamaican Tenisha Davis who won the race by .32s after a close sprint to the finish.

This year, Morgan was edged out of a gold medal yet again by a Jamaican who, coincidentally, carries her surname. Niesha Morgan edged her at the line, finishing in a time of 10:15.22s while Alika Morgan finished in 10:15.28s.

Timothy Doris of Royal Youth Movement, who, according to the Athletics Association of Guyana was the only athlete to make their qualifying standards, failed to make the finals in both the boys’ under-17 100m and 200m.

Doris was placed in heat two for both the boys’ 100m and 200m, and placed seventh in both of those events crossing the line in 11.63s and 23.7s respectively.

This event was eventually won by Bahamian Geno Jones who clocked 10.76, while Moriba Morain (10.84s) of Trinidad and Christopher Garia (11.00) placed second and third.

Rupununi-based middle distance athlete Ricardo Martin improved on the 4:45s that he ran in the 1500m at the Athletics Association’s Carifta Trials and ran 4:33.40s which was good enough to earn him an eighth place finish from 14 entries in the boys’ under-17 1500m.

According to the official website of the 2008 Junior Carifta Games, Martin was apparently disqualified in the preliminary rounds of the highly contested boys under-17 800m for a reason unknown to this newspaper at this time.

The 800m U-17 finals was won by Javere Bell of Jamaica who ran a time of 1:56.12s followed by Anthonio Mascoll (1:56.68s) and Jamaican Waquar Dacosta (1:58.99).