Linden’s Cassie George was up to press time yesterday the only athlete in the middle distance events to make the CARIFTA Games qualifying time when the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) held its Trials yesterday at the Guyana Defence Force ground Camp Ayanganna. George produced a sterling performance yesterday afternoon in the girls’ under-17 1500 metres clocking 4:44:1 seconds, a new personal best time for her in her pet event.
The 14-year-old George finished more than 100 metres ahead of her competitors which included Running Braves Athletics Club athlete, Andrea Foster, a bronze medal winner at last year’s CARIFTA Games in Bermuda.
Foster, daughter of Alicia Fortune, finished a distant second in 5:13.3 seconds while Cassie Kirton of Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School
finished third in 5:15.2 seconds.
Tirana Mitchell of Mercury Fast Laners (MFL) Track and Field Club was equally impressive in the girls’ U17 100 metres event and became the second athlete to achieve the AAG CARIFTA standard after clocking 11.9 seconds in winning the event.
Onassha Rogers and Shonette Freeman were second and third respectively in 12.4 seconds and 12.6 seconds.
Those who narrowly missed the qualifying standards were Dequan Van Cooteen and Alita Moore both of the Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC).
Van Cooteen won the boys’ U17 100 metres in 10.9 seconds while Moore won the girls U20 100 meters in 11.8 seconds ahead of a field which included Leitita Myles (12.4 seconds) and Alzemo Britton (12.7 seconds).
Lyndon Wilson, Coach of the two athletes, stated that he believes that the two athletes can qualify given another opportunity at the meet.
“She had a slight stumble which slowed her down but she was just a hundred of a second off the qualifying mark,” Wilson said of Moore’s effort.
He also said that Van Cooteen ran an excellent race but had some difficulty with his start.
Running Brave junior athletes, Avon Samuels, Natrica Hooper, Jevina Sampson took the top three positions in the 400 metres with Samuels winning the event in 59.3 seconds. Hooper finished second in 59.6 seconds with Sampson third in 59.9 seconds.
Their teammate Jason Yaw took command of the junior boys’ 400 metres in 51.8 seconds leaving Campton Caesar and Carson Whyte in second (55.2 seconds) and third (57. 1 seconds) respectively.
Tiffany Carto was the only U20 female to run under the one minute barrier in the 400m. Carto earned herself a new personal time after winning the event in 58.4 seconds.
Quacy Simpson of MFL won the boys’ U20 400 metres in 51.2 seconds ahead of Royal Youth Movement’s (RYM) Danta Thom who clocked 51.8 seconds. Samuel Doris of Ruralities came third in 52.6 seconds.
The Trials continues today at the same venue from 10am.
