Guyana’s athletes on Tuesday departed for Grenada to compete in the 45th CARIFTA Games scheduled for this weekend at the National Athletic Stadium in St. George’s.
“This is without a doubt one of the strongest CARIFTA teams that ever left these shores,” president of the AAG, Aubrey Hutson said shortly before the team’s departure.
“I know that they will do us proud and I expect to see hardware when they do return,” he added.
The AAG head also said that high qualifying times were set by the association for the athletes to reach during the many trial runs which culminated with the ‘Smalta National Youth and Junior Championships’.
“We set our times based on what was the bronze medal winning trend over the last three years at CARIFTA so these athletes are within the boundaries at least to medal but we do not know what kind of competition they will be facing this year,” Hutson reasoned.
The 14 member team comprises: Avon Samuels (200m and 400m Girls U18), Claudrice McKoy (1500m and 3000m Girls U18), Samuel Lynch (400m and 800m Boys U 18), Natricia Hooper (Triple Jump and 400m Girls U 20), Jeremy Garette (800m and 1500m Boys U 18) and Matthew McKenzie (1500m and 5000m Boys U 20).
Kenisha Phillips (100m and 200m Girls U18), Andrea Foster (800m and 1500m Girls U 20) and Odwin Tudor (5000m Boys U 20).
Chantoba Bright (Triple and Long Jump Girls U 18) and Daniel Williams (High Jump, 200m and 400m Boys U18).Compton Ceasar (100m and 200m Boys U 20),Tyrell Peters (100m and 200m Boys U 18), Joshua Jones (Shot Put and Discus Boys U 18).
The officials are: Sheryl Hermonstine (Team Manager), Robert Chisholm (Head Coach) and Rawle Griffith (Assistant Coach).
There are 28 countries expected to participate in this year’s CARIFTA Games and they are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands.
