Guyana once again dominated the Athletics Championships at the just concluded Inter-Guiana Games (IGG), scoring a total of 357 points to win the category.
Guyana left the home team trailing closest with 307 points and while they can be proud of their achievements, they cannot afford to become complacent as Suriname puts in a stronger showing every year at the IGG. Last year, the Surinamese women won the ladies category of the athletics championships which brought about Guyana’s downfall in this division, a feat not achieved in over a decade.
There is a view among some here that government has not shown much interest in athletics over the past two years, and this may be one of the reasons for sport’s seemingly shaky standing. Despite these constraints, local athletes strive to make their country proud.
Jevina Sampson who celebrated her 13th birthday last Friday won the ladies 400 metres in 59 seconds at the IGG while 400-metre phenomenon Stephan James ran away with a sprint double. James, who is also the only sprinter from Guyana to make the Pan American finals and who placed fourth last year at the IGG, rose to extraordinary heights to make history for Guyana by winning a bronze at the South American Junior Championships.
In the javelin event, Troy Lewis threw the spear at a distance of 61.25 metres which could net a win at the senior level of the local contest. Chavez Ageday, who claimed gold in the 100 metres, ran from behind to win the 4×100 metres relay while Nathaniel Giddings outsmarted his opponents in the boy’s 5000 metres to win gold. In addition, Juanita Hooper won the ladies long jump event with a mark of 5.51 metres.
In an interview with Stabroek Sport, Coach Julian Edmonds who was a member of the coach staff at the IGG, said that the team performed very well, overcoming tough circumstances. “We had no encampment and the team basically came together on the day that we left for Suriname, along with us having just one training session as a team… so I thought it was a good team effort,” he said. Another member of the coaching staff, Robert Chisholm said the victory revealed the hidden potential that can be realised with proper training and other facilities.
“I think we did well…being around them for the games and preparing them, you could tell that some were prepared physically but not mentally and me and Coach Julian realised that and [responded]…but once this bunch could be kept together to be trained the right way, I think we will have a good crop of athletes for the future,” Chisholm explained.
Despite being the only athletes, along with cyclists, who don’t encamp or train together, the junior athletes continue to make do with what is provided and mesh it with an abundance of talent and national pride to take Guyana to the top.
