Under 17 and under 20 athletes hoping to secure spots on the national team to the 47th Flow CARIFTA Games in The Bahamas over the Easter weekend, will have a final chance to make the qualifying standards today and tomorrow when the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) stages its last qualifier at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora.
The athletes are scheduled to get in their blocks from 10:00hrs.
The 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and the 1500m will be the marquee events on the track.
According to President of the AAG, Aubrey Hutson, “Senior athletes will compete with the juniors to give them the necessary push.”
So far, eight athletes have qualified to represent to Golden Arrowhead at the prestigious event which will be hosted from March 30 to April 2, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
The qualifiers so far are Daniel Williams (U-20 Boys 200m and 400m), Chantoba Bright (U-20 Girls Long Jump), Deshana Skeete (U-17 Girls 400m), Princess Brown (U-17 Girls Triple Jump), Torique Boyce (U-20 Boys High Jump), Shaquka Tyrell (U-17 Girls 1500m) and Murphy Nash (U-17 Boys 3000m).
According to IAAF World Athletics Club President, Lamine Diack, CARIFTA is “on par with the World Championships.”
The annual fixture is considered one of the best development meets in world athletics. Having started out on grass tracks, with athletes staying in schools or other similar temporary shelter, the CARIFTA Games have come a long way. College and university coaches and scouts from the United States make their way to the Games each year, in a bid to identify up-and-coming talent.
This year’s CARIFTA Games will see The Bahamas hosting 26 countries and 500 athletes, and will consist of 400 volunteers and about 150 Bahamian and international officials. It is the premier track and field junior competition in the region.
A number of Olympic and World Champions from around the region competed in the CARIFTA Games including Usain Bolt, Kim Collins of St. Kitts & Nevis, Ato Boldon of Trinidad & Tobago, Karani James of Grenada and the Golden Girls and Golden Knights from The Bahamas.
