By Treiston Joseph
Guyana will send an eight-member team including two females to the North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) cross country run in Trinidad and Tobago carded on Saturday.
The team will be spearheaded by national 1500 meters record holder Cleveland Ford and will also include Cleveland Thomas, Denis Horatio, Wilbert Mingo, Hezron Pedro, Nathaniel Giddings, Alika Morgan and Doretta Wilson from the Rupununi.
The men will compete as a team while the females will be competing for individual glory. In a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport, Athletics Coach Lyndon Wilson said that his athlete (Denis Horatio) was mentally prepared and physically “was about there.”
“We are working on speed and conditioning,” said Wilson adding :”he is training hard and is ready to perform for his country.”
Horatio told Stabroek Sport:“I’m training harder and even though it’s a team thing, I’m going out there to beat Cleveland Ford,” he declared. Veteran athletics trainer Leslie Black who is the driving force behind Morgan’s achievements told this newspaper that…“Alika up to now her preparations are fairly good around 80% there, she is building on confidence from earlier in the year when she won some overseas 10ks but I might have to move her to some road training because of the current weather.”
And Cleveland Thomas’ coach Julian Edmonds said of his charge’s training:“It’s coming along excellent with long runs in the mornings and speed and strength in the afternoons. He will be much better prepared for the NACAC event than he was for the one he ran earlier.
Thomas told Stabroek Sport:“My preparations are reasonable with double training sessions. I’m just hoping to go out there and do my best for the team success,” he added. The Guyanese contingent will depart for the twin island republic on Friday.
