Three athletes have been added to the initial nine-member squad to represent Guyana at the CARIFTA Games Easter Weekend in St. Kitts.
Following an AAG council meeting, sprinters Linton Mentis (100m and 200m under-20), Avon Samuels (200m and 400m under-18) and Michelle Powley (100m and 200m under-20) were drafted in to compete at the April 4-6 event.
At the 44th CARIFTA Games next month, Guyana will also be represented by multiple CARIFTA Games medalist, Cassey George along with USA-based Brenessa Thompson.
Named too is Kenisha Phillips, who burst onto the scene at the CARIFTA trials, winning the under-18 girls 100m and 200m events and placing second in the 400m.
George, the Sportswo-man and Junior Sports- woman-of-the-Year, was selected by the AAG to compete in the 1500m under-18 event. Last year she earned gold in the 1500m and the 3000m races in Martinique.
Notably absent from the shortlisted athletes is two-time CARIFTA Games bronze medalist and junior Sportsman-of-the-Year, Jason Yaw, who failed to make the 400m qualifying standard at the trials on the muddy GDF track.
The full team reads Under-18 Girls: George (1500m), Chantoba Bright (long and triple jump) Natricia Hooper (triple jump), Kenisha Phillips (200m,) and Claudrice McKoy.
Under-18 Boys: Compton Caesar (100m, 200m), Matthew McKenzie (3000m)
Under-20 Girls: Brenessa Thompson (100m, 200m).
Thompson has been having an outstanding indoor season so far.
The selection committee considered the recorded times of all the athletes in the U-20 division and how close they were to the qualifying standards set and named Ornesto Thomas for the 800m and 1500m events.
Yvonne October will be the team’s manager on the sojourn while Julian Edmonds is the coach. Edmonds will be assisted by Moses Pantlitz.
The CARIFTA Games will be held at the Silver Jubilee Stadium in Sugar City.
