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2008 Registration & Olympic Games Possible Team
Here is a list of athletes i'm working to get registered or have already
registered to compete. I'm looking to a team to run together over here because we need to run together at least two.
These athlete below combine with couple from home - Rawle Green and Alisha Fortune.
| Name |
School |
Event |
Gender |
| Austin, Analisa |
GUY (JR) - University of Illinois |
100m - 400m |
F |
| Chichester,
Jennifer |
GUY (JR) - Norfolk State |
800m - 3000m |
F |
| Corlette, Angilla |
GUY - Emerging Elite TC |
100m - 400m |
F |
| DeCruise, Ashley |
GUY (JR) - Mount Saint Mary's |
100m - 400m |
F |
| DeCruise, Ashlynn |
GUY (JR) - Mount Saint Mary's |
100m - 400m |
F |
| Gomes, Michelle |
GUY - Rutgers University |
100m - 400m |
F |
| Munroe, Dianne |
GUY - Bethune-Cookman |
100m - 400m |
F |
| Pompey, Aliann |
GUY - Unattached |
200m, 400m |
F |
| Burnett, Marian |
GUY - Unattached |
400m - 1500m |
F |
| Benjamin, Jeavon |
GUY - Arizona State |
400m |
F |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Bascom, Jeremy |
GUY - Unattached |
100m, 200m |
M |
| Lee, Randy |
GUY - Norfolk State |
200m - 800m |
M |
| Prowell, Lee |
GUY - Unattached |
100m, 200m |
M |
| Sarabo, Kwesi |
GUY - Unattached |
100m, 200m |
M |
| Wong, Clifford
C |
GUY - US Elite T&F Club |
200m |
M |
| Dann, Dax |
GUY - Nebraska |
100m - 400m |
M |
| Bascom, Deon |
GUY - Unattached |
400m, 800m |
M |
Women's 4x4 Qualification Chances
Based on the personal best in my report system
Aliann Pompey - 51.34
Jeavon Benjamin - 53.45
Marian Burnett - 54.19
Dianne Monroe - 55.57
The relay total would be 3:34.55
However, Aliann (PR) = 50.96 and Angilla Colette ran 39.51 - 300m PR.
Our chances of getting to the 12th to 16th is greatly in hand.
12 - JPN - 3:30.35
13 - BRA - 3:31.11
14 - CHN - 3:32.25
15 - ITA - 3:32.73
16 - ROU - 3:32.95
Past News Articles Published.
Nesterenko wins women’s 100-metre final
… Campbell snatches first Caribbean track medal
By Lance Whittaker
ATHENS, Greece, (CMC) - Jamaican Veronica Campbell snatched the Caribbean’s first track & field medal at
the 2004 Athens Olympic Games with a third place finish in the women’s 100-metre final last night. Yuliya Nesterenko
of Belarus ran a powerful race to land the gold medal in a tight finish in 10.93 seconds, edging American Lauryn Williams
(10.96) and Campbell (10.97) to become the first non-American to win the Olympic 100-metre title in two dozen years.
Campbell, who appeared to lose valuable ground from a stumbling
start, becomes the fourth Jamaican and Caribbean medallist in the event - after Merlene Ottey (twice), Juliet Cuthbert, and
Tayna Lawrence.
“I feel good. I ran a personal best in the semifinal
10.93, and I’m just happy,” Campbell told CMC Sport.
“I didn’t get as good a race as I did in the
semifinal because I didn’t get out, and you know that happens in the hundred when you don’t get out, so now I
am just going to focus on the 200 and relay,” Campbell added.
Just under three hours before the final, the 22-year-old
Campbell had registered a career-best 10.93 seconds for second to Nesterenko (10.93) in a close semifinal.
In the gold medal race, Williams got the best start and
was clear early. Campbell and Nesterenko began to accelerate towards Williams at the halfway stage with Bulgaria’s Ivet
Lalova, and the Jamaican pair of Aleen Bailey and Sherone Simpson not far behind.
In a stirring run to the finish, Nesterenko was strongest
and won by 0.03 seconds over Williams to become the first non-American women’s Olympic 100-metre champion, since Russian
Lyudmila Kondratyeva won at the Moscow Olympics - that the United States boycotted - in 1980.
Meanwhile, the English-speaking Caribbean put five athletes
into today’s men’s 100-metre semifinal, after a quarter-final series that produced superb sub-10 clockings from
Americans Shaun Crawford, Justin Gatlin, and Maurice Greene, Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, and Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu.
Greene rebounded from two defeats against Powell in the
past month with a victory over the powerful Jamaican in heat five in 9.93 seconds.
Both sprinters ran conservatively and the less experienced
Powell, the current world number one, coasted through to second in 9.99.
Gatlin was a solid heat three winner in 9.96 seconds and
the tall Nigeria-born Obikwelu cruised to a Portugal national record 9.93 seconds to win the first heat ahead of Jamaican
Dwight Thomas, who equalled his personal best 10.12.
World champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis ran a comfortable
race in a personal season’s best 10.05 for second behind Ghana’s Aziz Zakari (10.02), with Jamaica’s Michael
Frater (10.11) third in that heat.
Also advancing from the Caribbean was Barbadian Sydney bronze
medallist Obadele Thompson, who chased Crawford for second with a time of 10.12.
The Netherlands Antilles’ Churandy Martina (10.24),
Cayman’s Kareem Streete-Thompson (10.24), and Trinidad & Tobago’s Nicconnor Alexander (10.48) were all eliminated.
The region’s 800-metre runners were eliminated in
the semifinals, as Britain’s Kelly Holmes (1:57.98), Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi (1:58.59) and Mozambique ’s
Maria Mutola (1:59.30) shared the wins.
Jamaican Michelle Ballentine (2:00.94), Marian Burnett (2:02.21),
and Suriname’s Letitia Vriesde (2:06.95) ended their campaigns.
In other disciplines yesterday, Barbadian shooter Michael
Maskell and Guyanese weightlifter Julian McWatt had losing outings.
In Skeet Shooting, Maskell scored 23 points from 25 in each
of the three rounds he shot for 37th position of 41 competitors.
McWatt was 14th in the men’s 85-kilogramme class after
snatching 125 kg and 147.5 kg in the clean and jerk for a 272.5 total.
This morning, Barbadian cyclist Barry Forde rides in a match
sprint.
He enters the event with some good credentials - several
Pan-Am Championship titles - and he also won a World Championship bronze and double Pan-Am Games gold last year although he
suffered the disappointment of being stripped of those medals after a positive test for a banned stimulant.
Good opening day on the track for the Caribbean
By Lance Whittaker
…
Marion Burnett advances to
next round in 800 metres
ATHENS, Greece, (CMC) - Caribbean women were prominent
in the 100-metre sprint and the region’s 400-metre men also announced themselves as medal prospects as the first full
day of track and field started at the Olympic Stadium yesterday.
After a fine morning session of sprinting in
which all but one of the English-speaking Caribbean entries advanced beyond the first round, the region distinguished itself
in an evening session of more progress and triple success in the men’s 400 metres.
French star Christine Arron looked very solid
in winning the first heat in round two of the women’s 100 metres in the evening session in 11.10 seconds, cruising the
last 20 metres to top Jamaican Veronica Campbell (11.18).
Two-time champion Gail Devers was fourth in
11.31, and Caribbean sprinters LaVerne Jones (11.44) of the US Virgin Islands, and Bahamian Chandra Sturrup (11.46) returning
from injury, were eliminated after placing sixth, and seventh respectively.
Lauryn Williams, the reigning Pan-Am Games champion,
sped to an 11.03
secs win in heat two, and advanced to the semis,
chased by Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova (11.09) and Bahamian Commonwealth champion Debbie Ferguson (11.16).
Caribbean runners swept the top two spots in
heat three with Sherone Simpson, the quickest Jamaican this year at 11.01 seconds, winning in 11.09 ahead of her team-mate
Aleen Bailey (11.12), with Slovenia’s Jamaica-born 44-year-old Merlene Ottey (11.24) chasing in third sport.
Trinidad and Tobago’s national champion
Fana Ashby finished seventh in 11.54 seconds.
Vincentian Natasha Mayers, who suffered a hamstring
injury in the first round yesterday morning, scratched from the evening’s quarter-final race, heat four, in which Yuliya
Nesterenko, of Belarus, sped to a round-best 10.99 win, her second sub-11 clocking for the day.
CARICOM athletes registered three wins and were
generally prominent in the men’s 400-metre preliminaries.
Grenada’s World Indoor champion Alleyne
Francique kicked off the heats with a come-from-behind victory in the first race, getting past Jamaican Davian Clarke (45.54)
to win in 45.32 seconds.
“It was a nice relaxed run and this is
what I wanted. Tomorrow is going to be the fire, so you’ve got to conserve,” Francique told CMC Sport.
Francique, 28, is the world number one in the
event and said he is replacing pressure by thinking of the progress he has made to give the Spice Isle its first gold medal
candidate at the Olympic Games.
He played down the mental strain of the three-race
semi-final series today.
“No pressure, I am appreciative because
we’ve never reached so far and the whole country is behind me, and I am excited. I am just going out there relaxed and
have fun,” Francique said.
Chris Brown of the Bahamas was the fastest of
the evening in 45.09 seconds to win the second heat ahead of American Otis Harris, and Jamaica’s 2002 Commonwealth Games
champion Michael Blackwood landed heat seven with a strong lane eight run in 45.23 seconds.
“I wanted to make sure I make it to the
next step, which is tomorrow. I think I executed that well,” Blackwood said.
US champion Jeremy Wariner was a smooth winner
of heat six in 45.56, defeating the big German Ingo Schultz,
Russian Anton Galkin (45.43) won three, in which
T&T’s Modibo (46.29) was eliminated in fifth place.
Also failing to advance for the Caribbean was
Dominica’s Chris Lloyd, who clocked 47.98 for sixth in heat five, won by the Dominican Republic’s Carlos Santa
(45.31).
American winner Derrick Brew (45.41) and Jamaica’s
champion Brandon Simpson (45.61) cruised to the finish in taking the top two spots in heat four and the other heat winner
was Frenchman Les Djhone (45.40) in heat eight.
Three Caribbean entries advanced in the women’s
800 metres. Jamaica’s Michelle Ballentine, registering two minutes 01.52 seconds for third in heat three, was joined
by Suriname’s Letitia Vriesde (2:01.70) and Guyana’s Marian Burnett (2:02.12) in the next round of the two-lap
event while Dominica’s Marie-Lyn Joseph (2:20.23) was way off the mark.
Romania’s Maria Cioncan was the quickest
of the qualifiers
Blackman, Benjamin set new marks at GPF championship
… Guyana, Headquarters take overall titles
By Leeron Brumell
THE little drizzles at the
beginning of yesterday’s Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) 51st annual Track and Field championship was a sign that
competition would be hot on the final day, and so it was.
Police lead sprinter and distance athletes Andre Blackman
and Carla Benjamin, apart from being unbeaten in their events, broke and set new records of their own, while Guyana won the
international competition and Headquarters, the local competition.
Blackman started the day with victory in the ‘A’
class men’s 100 metres final and missed the record of 10.3 set by Carl Boyce in 1993 with a run of 10.39 seconds, Brennon
Thompson was second and Raymond Roach of Trinidad and Tobago third.
That set the scene for his record-breaking 200 metres run
of 20.98, shattering his 2001 mark of 21.3.
Thompson again placed second and Roach third.
Blackman then won the 400m race in a time of 1:00.00 with
R. Walcott second and Ray Fraser third. He also won the male 60 metres sprint race in 6.81.
It was also in the 400m that Carla Benjamin set the second
record of 1:02.72 erasing that 1998 mark of 1:08.61 set by Marian Burnett. K. Peters and S. Benjamin placed second and third
respectively.
Guyana, in winning the international competition, totalled
199 points ahead of Barbados on 65, Trinidad and Tobago 63 and St Lucia 36, while in the local competition, Headquarters who
had taken the lead after the second day of action, Wednesday, amassed 360, followed by ‘A’ division on 343, Country
on 177 and ‘B’ division 136.
In other results from the day Darren Allen won the 1500m
invitational cycling race, while Dianne Munroe won the Youth Club Members (YCM) female 100 and 200m relays while anchoring
her team to gold in the 4x100m relay.
Other outstanding performers on the day were Bevon Leitch
who won the male ‘B’ class 100, 200 and 400m races, and was a part of the winning 4x400m relay and the 4x100m
relay.
In the 100m races Charmane Clarke won the Police race, followed
by Corletta Fraser and C. Butcher. Beverley Selman won the female 100m invitational and national sprint champion Rawle Greene
won the male invitational in 10.45 seconds followed by Keith Roberts and Jamel Fields, while in the 200m races Derwin Eastman
won the YCM event in 21.86, Robyn Alleyne won the female invitational 200m ahead of baby sister Rondell with Sherma Mentore
taking third.
Roberts won the male 200m invitational ahead of Carlton
Bobb and Christoper Joseph in that order.
In the 400m divisions, Christopher Hall took the YCM event
in 50.97 ahead of Eastman and Bevon Young with Winston Sutherland taking the male invitational and Leanna Doris the female
invitational.
Shawn Sandiford won the male 800m, Alika Morgan the female,
while Cleveland Forde won the male 1500m invitational and Leanna Doris third.
In the relays, Headquarters won the female 4x100m and the
YCM division, with Country division taking the male and female Police relays and the combined foreign team of Trinidad and
Tobago, St Lucia and Barbados won the male ‘A’ class relay.
Headquarters also carted off the male 4x400m relay and the
800 female medley relay.
Novelty events on the day featured the commanders’
race, senior officers’ race, tug-o-war. Musical chairs with the horses, and the eat it, wear it and carry it race.
The championships started on Tuesday with the heats and
field events final.
The day was filled with action following the opening ceremony
with the march past of the teams at 10:00 hrs and before acting Minister of Home Affairs Gail Teixeira delivered the feature
address. The minister and the spectators were well entertained.
The teams were colourfully attired in red, blue, yellow,
white and gray just to name a few, and marched and performed to the rhythm of the Force’s orchestra.
The recruits of the Felix Austin Training College ended
the display with the spelling of the name ‘Felix’ - for this they lined their bodies on the ground to form the
letters and eventually the name.
‘A’ Division were declared the winners of the
march past, having secured 93 points while Country Division were the runners-up with 93 points.
Following Minister Teixeira’s address in which she
commended the Force for its work in putting together and pulling off another championship, while urging them to play the game
in the fairest manner.
Andre Blackman did the lighting of the championship torch.
file name Torch. (Quacy Sampson photos).
Mercurius strikes double gold…
Guyana top points table
By Leeron Brumell
DISTANCE runner Colin
Mercurius and Barbadian athlete Wesley Browne dominated second day action of the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) Annual
Track & Field championships at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, yesterday.
In the overall standings, Guyana are ahead on 159 points
followed by Barbados on 65, Trinidad and Tobago 38 and St Lucia 36, points, while in the divisional standings, Headquarters
have taken the lead from ‘A’ division with 172 with ‘B’ division in 78 and Country division 43 points.
Mercurius opened the day with an easy victory in the 10
000m, and followed it up with victory in the final event of the day - the 1500m, while Browne took the double in the Men’s
‘A’ class discus and javelin field events.
The 1500m had just four starters and after 700m, eventual
fourth place finisher Mark McAllister of ‘B’ division quickly faded and was left staggering behind, while Mercurius,
Dwayne Walcott and Paul Blake continued for a further 400m, until Blake was dropped.
Then came the bell to signal the final lap - Mercurius and
Walcott increased the pace almost to a sprint, but after 250m, Walcott gave up the battle to the seasoned national athlete
who cruised home unchallenged.
It was then that Blake made his move and caught Walcott
some 50m before the finish line to take the silver. Walcott finished third, while Mercurius’ winning time was recorded
as 4:28.50.
In the first event of the day, Mercurius claimed an easy
win in the 10 000m with Damien Blackman second and McAllister third.
Browne showed his superiority for another year running in
the throwing events when he first claimed the Men’s ‘A’ class javelin event with a best throw of 48.64m,
followed by Kevin Bonnett with 45.50m, while Desron Alfred of St Lucia finished third with 45.30m.
The Bajan then won the discus event with a distance of 37.38m,
followed by Alfred with a 32.26m throw and Keizer third with a throw of 29.04m.
In other results, Guyana’s female leading athlete
Carla Benjamin ran a comical 1500m final, which only included two other athletes.
Benjamin seeming to be keeping the athletes company crawled
at snail’s pace then gave what was supposed to be a sprint finish to the end with Marlyn Rodney second and Tasha Tappin
third.
In the field events, Josiah won the Men’s ‘B’
division javelin with a throw of 39.20m, followed by Massiah of Country division and Glasgow third, while Trinidad & Tobago’s
Joycelyn Huggins successfully defended her triple throwing crown when she won the Women’s javelin with a throw of 25.64m,
followed by Adriana Headley of Barbados in second and Lewis of Guyana third.
In the lone jumping event of the day, Marlyn Rodney won
the Women’s triple jump with a distance of 7.90m, followed by Karen Cort and Tasha Tappin third.
The championships conclude tomorrow with the finals in the
100m, 200m and 400m sprint races and the relays. Today is a rest day.
Before action heats up however, at 10:00 hrs acting Minister
of Home Affairs Gail Teixeira will take the salute of the march past and deliver the feature address.
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Guyana police athletes trump region
By Michael DaSilva
Saturday, August 28th 2004 |
 |
Guyana Police retained their regional title while Headquarters won the local inter-division title of the Guyana Police
Force's 51st Annual Track and Field Championships which concluded yesterday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.
According to official results, the local law officers registered 199 points to retain their regional title ahead of Barbados
Police Force which ended with 65 points. Trinidad and Tobago Police Force placed third with 63 points while St. Lucia ended
in the cellar of the international competition with 36 points.
In the local competition, Headquarters finished at the top of the points standing with 360 points. They were followed by
`A' Division with 343 points while Country and `B' Divisions placed third and fourth with 177 and 136 points respectively.
Trinidad's Joycelyn Huggins won the `Best Female' award while Barbados' Wesley Browne won the `Best Male' award. Both awards
were in the international category.
Both Huggins and Browne won the shot-put, discus and javelin events in the women's and men's categories respectively. Up
to press time, Stabroek Sport was unable to get the best local male and female winners.
However, Headquarters' Colin Mercurius won the men's 1500, 5000 and 10,000-metre races and should have no problem claiming
the `Best Local Athlete' title. In selected results from yesterday's final day action, Andre Blackman returned 10.39 seconds
in winning the men's `A' Class 100-metre race from team mate Brennon Thompson (10.60) and Trinidad's Roynon Roach (10.97)
while headquarters' Bevon Leach returned 11.08 seconds when he won the inter-division male 100-metres from Country Division's
B. David and Michael Nolan respectively.
In the male 100-metre invitational, Rawle Greene clocked 10.45 seconds in winning from Keith Roberts and Jemel Fields respectively,
while on the distaff side, B. Selman won in a time of 12.61 seconds from Marcia Mentore and Monica Roberts respectively.
The `A' Class 400-metres was won by Blackman in a time of one minute flat. Second was R. Walcott and third Ray Fraser.
Al three top finishers are from Guyana.
Blackman also won the men's 200-metre `A' Class. He recorded a time of 20.98 seconds. Second was Thompson and third Trinidad's
Rayman Roach.
The women's 400-metres was won by headquarters' Carla Benjamin in one minute 2.72 seconds. Second was `A' Division's K.
Peters while headquarters' S. Benjamin finished third.
On the distaff side, headquarters' Bevon Leitch won with a time of 51.58 seconds while team mate Larry Josiah and `A' Division's
Odel Percival placed second and third respectively.
In the two invitational 400-metre races, Leanna Doris won the women's race from Rondel Alleyne and Janet Rollins while
in the male category, Winston Sutherland won from Kewsi Roach and Carlton Bobb. Charmaine Clarke of `C' Division won the women's
200-metres from headquarters' Carlotta Fraser and `A' Division's A. Thomas.
On the distaff side, Leitch won from `C' Division's B. Davis and M. Newland.
The 200-metres Police Youth Club Members event was won by Dianne Munroe in a time of 24.96. Second place went to Leslyn
Major while Stacy Smith placed third.
Leanna Doris won the women's 1500-metre invitational event from Malika Morgan and C. Shabbaz respectively while Clevland
Forde won the men's 1500-metre invitational race from his Rising Stars' club mate Kelvin Johnson. Lionel D'Andrade placed
third. |
Police track and field
Guyana ahead of Barbados by 94 points
By Michael DaSilva
Thursday, August 26th 2004 |
|
Guyana Police Force (GPF) extended its lead in the points standing of the Annual Regional Police Track and Field Championships
which climaxes tomorrow at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.
According to official results, GPF leads the points tally with 159 points, 94 points ahead of their closest rivals Barbados
(65). Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia are still struggling on 38 and 36 points respectively.
In the local inter-division championships, Headquarters have so far registered 189 points, 17 more than arch rivals `A'
Division (172), while `B' and Country Divisions are on 78 and 43 points respectively.
Yesterday, Headquarters' Colin Mercurius added the men's 10,000 and 1,500 metres titles to the men's 5,000 metres title
he won on the opening day (Tuesday), making him a candidate for the `Champion Male Athlete' award.
On the distaff side, Carla Benjamin who won the ladies 800-metre race on Tuesday, won the ladies 1500-metre event yesterday.
She too is in contention for an overall award.
In yesterday's men's 10,000-metre race, Mercurius joined the early race leader and eventual second-placed finisher Damien
`Scientist' Blackman at the 200-metre mark, but moved away from him after 400 metres. Thereafter, the former national middle-distance
athlete distanced himself from the other three starters and went on to lap the second and third-placed finisher (Mark McCallister)
three times while the eventual fourth-placed finisher Clifton Thom was lapped four times before Mercurius won the race.
In other results, `A' Division's Marlyn Rodney won the women's triple jump after hopping, skipping and jumping 7.90 metres.
Second place went to former top sprinter Karen Cort (Headquarters) who registered 7.10 metres, while `A' Division's Tasha
Tappin finished third with 6.30 metres.
In the men's `A' Class discus event, Barbados' Wesley Browne won with a throw of 37.38 metres. Second place went to St.
Lucia's Desmond Alfred who threw 32.16 metres while R. Keizer of Guyana finished third with a throw of 29.04 metres.
Browne also won the men's `A' Class javelin with a throw of 48.64 metres. Second was Guyana's Kevin Bonnett (45.50) while
Alfred placed third (43.30).
Trinidad's Joycelyn Huggins who won the female shot put on Tuesday, came back yesterday to win the javelin event with a
throw of 25.64 metres. Barbados' Antonia Headley placed second with a throw of 23.16 metres.
In the men's `B' Class javelin, Headquarters' L. Josiah won with a throw of 39.20 metres. Country Division's L. Massiah
was second with 38.24 metres while `B' Division's B. Glasgow placed third with 36.92 metres.
Headquarters' Paul Black was second in the men's 1,500-metres while Dwayne Walcott finished third. Walcott won the event
in 28.50 seconds.
Today being the rest day, the championships will conclude tomorrow at the same venue. The march past will be taken at 10am. |
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Police track and field
Guyana ahead on 34 points
By Michael DaSilva
Wednesday, August 25th 2004 |
|
Defending champions Guyana Police Force leads the points standing after three events in the police Annual Track and Field
Championships, which got underway at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary yesterday.
The local law officers have so far registered 34 points, while St Lucia and Barbados are tied on 14 points each. Trinidad
and Tobago is currently in the cellar with ten points from one victory.
In the local inter-division championships, arch rivals Headquarters and `A' Division are locked in a tight battle for top
honours.
After nine finals, `A' Division leads with 79 points, followed closely by Headquarters on 74 points. Country and `B' Divisions
occupy the third and fourth places with 34 and seven points respectively.
Winning for Guyana were Kevin Bonnett (men's high jump) and P. Walcott (men's 800 metres), while Joycelyn Huggins won the
ladies' shot put event for Trinidad and Tobago.
St Lucia's Desmond Alfred and Barbados' Martin Jones placed second and third respectively to Bonnett in the men's high
jump, while Guyana's A. Black and Alfred were second and third respectively to Walcott in the men's 800m race.Barbados' Antonia
Headley and Guyana's Amanda Hermanstine were second and third respectively to Huggins in the shot put.
In the local inter-division championship, national distance athlete Colin Mercurius (Headquarters) made light work of his
opposition in the men's 5000m race, winning by approximately 320m from his team mate Damien `Scientist' Blackman. The third
place finisher Paul Black (Headquarters) was a further 620m away when Mercurius crossed the finish line.
From the start of the race, Mercurius took up his position at the head of affairs, and after staying with the other nine
starters for the first 200m, Mercurius changed gear and started to distance himself from the rest of the field.
After completing 1000m, Mercurius enjoyed a 40m lead from Blackman. This lead increased to 130m after 2200m, then to 190m
after 3400m.
With two laps remaining, Mercurius lapped Paul Black for a second time and went on to win in a common canter.
In other selected events, L. Josiah of Headquarters won the men's `B' Class 800m event from `A' Division's D. Forrester
and R. Sinclair (Headquarters) respectively. On the distaff side, Carla Benjamin (Headquarters) was an easy winner. Second
place went to T. Tappin while M. Rodney occupied the third spot.
In the men's race, Josiah went to the front from the start and received the bell for the last lap 20m ahead of the others
and went on to win by 50m from Forrester.
In the ladies equivalent, Benjamin stayed with the other three starters for the first lap, but on the sound of the bell,
she went into overdrive and won with 120m in hand.
Orette Bentick (`A' Division) won the men's `B' Class high jump from Adrian Craig and Sidwell Fredricks respectively, while
Donna April won the Police Youth Club Members' girls' 800m from S. Mentore and M. Mentore respectively.
The women's 3000m did not come off since there were only two athletes registered for the event.
The championships will continue today at the same venue beginning at 9.30 am. Thirty three events are carded on the day's
programme.
Tomorrow being a rest day, the finals will commence at 10 am on Friday. |
Pompey wins gold to break Guyana's 68-year medal drought
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Aliann Pompey ended a 68-year drought for Guyana
athletics when she won the women's 400 metres title at the Commonwealth Games yesterday.
The 24-year-old held on to beat
Scotland's Lee McConnell in a thrilling finish to claim her country's first Commonwealth Games athletics gold medal since
Phil Edwards won the 880 yard (half mile) event for British Guiana at London in 1934.
Pompey's historic moment came when
she dipped across the line in 51.63 seconds, just 0.05 ahead of the fast-finishing McConnell, who
only switched from the
high jump a year ago.
Jamaica's defending champion Sandie Richards clocked 51.79 to claim the bronze.
``That was hard.
I didn't know what to expect,'' Pompey said. ``I was praying all night, praying to God that he would give me something to
work with.''
The race was thrown wide open after Australia's Olympic champion Cathy Freeman chose to run only in the relay
while other title hopefuls like England's Katherine Merry pulled out.
``I felt the race was wide open and anything could
happen, Pompey said. ``I thought it was possible to win, but you didn't really know
for sure.''
The men's race was
even tighter with just 0.06 separating the first four across the line.
Jamaica's Michael Blackwood was awarded the gold
in a personal best of 45.07 with Canada's Shane Niemi second in 45.09 and Avard Moncur
of Bahamas, the reigning world
champion, taking the bronze in 45.12, just 0.01 in front of England's Daniel Caines.
``I'm very happy right now. I just
did it one step at a time and the final has gone my way,'' said Blackwood. ``The aim for my career now
is to be the number
one athlete in the world.''
Forde places third
overall, wins U-20 category at St Lucia 10K
Stabroek News (9/12/03)
Top local middle-distance athlete Clevland Forde finished
first
among the under-20's and third overall in the just concluded Cara
Suites, 10K Men's Classic Road race in St.
Lucia on Sunday.
According to Forde's manager, Leslie Black, the 2003 Junior Carifta
Games 5000-metre gold medalist
defeated defending champion Curtis
Cox of Trinidad and Tobago and returned 31 minutes, 40 seconds for
the event which
was won by an American in 30 minutes, 58 seconds.
The Caribbean's leading marathon runner Palmenos Ballantyne of St.
Vincent
placed second in 31 minutes, 12 seconds.
Forde's compatriots Lionel D'Anrade and Kelvin Johnson finished
ninth and
tenth respectively.
According to Black who accompanied Forde to St. Lucia, when the 60
starters were sent off, Cox,
Ballantyne, the American, Forde,
Johnson and D'Andrade were with the leading bunch of ten runners.
Half way through
the race, Forde positioned himself behind
Ballantyne who was being headed by the American.
With approximately one mile
remaining, Cox overtook Forde but the
Guyanese fought back and went ahead of Cox at the 800-metre mark,
while Ballantyne
was a mere 20 metres ahead of him (Forde) and the
American a further 30 metres up front.
Black said Forde kept closing
in on Ballantyne, but the Vincentian
held on and crossed the line ahead of Forde.
"We were very confident of winning
the race but we are satisfied
with third overall," Black told Stabroek Sport.
Black pointed out that the St. Lucia
terrain is very hilly and that
made the race tougher but Forde is pleased with his performance. "He
(Forde) feels
he can beat Ballantyne the next time they meet in a
10K event," Black said. feel it was one of his (Forde) best races,"
Black stated.
According to Black, Forde has been invited to participate in another
road race in Martinique next
month.
Black said himself and his family accompanied Forde to lend support
which he feels is necessary if an athlete
is to perform at his best.
Black would like to thank the following individuals and companies
for their financial support,
thereby making the trip to St. Lucia
possible: New Line Aqua farm, Gafoor's, Nigel's Supermarket, M.
Beepat and Son's,
Director of Sports Neil Kumar, Stabroek News and
the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Pompey placed 5th in her heat
Commonwealth Champion and National record holder fail to advance
to the semi-finals after placing fifth in her 400m heat. The heat was won by 2001 World 400m runner Jamaican Lorraine Fenton.
| Heat 4 - Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 11:38 |
|
 |
Blackman placed 7th in his heat
Running in his first major international competition, Andre Blackman
finished 7th in his heat and did not qualify for the quarter finals.
| Heat 9 - Sunday, August 24, 2003 - 16:26 |
Wind: 0.9m/s |
|
Commonwealth 400 metres gold medalist Alian Pompey and Andre Blackman have been selected to represent Guyana at the World
Championships which started in Paris, France yesterday.
Pompey who has officially qualified for the games will contest
the 400 metre sprint event while Blackman will face starter in the 100 metres.
A release from the Amateur Athletic Association
stated that Blackman is the unqualified male and can only contest one event.
He was selected as the best unqualified male
athlete from a field of three, which included Tai Payne and Clyde Gibson. Pan Am Games silver medalist Marian Burnett will
not be participating in the World Championships since she did not qualify and the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) rule state that there must be a male and female representing the country, the release continued.
Blackman left
Guyana on Tuesday for Stade de France (the games village) where he was joined by Pompey.
AAA president Claude Blackmoore
is also scheduled to be in Paris for the world congress which is being during the same period and will stay on as Manager/Coach.
The World Champion-ships conclude on August 31. The team is expected back home on September 2.
Burnett and Pompey take track tally to five...As Guyana finishes 21st in 2003 PanAm medal table
By Lawrie Lockhart
The
performances at the 2003 Pan American Games are now into the history books with Guyana ending up tied 21st on the 42-nation
medal table. Its two medals won in track events by Marian Burnett (800m silver) and Aliann Pompey (400m bronze) are similar
to the tally secured by Grenada in that countrys first-ever medal(s) win at these Games. Guyana which was the last of the
42 countries to pre-register athletes for the Games, according to COPAN - the Games Organising Committee, achieved no other
top-5 positions from its four other competitors in boxing, swimming and weightlifting. Its original pre-registered list of
21 athletes (14 men, 7 women) for five sports was eventually dropped to seven (4 men, 3 women) in 4 disciplines, with one
athlete being a no-show.
The two medals in Santo Domingo have now taken the countrys overall track and field tally at the Pan American Games to
five, with the new additions coming 24 years after the last medal was draped around a Guyanese runners neck.
Since the
quadrennial sports spectacle began in 1951, Guyana has won two medals in mens events and three on the distaff side. A breakdown
shows that the South American nation secured the five medals through four athletes in three distinct individual distances
(200m, 400m and 800m) at three separate meets.
The first medal came in 1975 by way of Guyanas first and only gold which
was won in the Mens 200m by James Wren Gilkes - the then world leader - in an astounding 20.43s. A year later, the flying
Guyanese saw the chance of scoring his countrys first track medal at the Olympics evaporate when the Guyana government joined
a deep field of nations boycotting the Montreal Summer Games in an asserting anti-apartheid protest. Then in 1979, Gilkes
came back to add a second medal for Guyana a silver in the half lap.
At that same meet, June Marcia Griffith earned Guyanas
first medal in a Womens event. Through a controversial decision, she was forced to settled for the silver after a 51.81s dead-heat
photo-finish with the eventual gold medalist of the 400m.
Since that final year of the 70s, it took Guyana almost a quarter
of a century for teammates Burnett and Pompey to grow from infants to full women, before its flag was raised at the medal
podium.
Pompey, the 2002 Commonwealth Games (CWG) 400m champion produced a come-from-behind burst to finish third in the
one lap in 52.06s. Two days earlier, Burnett had initially earned bronze with a similar late overdrive run in the half-mile.
However, six days later she was elevated to join Gilkes and Griffith as silver medalists, after a positive drug test docked
the first place finisher.
Coincidentally, all four athletes were domiciled in the U.S. pursuing academic studies and specialised
training when they won those medals. While Guyanas tally is not as impressive as nationals would have wanted, it is still
a source of pridet since many of the 42 nations have, now, recorded track medals or are yet to touch one. The Pan Am Games
is viewed as second to the Olympics in its sheer organization and presentation magnitude, as well as level of performances.
Meanwhile, in the unique IAAFs World Ranking system characterized by stringent competition and performance yardsticks,
Pompey and Burnett are listed at #18 and #31 at their respective events. The 2003 rankings were updated on August 20th, and
tallies the athletes through specially allocated points garnered from head-on contests with other world class athletes on
the lists.
Both Guyanese used the season to, first, rewrite the Indoor records for their country. In the Indoor 400m list
Pompey, who had an early-season world-leading time, stood at #14 with a best of 52.17 (Feb. 28th, New York). Burnett was at
#44 with a time of 2:04.57 (Feb. 9th, Florida). Her time was a season best for women on U.S. soil, at the time.
This year,
Burnett has also lowered her personal best (PB) on two occasions; first on May 17th in Oregon (2:02.29) and then on July 7th
in Zagreb, Croatia (2:01.71). Pompey has the national 400m record (51.34) from last years CWG in England, and would be looking
to improve on that at this years World Championships in France.
For track and field, Guyana is in the enviable positions
of competing in more international meets at the regional and global levels than practically every other nation. These include
the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup of Athletics, PanAm Games, Commonwealth Games, and the Central American and Caribbean
meets. Through the 13-nation South American Athletics Confederation (CONSULDATLE), it is involved in South American meets,
as well, and several of its past and current trackstars, including the PanAm medalists, are in the top-10 in their respective
events.
For the 2003 Indoor season, Pompey is ranked #2 on the 400m list with her 51.48s performance on June 15th in Varsovia.
She is edged by Brazilian Geisha Aparecida Muniz Coutinhos 51.44s. Burnett is also at #2 in the 800m from her Zagreb performance,
which fits her one position below the 2:00.98 recorded by Brazils 2003 PanAm bronze medalist Christiane Ritz dos Santos.
In
the All-Time Outdoor ranking for CONSULDALTE countries, Pompey is at #4 following her 2002 CWG run, while Griffith is listed
at #5 (51.37s, May,1979 in North Carolina) and Burnett completes the 400m top-10 list in that position, while her preferred
event (800m) has her at #9. Pompey returns in the All-Time Indoor category at #2, with Griffith following at #3 (52.88s at
the same venue of her outdoor PB). The latter, a stalwart sprinter of the 70s who is a Senior Medical Services Administrator
in California, also has a #6 position in the long jump at 6.25m (Jan., 1975 in Long Beach). Burnett has two more top-10 classifications,
being at #4 at both the permanent Indoor 800m list, as well as the permanent Indoor mile list with the latter ranking scoring
her 5:02.01 (Jan.,2001 in Coxe Cage). Gilkes 10.19s done in Ingelheim, Sept.12, 1978 puts him at #10 on CONSULDATLE All-Time
Outdoor 100m list. His 20.14s in the same year (1978) for the half lap is #3 behind leader Brazilian Claudinei Quirinode Silvas
19.89s that was done 21 years later.
Gilkes whose 51st birthday comes up mid next month, is regarded as Guyanas best-ever
track and field performer, and is among the top-30 male sprinters over the past 100 years. He along with Burnett and Pompey
hold national records in various events. Gilkes for Mens Indoor 100m, 200m and Outdoor 100m, 200m and 4x100m. Pompey holds
Outdoor 200m and 400m, as well as Indoor 400m, 500m and 600m. Burnett has Outdoor 800m, and Indoor 800m, mile, 3000m and 5000m.
UG Athletes crash out of 100 metres
By Sydney Christophe
Beverly Selman and Rory Forde, Guyanas athletes at the 22nd Universiade in Daegu
city, South Korea, crashed out of the 100-metre event on Monday at the Main Stadium. Selman, who suffered a muscle strain
during the warm-up phase before her race, ran gamely but just could not keep up with the other finishers. Sprinter Forde
made a gallant attempt to reach the second round of the competition but had to settle for sixth spot in a top- class field.
Just after her race Selman was taken to the First Aid department at the stadium where she was later referred to the Medical
complex at the athletes village. Tests revealed that she had suffered a muscle avulsion, which caused spasms in her muscles. It
was disappointment for the athletes, who were planning to at least get past this first stage en route to possible medals.
I am very disappointed about what has transpired, Selman who had a personal best of 11.25s later said. I worked hard
before the race, but I guess this is just not my time, the sprinter said. It is doubtful whether she will recover enough
to run the 200- metre qualifying heat, which starts today at the same venue. Forde felt he could have ran better, but sees
this experience as a vital one on the road to success in the future. I am just glad for this experience to compete against
top class runners he said. Meanwhile, 22-yr-old Chris Lambert of Great Britain and 21-yr-old Qin Wangping of China won
the men and womens 100- metre events respectively. Lambert, a Harford University student clocked a relatively slow time
of 10.44 secs to win ahead of Julius Leigh (South Africa ) and Dejan Vojnovic (Croatia). Wangping crossed the finish line
in 11.54 secs beating archrival Eniko Szabo of Hungary and Elena Bolsun of Russia.
Burnett award Pan Am Silver Medal
(8/13/03)
SANTO DOMINGO (AFP)
- Guyana National Record Holder Marian Burnett was awarded the 800m silver medal at the recently concluded Pan Am Games when
Veteran Surinam athlete Letitia Vriesde was stripped of her 800m Pan American Games gold medal after she failed a drugs test,
the organizers announced. Surinam's Vriesde tested positive
for caffeine after her victory on Wednesday.
"I can't be happy about this - it makes me very sad," said president
of the organizing committee Mario Vasquez Rana earlier on Sunday when he announced that the Games had revealed its first drugs
test failure. The 38-year-old Vriesde is the only female South American athlete ever to have won a world championship medal.
She won silver in Gothenborg in 1995 and a bronze in Edmonton
in 2001. She also picked up a bronze at the world indoor championships in Barcelona
in 1995. As a result of Vriesde's dope test failure, Adriana Munoz of Cuba
has been declared the new winner of the 800m with Burnett of capturing the silver medal.
Burnett becomes the second women to capture the silver medal joining
June Marcia Griffith (400m dash, 1979) as the highest female finisher for Guyana
at the Pan Am Games.
In the history of the games, Guyana
has captured a total of five medals (two male and three female).
James Gilkes won the first and only gold medal for Guyana
in 200m in 1975 with a time of 20.43w. He came back four years later to add Guyana's
second and last men's medal when he took second in the 200m dash.
June Marcia Griffith earn Guyana's first female medal in 1979
with a deal heat photo finish 400m dash in a time of 51.81 for both the winner and the runner up.
Burnett thought she has captured the second medal a bronze medal
with her time of 2:03.58, however she was award the silver when her neighbor was disqualified.
Commonwealth 400m Champion Aliann Pompey added to the total with
her bronze medal performance (52.06) two nights later.
Pompey and Burnett will only have to wait another two years unlike
Gilkes and Griffith to possibility adds to the total.
University athletes off to Universiade Games (8/17/03)
A THREE-MEMBER athletics contingent of the University of Guyana left
yesterday
for the Universiade Games in South Korea.
The touring party for the two-week meet in Daegu City consists of
sprinters
Rory Forde and Beverly Selman under manager/coach Sydney
Christophe.
The athletes were selected based on the performances
at the UG annual
Athletics championships staged earlier this year.
Selman was a clear winner in the 100 and 200m
sprints while Forde
enjoyed a comfortable 100m victory on a then extremely `shabby' track
on the Turkeyen Campus playfield.
The
23-year-old Selman of the Royal Youth Movement recently returned
from a training stint in Barbados, which she hopes will
greatly
improve her performance in South Korea.
She is confident of placing in the top three in her events.
"I
will perform very well, especially in the 100m event which I have
focused my training on, but I also expect to do well
in the 200m
race," Selman said.
Selman, who graduated in 2002 from UG with a Degree in Business
Management,
has a personal best time on 11.25 seconds, which she
recorded at the Linden invitational meet, when she placed third.
For
a good placing, Selman believes her reaction to the gun will be
the deciding factor. She is usually late out of the blocks
and has
been working hard on her start. She blames her reaction time for the
third place finish in Linden.
Selman
may also compete in the Long Jump, but that will be confirmed
when she is in South Korea.
Forde, 21 years of age,
is currently pursuing a degree in Civil
Engineering at the University and has a personal best time of 10.70
seconds
in the 100m, the event upon which he has focused the majority
of his training life. He is confident of making the semifinals
and
hopes to advance straight to the final, which he recognises as a
difficult task.
The former head-prefect
of the Bishops' High School is also scheduled
to contest the 200m, an event in which he has recorded a personal
best
time of 21.9 seconds, while completing his sixth form GCE `A'
Levels education.
The Games venue is high in the
mountains and the greater altitude can
affect one's breathing pattern and warm-ups.
"I'm not worried about the
altitude, everyone knows a higher altitude
means better times my events are aerobic, not much breathing is
required
for them, I can adapt to the conditions," Forde said.
The Atoms Athletic Club athlete's only concerned is `jet lag'
because
the team will be travelling for some 36 hours.
Forde expressed thanks to the management of the Studio 2000
gym,
which was offering him a free training stint over the past few months
of his weight training.
Christophe
is also confident that the athletes will give good account
of themselves when they take to the track.
Some 11 000
athletes, officials and media personnel from 170
countries are expected to be the games which run from August 21-31.
The
team is expected back on September 2, 2003.
Blackmore on SAACs competition committee (8/14/03)
PRESIDENT of the Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAAG)
Claude Blackmore
has been elected as a member of the Competition
Committee of the South American Athletic Confederation.
Blackmore,
who was recently elected to the position while at the
2003 Congress in Ecuador, is happy with the position since it paves
the way for future development of the local association.
Patricio Smith of Chile will chair his committee, while
Juan Alberto
Scarpin of Argentina, Marco Luque of Bolivia and Carlos Alberta
Cavalheiro of Brazil are the other committee
members.
Administration and Regulation committees were also elected at the
congress. Regulations will be chaired
by Ciro Solano of Columbia
while Administration has as its chairman Eduardo Nicolas Bernal of
Argentina. Both committees
are made up of a chairman and four
members.
The committees, elected for the first time this year, will perform
duties until 2007 since recommendations regarding the constitution
were made at the 2002 Congress in Paraguay and
amendments were sent
to the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) for them to
be ratified.
Twelve
of the thirteen-member federation were present at the
Congress with the Suriname Swim Bond being the lone absentee for
the
second consecutive congress.
Blackmore and Cavalheiro have already visited the Andre Campaveen
Stadium
in Paramaribo, Suriname, to make recommendations for hosting
track and field meets.
He said the Suriname Football
Federation is controlling the stadium
and it facilitates football, athletics and cycling. The stadium has
a grass
surface.
He said plans would be made to stage a track and field meeting at
the venue, once the necessary recommendations
are made. (Leeron
Brumell).
Speaking to Stabroek Sport yesterday, Pompey said she has already made the qualifying standard for the World Championships
and thinks she can do Guyana proud.
With regards to her coach accompanying her to France, Pompey said Amateur Athletic
Association of Guyana president Claude Blackmoore has promised to get her coachs accreditation for the meet providing he (coach)
pays his way to Paris.
Hes already done that and I think him being there would help a lot. Ill have his expertise and
guidance and I think it would help tremendously. Ill be able to focus better and correct any little glitches that still may
be there Pompey related.
Asked if she stands a chance of securing Guyanas first World Championship medal, Pompey replied
Im excited about it and think good things can happen.
Pompey who won the 2002 Commonwealth Games womens 400-metre gold
medal and followed up last week with a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, will come up against
stiff opposition in Mexicos defending world champion Ana Guevara who won the Pan American gold in 50.36 seconds. Grenadas
Cheryl Ann Clarke had placed second and Pompey third.
Asked what went wrong in Santo Domingo last week, Pompey said I got
out slow and had to work really hard to finish third. At the 300-350-metre mark I still had five people ahead of me, and over
the last 30 metres it was a real fight in the end but I got third.
Pompey who clocked 52.23 seconds in placing third said
she would have liked a better time, but she still is happy to get to the podium.
My coach was a little disappointed with
my time, and feel as I do, that I can run much faster Pompey stated.
When she won the Commonwealth gold medal last year
in Manchester, England, Pompey had returned 51.34 seconds.
Meanwhile, another US-based Guyanese athlete, Marian Burnette,
is currently in Europe where she hopes to make the qualifying standard for the World Championships.
Burnette who won Guyanas
first medal (bronze) at this years Pan American Games had told Stabroek Sports last week that she needs to register two minutes
01.30 seconds to make the `B class qualifying mark for the World.
Her personal best for the 800 metres is 2:01.71 which
she clocked at a meet in Croatia on July 7.
The `A Class qualifying standard is 2:00.
When she ran the womens 800m
last week in Santo Domingo, Burnette was beaten by Surinames Letitia Vriesdeis (2:02.92) and Cubas Adriana Munoz (2:02.96)
respectively. Burnette's time was 2:03.58.
Pompey
grabs Bronze in 400m (8/9/03)
Guyana's
Aliann Pompey gave Guyana a second medal at the 2003 Pan
American Games in Santo Domingo by placing third in the final of the
women's 400-metre last night.
Speaking
to Stabroek Sport by telephone last night, Marian Burnette
who
won Guyana's first 2003 Pan Am medal by placing third in the
women's
800-metre said Pompey got out of her blocks (lane six) and
was
doing well in the early part of the race, but appeared to be
hurting
in the latter stages.
"She was doing well until the final
100 metres, but with about the
final 30 metres left, she
was fifth and really dug in to get back
among the medals"
Burnette disclosed.
According to Burnette, the event was won
by Mexican world champion
Ana Guevara. Second place went
to Grenada's Hazel Ann Clarke.
Burnette said Pompey returned 52.02 seconds in placing third, while
Guevara clocked 50 odd seconds and Clarke, 51 seconds.
In her semi-final heat on Thursday night, Pompey who won a gold medal
for Guyana at last year's Commonwealth Games in England, registered
52.23 seconds, while Guevara clocked 52.22 seconds in her heat.
See tomorrow's edition for more details.
Meanwhile,
boxer Rayon O'Neil will be in action tonight at 8 pm. He
is billed to face
a Puerto Rican opponent. (Mike DaSilva)
Blackman,
Benjamin reign supreme (8/9/03)
Headquarters
retain local title
four records
shattered
By Leeron Brumell
SEASONED athletes Andre Blackman and Carla Benjamin took top honours
as the 50th annual Guyana Police Force (GFP) athletics championships
ended with a bang yesterday at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve
Leary.
Blackman claimed victories in
the 60, 100, 200 and 400m police ranks
events, while Benjamin
took the spoils in the 400, 800 and 1500m
events.
The short Blackman made his mark in the 400m event with a winning
time of 49.2 secs, erasing the 51.2 held by Ray Fraser since 1998. He
also equalled his 200m mark with a 21.3 secs time previously set in
2000, while he missed breaking the 100m record by one tenth of a
second.
Benjamin
was tied with C. James on 30 points for the champion title
but
was declared winner because of her 400m record of 1:02:03. Marian
Burnett
set the previous mark in 1998 with a time of 1:08:61.
The
female HQ ranks clocked 56.90 secs in the `A' class and 1:02:03
in the `B' to
shatter records in 4x100m races.
In other results, Trevor
Scotland with 30 points was the male youth
club champion
while Dianne Monroe copped the female title. In the `B'
class
B. Leitch took the title for the men and L. Kennedy for the
women.
M. Modette was the best overseas athlete.
Headquarters
defended their 2001 `B' class title to take a commanding
lead
of 465 points, to be followed by `A' division with 325, `B' 220
and
Country 182.
Guyana
won the `A' class with 180 points ahead of the only overseas
team, Grenada, with 76 points.
In
the hottest events of the day Blackman defeated Brennon Thompson
and Othneil Lewis in the 60, 100 and 200m races in that order
throughout, while Keith Roberts sprinted away with the 100 and 200
metres invitational crowns.
He was
followed by Kester Bonett in second and Christopher Joseph in
third
while in the 200 Joseph was second and C. Bobb, third.
Scotland defeated Seon Forde of Country division and K. Abel in the
200m, and took a comfortable 400m victory.
Young Jennifer Chichester and Cleveland Forde comfortably won their
respective 1500m invitational events.
Musical chairs for the mounted horsemen, obstacle races for officers
in training and tug-o-war events were also on the cards to give the
spectators a full day of enjoyment.
Minister
of Culture, Youth and Sport Ms Gail Teixeira earlier in the
day
declared the championship open after congratulating the Force on
doing a fine job of bridging the gap between the Force and the public.
Minister also called on the Force to make the championship a major
part of Guyana's sporting calendar.
She noted that they have contributed significantly to the development
of the youths in the country and also encouraged them to continue
their good work in the sporting arena.
Minister
Teixeira, along with Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj,
other
senior officers, ranks, and a jam-packed stand were treated to
a
colourful march past by the teams decked in yellow, white, red,
green,
all shades of blue, orange, gray and black. The BV/Triumph
majorettes
did a medley display and the orchestra dazzled and
entertained
with their melodious sounds and creative marching.
Special
Constabulary won the best-outfitted title, while Tactical
Services
Unit (TSU) were the runner-up team.
The championship torch
was set alight after being carried some three
hundred metres
by a four-member relay team.
The championship started
on Tuesday August 5 and concluded yesterday.
It was not
staged last year because of the upsurge of criminal
activities
in the country.
Burnett
dedicates Bronze to all Guyana (8/9/03)
By Lawrie
Lockhart
and Frederick Halley
One month after lowering the national 800 metres record for the
second time in one season, track ace Marian Joan Burnett engraved her
name, again, in the sporting history books of Guyana with an historic
bronze medal run on Wednesday evening at the current XIV Pan American
Games in the Dominican Republic.
The Guyanese
middle- distance star turned in another of her trademark
gutsy
performances to score her country's first track medal at these
Games
since 1975 - before she was even born. Following on her semi-
final
third place finish the night before, Burnett delivered on her
potential,
but finished half a second short of the top two medals.
Contesting
the Women's 800m on the second night of track and field
competition
at the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Stadium, "she came from
almost
second to last to get the bronze in 2 mins, 03.58s and that's
a
morale booster for the others to follow," said acting Chef-de-
mission
and substantive boxing manager Terrence Poole.
Poole who is
substituting as leader of the Guyanese contingent in the
absence of original designee Charles Corbin, told this newspaper by
telephone that the petite athlete "showed a lot of guts to come back
so good after her momentum was disturbed."
In
a driving finish, she placed behind defending champion Letitia
Vriesde
of Suriname (2:02.92) and 2003 Cuban national middle-distance
champion Adriana Munoz (2:02.96).
The Guyanese swooshed past the challenges of Brazilian champion
Christiane Ritz; Cuba's 2-time CAC Games champion Yanelis Lara;
Luciana Mendes of Brazil; Barbados' champion Sheena Gooding and U.S.
Olympian and NCAA record-holder Hazel Clark.
The diminutive athlete was involved in a jolting mid-race pushing and
shoving mix-up with two other runners when she attempted to prevent
herself from being `boxed-in' in the inner lane. She escaped by first
running off the track then onto the outer lanes several inches from
the other competitors. Burnett said she experienced a similar
situation in her semi-final, and lost valuable time and rhythm. She
confessed that "it was another of those bad experiences that plague
me, probably because of my height disadvantage, but I am
learning...and if I race them again today, today I am confident I can
take the gold." She noted that she would have been "tactically,
better prepared" had her coach whom she tried to get accredited
through the Guyana officials, been there.
Burnett said, "I knew I could have done better, had it not been for
the mishap, since I was prepared to `war' with all and sundry `cause
my coached prepared me well for this Games, and I have run as fast as
if not faster than everyone else this season."
Apart from that she said she had to make up for the unfortunate
experience of her Louisiana State University (LSU) colleague Neisha
Bernard-Thomas who missed the finals by 4/100ths of a second, after
she too was shoved in her semis. Bernard-Thomas had won the 800m gold
medal at the Central American and Caribbean championships
at home in
Grenada, exactly a month before.
While dedicating her medal to "all Guyana", she singled out her
special regard for the local Police Force, Sports Minister Gail
Teixeira and her coach Mark Elliott in Louisiana.
In tones
of controlled elation, Elliott said, "Marian has given me
proud
moments, yet again." He noted that when he spoke to Burnett by
telephone,
"she was her usual self ... not satisfied with anything
but
the utmost, the gold ... but I told her though we both know she
could
have done better, that little glory counts at this time."
Elliott
who coached Burnett at the top U.S. women's track and field
college,
to being one of the best half-milers in the U.S., contended
that
"she can and will do so much better in the future ... only a
handful
are currently better than she in this hemisphere, and her
nation
needs to support her and what she does as an outstanding
sporting
ambassador."
And, Manager for the track team, Neville Denny
indicated that the
disciplined manner in which his charges
have been attending to their
duties in Santo Domingo "has paid off." Denny said Burnett could have
done better were it not for the jostling problem, and felt that "she
continues to show that she has a lot of heart."
Not only on the track was Burnett involved in bitter-sweet
occurrences. The forthright and bold athlete stood by her insistence
that the medal ceremony for her event be withheld until a Guyana flag
is available. Earlier, Burnett observed that the `Golden Arrowhead'
was missing from the presentation area, and demanded that the
officials have one present for her auspicious moment. After almost
two hours, a Guyana flag which stood on the Games' Flag of Nations
ramp was released and used for the medal ceremony.
Reflecting on the `oversight' being another of the organisational
whammies at the Games, the young police officer said, "I refused to
stand there and let my national pride be short changed," adding that
her Surinamese and Cuban counterparts also agreed with her. "I am a
military personnel, and the first Guyanese to compete here, so these
little slips had to righted," Burnett said in ordering tones.
Poole said he had the honour of raising the Guyana flag at the 1991
Games in Cuba, and this time around "myself and everyone else, we
were very proud ... and the Guyanese support we are getting here had
a proud moment too ... we are looking forward to Marian's `first-up'
glory bringing us more. At the time this newspaper contacted the
Guyanese team, 2003 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Aliann Pompey
had gone off to rest, though initially she was available.
Pompey contested the heats of the Women's 400m the previous night,
and advanced to the Finals billed for last night. Both Denny and
Burnett confidently stated that "Aliann is ready ... ready to go to
the finals, she is more motivated, now."
Other
team members are scheduled to go into action later. Boxer Rayon
O'Neil
will fight in the 75kg category and should have an elimination
contest
either tonight or tomorrow, and he is banking on being
successful
to go through to the quarterfinals next week. Swimmer Onan
Thom
is schedule to enter the pool on Monday after his expected
arrival
yesterday, while weightlifters Shondell King (Women's 69kg)
and
William Langford (Men's 77kg) begin their quest for medals next
Thursday.
Benjamin
smashes five-year 400m record (8/9/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Carlotta Benjamin erased
the five-year women's 400-metre record set
by 2003 Pan American
Games bronze medalist Marian Burnette to be
crowned champion
female athlete of the Guyana Police Force's 50th
Annual Track
and Field Championships which ended yesterday at the
Police
Sports Club, ground.
Contesting yesterday's female 400-metre
event, Benjamin clocked one
minute 02.3 seconds (1:02.3)
to erase the 1:08.61 set by Burnette in
1998.
The feat was mainly responsible for Benjamin capturing the Best
Female' award, since `B' Division's C. James also won three events to
amass 30 points.
Andre
Blackman, who accumulated 30 points, was crowned champion `A'
Class
Male Athlete while B. Leitch was named champion `B' Class male
athlete
ahead of L. Kennedy. Blackman also broke the 400-metre record
yesterday
when he returned 49.2 seconds to erase the 49.3 seconds set
by
K. Hughes of Antigua in 1998.
Benjamin's feat also contributed to Headquarters amassing 465 points
to retain the `B' Class championship trophy.
In
the `A' Class competition, Guyana made a successful defence of
their title in a two-country race that involved Grenada. Guyana
tallied 180 points
while Grenada registered 76 points.
`A' Division (325) finished second in the `B' Class competition,
while `B' Division (220) and Country Division (182) placed third and
fourth respectively.
Grenada's M. Modeste was adjudged the `Best Overseas Athlete'. He
secured 31 points.
Dwayne Walcott of Country Division and Headquarters' Colin Mercurius
both registered 28 points to share the runner-up position in the `A'
Class competition.
The best male Police
Youth Club Member (YCM) athlete on show during
the three-day
championships was Trevor Scotland with 30 points, while
on
the distaff side, Diane Munroe came out on top.
After winning
the 800 and 1500-metre events on Tuesday and Wednesday
respectively,
Benjamin came back yesterday to add the 400-metre title
to
her name. D. Fraser was second and C. Butcher third.
Blackman
won the 100, 200 and 400-metre events while Leitch won the
200
and 400-metre `B' Class races yesterday and finished second in
the
800-metre race on Tuesday.
Blackman clocked 10.4 seconds in
winning the 100m event from Brennon
Thompson and O. Lewis
respectively while he returned 21.3 seconds for
the 200-metre
race. Thompson also placed second in the 200m, while T.
Black
was third.
Walcott and Lewis placed second and third respectively
to Blackman in
the 400-metre event yesterday.
Other outstanding performances yesterday came from Carifta Games 5000-
metre gold medalist Clevland Forde who won the 1500-metre male
invitational race in 4:13.1. Lionel D'Andrade finished a distant
second while Jevon Eastman placed third.
On the distaff side, Jennifer Chichester clocked 4:53.7 to finish
ahead of Delsie Dick and Larlisa Atkinson-Shabaz respectively.
In other selected results from yesterday's 49-race finals: (800m
female invitational) D. April (2:32.8), Delsie Dick, Leslinn Qualis;
(800m male invitational) R. Duncan (2:13.3), S. Sandiford, B. Smith,
(100m YCM female) Munroe (12.1), A. Niles, K. Lamazon, (100m YCM
male) K. Williams (10.7), D. Farley, K. Trotman, (100m female police)
C. James (12.7), K. Edwards, A. Hossanah, (100m `B' Class) M. Newland
(11.5), D. Farley, B. David, (200m female) C. James (27:0), C.
Thomas, (200m `B' Class) Leitch (23:00) C. Parris, D. Farley.
Aliann Pompey second fastest
qualifier for the finals (8/8/03)
Women's
400 Semifinal Heat Three - 1. Aliann Pompey, Guyana, 52.23;
2. Noviene
Williams, Jamaica, 52.76; 3. Geisa Coutinho,
Brazil,
53.23; 4. Patricia Rodriguez, Colombia, 53.41; 5. Mayra Gonzalez,
Mexico, 53.53; Ellana Pacheco,
Venezuela, did not finish.
Women's 400 Semifinal Heat One - 1. Ana Guevara, Mexico, 52.22; 2.
Melisa Barber, USA (Columbia, S.C.),
52.62; 3. Michelle Burgher,
Jamaica, 53.13; 4. Adia McKinnon, Trinidad & Tobago, 54.24; 5.
Jackie Ann Morain, Grenada, 56.30; 6. Mirtha Brock,
Colombia,
1:01.79.
Women's 400 Semifinal Heat
Two - 1. Hazel Ann Regis, Grenada, 52.31;
2. Moushaumi Robinson, USA
(Columbus, Ohio),
52.23; 3. Lisvania,
Cuba, 52.37; 4. Josiane Tito,
Brazil, 53.18; 5. Clara Hernandez,
Domican Republic, 55.22.
Three-person
collision robbed Burnette of gold (8/08/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Marian Burnette who
survived a three-person collision to give Guyana
its first
medal at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican
Republic
said yesterday she was proud to have won a medal for her
country.
Burnette placed third in the women's 800-metre final on Wednesday.
Speaking to Stabroek Sports by telephone yesterday, Burnette, who
clocked two minutes 03.58 seconds (2:03.58) in placing third
said "I'm proud of winning a medal for Guyana, I'm satisfied with
the bronze, but disappointed that I did not win the gold."
According to Burnette, herself and two other athletes collided just
after completing the first of two laps and she had to call on her
reserves to get back into the medal hunt.
"At
the bell lap, people started pushing and jostling for a proper
position
and myself and two others collided. By this time, the 38-
year-old
Surinamese Letitia Vriesde, who won the gold in 2:02.92;
and
Cuba's Adriana Munoz, who took the silver in 2:02.96; went clear
of us, so I had to dig up in the final 300 (metres) to get in the
top three. I had to complete the last 300 in lane three. Any-way,
I'm happy to have won a medal for my country," an elated Burnette
stated.
Burnette said the first lap was
run very slowly, but towards the end
of the lap, the pace
increased.
According to the official results, the first 400-metres
were
completed in 1:01.92.
Vriesde won a bronze medal at the 2001 Edmonton, Canada World
Champion-ships.
Burnette told Stabroek
Sports she had defeated Vriesde on two
occasions in Europe and was confident of winning Wednesday's
race. "I was telling myself I can win this thing or come in the top
three and I did come in the top three," Burnette disclosed.
The United-States based Guyanese said she will return to the US on
Sunday then travel to Europe to compete in a meet
so as to qualify
for the World
Championships.
The 800-metre qualifying standard for the World
Championships is
2:00 for `A' Class athletes
and 2:01.30 for `B' Class.
Burnette's
personal best time is 2:01.71 which she recorded in
Croatia in July.
Burnett
path to her second International Medal (8/7/03)
In the first
final on the track, Letitia Vriesde's expertise
prevailed and the Surinamese held off Cuba's Adriana Muñoz in the
home straight to win the women's 800m in 2:02.92, only 0.04 seconds
faster than the young Cuban. The fist half was covered in a slow
1:01.92. Guyana Marian Burnett finished third in 2:03.58.
FINALS
Women's 800 - 1. Letitia Vriesde, Suriname, 2:02.92; 2. Adriana
Munoz,
Cuba, 2:02.96; 3. Marian Burnette, 2:03.58; 4. Christiane
Ritz, Brazil, 2:04.37; 5. Yanelis Lara, Cuba, 2:04.58; 6. Luciana
Mendes, Brazil, 2:05.52; 7. Sheena Gooding, Barbados, 2:06.28; 8.
Hazel Clark, USA (Gainesville, Fla.),
2:09.12.
Women's 800 Semifinal
Heat Two - 1. Hazel Clark, USA (Gainsville,
Fla.), 2:03.54; 2. Christiane Ritz,
Brazil, 2:04.09; 3. Marian
Burnette, Guyana, 2:04.17; 5. Yanelis Lara,
Cuba, 2:04.20; 6.
Gabriela Medina, Mexico, 2:10.69.
Two
wins for Walcott, Mercurius and Benjamin (8/7/03)
- as Guyana
lead international category
Dwayne
Walcott, Colin Mercurius and Carla Benjamin recorded their
second
victories in as many days when the Guyana Police Force's
164th
Anniversary, Annual Track and Field Championships continued at
the
Police Sports Club ground yesterday.
Representing Country
Division, (CTY) Walcott, who won the `A' Class
male 800-metres
on Tuesday's opening day, came back yesterday to
capture
the men's 1500-metres ahead of Headquarters' (HQ) Mercurius,
who
won the men's 5000-metres on Tuesday and the 10,000-metres
yesterday.
Benjamin, who won the women's 800-metres on Tuesday, won
the
women's 1500-metres yesterday.
Walcott, who ran a tactical
race yesterday, registered four minutes
23.3 seconds (4:23.3)
in winning the event. Mercurius clocked
4:24.9, while P.
Black (HQ) who placed third, returned a distant
4:45.3.
Mercurius registered 35:26.1 in winning yesterday's 10,000-metre
event from K. Dawson and Mark McAlister respectively, while
Benjamin, a national athlete, clocked 5:20.3 for the women's 1500-
metres. Carlotta Fraser (5:47.2) was second and D. Williams (6:20.3)
third.
Yesterday's
1500-metre event started off quite slowly, in fact, too
slowly
for one of the competitors who accelerated and left the
bunch,
but after completing the first 300 metres, he `blew up' and
started
walking.
As the 10 other athletes completed the first 400
metres, another one
accelerated and suffered the same fate
as the first. All the while,
Walcott kept just off the pace
directly behind Mercurius and as the
two (Walcott and Mercurius)
approached the final 300-metre mark,
Walcott made his move
and left Mercurius in his tracks.
Yesterday also, the Grenadian
athletes that are here for the
championships turned in some
fine performances in the field events.
M. Modeste won the
discus `A' Class with a throw of 33.22 metres.
Guyana occupied the second and third spots through E. Keizer and C.
Moore respectively.
Modeste also won the javelin `A' Class with a throw of 56.30 metres.
Guyana's Larry Josiah and R. Sinclair placed second and third
respectively.
In the men's `A' Class triple jump, G. Bartholomew of Grenada
hopped, jumped and skipped 13.10 metres to win the event from his
countryman F. Coutain (12.94m) and Guyana's L. Kennedy (12.02)
respectively.
In other finals from yesterday,
Nadia Robertson won the female
javelin event with a throw
of 21.77 metres. Second was E. Castello
and third A. Lewis.
Karen Cort won the female version of the triple jump by registering
7.89m.
Second was D.
Ferguson (7.10m) and third Daniels (4.68m).
At the end of
two days of competition, Guyana (94 points) lead
Grenada (71) in the international category, while in the divisional
championships, Headquarters (251) lead arch-rivals `A' Division
(133). Country and `B' Divisions are tied on 109 points each.
The curtains will come down on the championships tomorrow when 49
finals are scheduled to be run off.
The first event gets underway at 10am.
Headquarters
set to take 2003 athletics title (8/7/03)
By Leeron
Brumell
HEADQUARTERS (HQ) have
taken a commanding lead in the annual Guyana
Police Force
(GPF) athletics championships.
After two days of competition,
HQ have amassed 251 points to be
followed by `A' division
with 133, and `B' and Country (combination
of C, D, G and
E & F divisions) both on 109.
For the country title,
which only involves Guyana
and Grenada, the
hosts have taken the lead with 94, while Grenada have 71 points.
Yesterday, (wed) some thirty-three events were contested with a
total of 13 finals.
In the field events
Nadia Robertson of `B' division with a javelin
throw of 21.77
metres claimed the top spot, while Castello of HQ
placed
second and Lewis of `A' third.
M. Moleste of Grenada with a release of 33.22 metres took the male
discus title to be followed by E. Keizer and C. Moore placing second
and third respectively. Both throwers are from Guyana.
Colin Mercurius of HQ was an easy winner in the male 10 000m
distance event with a time of 35:26:01, while K. Dawson ran in
second while McAllister trailed in third. Mercurius, however, could
not recover in time to garner enough energy for the 1500 metres, in
which he placed second to D. Weldt (Country) who recorded a winning
time of 4:21:03. D. Blake
also of HQ took the third spot.
The slimly built Carla Benjamin enjoyed victory over teammate
Carlette Fraser with D. Williams of `A' third in the female 1500m
race.
In other events, Karen Cort won
the female triple jump with a hop;
step and jump of 7.80
metres while G. Bartholomew with 13.14 metres
took the male
event.
The 200 and 400 metres sprint heats were also contested
along with
novelty events for Police children in the under
12 and 15 divisions.
Today is the designated rest day,
before tomorrow's final, which is
set to race off from 09:30 hrs after the official opening session.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira is expected
to
give the feature address and to take the salute at the
Police Sports
Club ground, Eve Leary.
Tomorrow is expected to be explosive when the athletes are set to
face the starter's gun in the forty-nine races carded for the day.
The first event tomorrow will be the 800m to be followed by the much-
anticipated 100m sprint events in the male/female and A and B
classes and the relays to end the day on an exciting note.
There will also be the tug-o-war, obstacle race for the recruits and
a few invitational events, which boast club athletes from around
Guyana.
Burnette
lands Pan Am bronze (8/7/03)
She had declared
that she would do her best to give Guyana a medal
and Guyana's overseas-based athlete Marian Burnette did just that.
At the Olympic Stadium in the Dominican Republic, hosts of the 2003
Pan Am Games last evening, Burnette gained a bronze medal for Guyana
and herself.
This was according to boxer Rayon
O' Neil, who relayed the good news
to Stabroek Sports last
evening.
Burnett had earlier qualified for the medal round
with a stirring
run of 2:04:17 for a third place finish in her semi-final heat.
Guyana will be seeking a second medal when Commonwealth Games 400m
gold medalist Aliann Pompey competes in the women's
400m today,
Pompey will run at 9.15pm tonight in an attempt to make the finals
scheduled for tomorrow night.
Meanwhile O'Neil told Stabroek Sports that he is scheduled to fight
an elimination bout either tomorrow or Saturday. Should he win he
will be through to the quarter-finals.
Swimmer
Onan Thom is expected to arrive in the country tomorrow,
while
Guyana's two weightlifters William Langford and Shondell King
are eagerly awaiting their turn to join the medal
hunt.
Mercurius
steals spotlight (8/7/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Colin Mercurius stole
the spotlight on the opening day of the Guyana
Police Force's,
164th Anniversary Annual Track and Field
Championships, which
got underway at the Police Sports Club, ground,
yesterday.
After 16 finals, defending international champion Guyana leads the
points standing with 53 points. They are being followed by Grenada
with 33 points, while in the divisional championships, defending
champion Headquarters lead with 142 points. Second is `A' Division
with 92 points. Country Division is third with 85 points and `B'
Division fourth with 83.
Representing Headquarters,
Mercurius clocked 16 minutes 58.3 seconds
in winning the
event from his team mates Larry Josiah and K. Darson
respectively.
So convincing was Mercurius' victory that he finished almost two
minutes ahead of Josiah.
Another
outstanding victory was that of national junior athlete
Jennifer
Chichester who clocked two minutes 27.1 seconds in winning
the
female 800-metre event for the Police Youth Club Members (YCM).
Second
was Delcie Dick and third S. Mentore.
In the 5000-metre race,
Mercurius stayed with other eight
competitors for the first
lap, but then stepped up the momentum, and
together with
Josiah, opened a healthy lead on the others.
After two laps
and with the rest of the field struggling, Mercurius
changed
into over drive and left Josiah. He (Mercurius) went on to
overtake
all but one (Josiah) of his rivals in romping home to
victory.
When Mercurius crossed the finish line, Josiah was a mere 20 metres
into his final lap.
In
her 800-metre final, Chichester stayed with the rest of the bunch
until she received the bell for the second and final lap. On hearing
the bell, Chichester who is a seasoned 1500 and 3000-metre athlete,
accelerated and moved away from her rivals, leaving them as though
standing. She literally sprinted the final 400-metre.
In results from the international events that were staged yesterday,
G. Bartholomew of Grenada Police Force won the male long jump for
`A' Class athletes with a leap of 6.46 metres. Second was Guyana's
Brennon Thompson (6.30m) and third Grenada's F. Coutain (5.46m.)
Another Grenadian M. Modeste ended fourth (5.04m).
In the `A' Class shot put event, Guyana's E. Keizer was first with a
throw of 12.28m. Second was C. Moore (11.44m) also of Guyana and
third was Modeste (11.04m).
Grenada is being represented by a four-member team which includes a
manager.
Other results
(finals) are as follows; (high jump male `B' Class) M.
Kennedy
(1.78m), A. Craig (1.75m), S. Benjamin (1.65m). (Shot-Put
female)
Lorraine Peters (8.16m), E. Castello (8.16m), Amanda
Hermanstein
(8.06). (800m female) Carla Benjamin (2:30.9), Carlotta
Fraser
(2:34.9), B. Williams (2:42.1). (800-metre male `A' Class) D.
Walcott
(2:02.4), Lary Josiah (2:03.6), F. Coutain (2:04.7). (800m
male
YCM) T. Scotland (2:00.7), D. Eastman (2:05.2), R. Downer
(2:05.6).
(800m male `B' Class) R. McPherson (2:09.8), B. Leitch
(2:11.5),
K. Darson (2.13.6). (Long jump male `B' Class) L. Kennedy
(6.14m),
A. Craig (6.11m), E. Cobena (5.81m). (3000m female)
Carlotta
Fraser (12:10.9), D. Williams (14:09.3), O. Jones (17:48.3).
The
three day championships will continue today at the same venue
with
several finals.
Burnett
reaches 800m semis at Pan Am Games (8/06/03)
- Pompey
swings into action tomorrow
Guyana's Pan Am games medal hopeful Aliann Pompey will swing into
action tomorrow as competition in the 400m of the Pan Am Games
begins.
Guyana took part in their first event last night when Pompey's US-
based team-mate Marian Burnette took part in the women's 800m semi-
finals.
Burnette was
down to run her 800m semi-finals at 7.30pm last evening
at the Olympic Stadium. The
finals will take place at 6pm this
evening at the same venue.
Pompey, who won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the 400 m at last
year's Games will be competing in the women's 400m at 9.15pm.
The finals will take place tomorrow evening.
The
boxing competition begins on Friday at 8pm. Guyana's lone
representative,
Rayon O'Neil, will compete in the 75kg weight class.
Swimming
action starts on Monday where Guyana's Onan Thom is
scheduled
to be in action. Thom is expected to arrive in Santo
Domingo on Friday.
Weight lifting begins next Thursday. William Langford is entered in
the 77kg category while Shondell King will compete next Friday in
the 69kg category.
Headquarters
establish commanding lead (8/6/03)
HEADQUARTERS
established a commanding lead after Day One of the
Annual Police Athletics Championships at the Police Sports Club
ground yesterday.
In a day with 36
events, 16 were finals and HQ amassed 142 points,
followed
by `A' Division on 92, Country Division 85 and `B' Division
83.
For the international competition, only Grenada made the tour here
and trailed on 33 points with the hosts on 53.
The distance races were among the finals run off and Colin Mercurius
(HQ) ran away with the 5000m in a time of 16:58.3 minutes, followed
by L Josiah and K. Dorson.
Carlotta
Fraser took the 3 000m in 12:10.09 minutes, beating D.
Williams
to second and O. Jones third.
Fraser, however, ran in
second to Carla Benjamin in the 800m, who
clocked 2:30.9
minutes in winning the race. Williams was third.
On the
International scene, D. Walcott (Guyana) won the `A' Class
800m
in 2:2.04 minutes, Josiah (Guyana) was second and F. Coutain
(Grenada) third.
Grenada's G. Bartholomew won the `A' Class Long Jump, with a leap of
6.46 metres, beating Guyana's Brennon Thompson, while the third
place went to Coutain.
In the Youth Club events, Jennifer Chichester ran away with the 800m
in 2:27.1 minutes, the highlight of the day.
The championships continue today with 33 more events, of which 13
will be finals including the 1500m for both male and female athletes
and the 10 000m. Several field events will be completed, including
throwing the javelin.
Guyana July 2003 Track and Field News
Guyana seek first
Pan Am medal in 28 years (7/30/03)
Local-based
Guyanese athletes will wing out for Santo Domingo
this
afternoon to compete at
the XIV Pan American Games, scheduled to get
underway on
Friday in the Dominican Republic.
Those leaving
this afternoon are William Langford, Shondell King and
Rayon
O'Neil and they will be joined in Santo Domingo
by United
States-based athletes
Aliann Pompey and Marian Burnett and England-
based Julian
McWatt.
Langford, King and McWatt will represent Guyana at weight lifting
while O'Neil will be Guyana's lone boxing hope. Pompey, who won a
Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medal last year and Burnett, will
participate in track events.
Also expected
in Santo Domingo is swimmer Onan Thom who participated
in
the just-concluded World Swimming Championships in Barcelona,
Spain. It is not clear if Thom, who did not medal at the world
championships, but who registered a personal best time, has returned
to Guyana as yet.
When
Stabroek Sports tried to reach Guyana Swimming Association
president
Juman Yassin, and the association's secretary Charles
Corbin,
to find out if Thom had returned from the world
championships,
we were informed that both Yassin and Corbin are
already
in Santo Domingo.
The officials accompanying the local contingent
are: Corbin Chef de
Mission, Neville Denny (athletics) Dion
Nurse (weightlifting) and
Terrence Poole (boxing).
Up to press time, a Guyana Olympic Association member told Stabroek
Sport the official accompanying Thom had not been named. Thom was
accompanied to Spain by Stephanie Fraser.
Pompey, who missed the just-concluded Central American and Caribbean
Track and Field Championships in Grenada, will pin her hopes on
winning Guyana's first Pan American athletic gold medal since James
Wren Gilkes won gold for Guyana at the 1975 Games. Pompey will
contest the women's 400-Metres. Gilkes had won a 200-Metre gold
medal.
According to
a source, Pompey who was campaigning in Europe at the
time of the CAC Meet, missed out on the CAC Games
because of flight
problems.
Burnett, who is just off a successful European tour will contest the
women's 800-metres.
O'Neil, who is Guyana's national amateur middleweight (75kg)
champion will do battle in the same division.
Should Thom attend the Games, he will contest the 100 and 200-metre
freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke events.
Originally, the Guyana Olympic Association had submitted the names
of over 20 athletes and officials to the Pan American Games
organisers, but because some of those who were identified did not
reach the qualifying standard, their names were deleted. Among those
track athletes who were identified but did not make the qualifying
standard are: Michelle Vaughn, Andre Blackman and Tai Payne.
Heptathlon athlete Nyota Peters reached the qualifying standard, but
for reasons unknown to Stabroek Sport, she will not be a part of the
XIV Pan American Games.
Ford, Chichester share honours (7/29/03)
...Seon Black/Powell
Memorial 10K
Junior Carifta
5000-metre gold medalist Clevland Ford and Jennifer
Chichester
shared the honours on Sunday in the men's and women's
categories
respectively of the Seon Black/Harry Powell 10K race.
Ford
won the male open 10k event from Colin Mercurius and Kelvin
Johnson,
while Chichester crossed the finish line ahead of Anarika
February and Alcia Fortune respectively.
The boys 17-20 age group over five kilometres was won by Clevland
Thomas. Jermaine Pilgrim finished second and Sherwyne Morris third.
On the distaff side, Delcia Dick was first, Carla Benjamin second
and Ashanti Scott third.
Dia
Shabazz won the boys 13-17 years category from Jermaine Blue and
Travis Bovell respectively, while on the distaff side, Leanna Doris
was first, Marcia Mentore placed second and Keisha Barry third.
The boys 11-13 years category was won by Christopher Reddy. Owen
Josiah was second and Anthony Bowman third, while in the girls
division, Carlisa Atkinson was first, Kimberley Dick second and
Willeth Reid third.
The masters 40-44 years
of age category was won by Walter Giles from
Fredrick O'Choa
and Winston Saunders respectively, while the 45-49
age group
was won by Llewelyn Gardener. Second was Curtis Archer and
third
Rudolph Anthony.
The 50-54 years age group was won by Clifton
Thom from Lennox Jacobs
and Ivelaw Henry respectively, while
Maurice Fagundes won the 54-59
years age group from Franklyn
Archer and Hubert Muloney respectively.
Henry Shepherd was
first among the men's 35-39 years age group.
Second was Aubrey
Hutson and third Errol Warde.
The boys under 11 years of age
category was won by Glendon Jones.
Kevin Jones was second
and Jemmel Jones third.
Organiser of the event Leslie Black
has expressed his gratitude to
the following individuals
and companies for their support in making
the annual event
the success it was; Federal Management Systems,
Fed/Ex, Toucan
Industries, DeSinco Trading, Cummings Electrical,
Ramchand
Auto Spares, Payless Store, Humphrey's Bakery and Farm
Products,
Rudy and Eddie Grant, Kevin Jeffrey, Foot Works Plus and
Paula
and Simone.
Chichester improve to 4th in the 1500m at PanAm
Juniors (7/21/03)
ROYAL BANK
OF CANADA -
PAN AM JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
IN ATHLETICS 200
National Stadium, WATERFORD ST.
Finals
1 Santiuti Caball, Yuneisi
Cuba 4:24.56
2 Dron, Chantelle United
States 4:26.66
3 Maloy, Elizabeth
United States 4:26.87
4 Chichester, Jennifer Guyana
4:33.25
5 Kolstad, Kristen Canada
4:35.34
6 Cedeno, Karina Ecuador 4:40.87
7 Vasquez, Eliana
Chile 4:47.22
-- Malchor, Ines
Peru DNS
Chichester grabs 5th at PanAm Juniors (7/21/03)
ROYAL BANK
OF CANADA -
PAN AM JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
IN ATHLETICS 200
National Stadium, WATERFORD ST. MICHAEL
Event 16 Women 3000 Meter Run
Finals
1 Malchor, Ines Peru
9:57.96
2 Zeigle, Laura United States
10:04.18
3 Figueroa, Angela Columbia 10:06.95
4 McLeod, Brianna
United States 10:13.31
5 Chichester, Jennifer Guyana
10:26.08
6 Cedeno, Karina Ecuador
10:34.61
Men's 5000m
Finals
1 Rupp, Galen
United States 14:20.29
2 Merced, Arturo Mexico
14:30.68
3 Castillo Gera, Maure Sur Cuba
14:38.04
4 Aden, Maya Canada
14:38.86
5 Meindl, Peter United States
14:39.20
6 Sanchez, Deivis Venezuela 14:48.06
7 Pawluk, Samuel
Canada 14:53.55
8 Cusi, John
Peru 15:15.55
9 Forde, Cleveland
Guyana 15:24.37
10 Cornieles, Danny
Venezuela 15:39.28
Chichester contesting 3000m at World Youth c/ships (7/9/03)
Guyana's top junior female athlete Jennifer Chichester was down to
contest the women's 3000-metre event at the 3rd World Youth
Championships which got underway yesterday in Sherbrooke, Canada.
Chichester who left Guyana last week for the five-day Meet, is
accompanied by Pamela Phillips (chaperon). The event has attracted
athletes from 163 countries.
Chichester was scheduled to come against some of the world's best
under-18 athletes drawn from 12 other countries at 8.05pm last
night. According to the start list, Kenya and Japan entered two
athletes
each for the event while one each came from 11 other
countries.
Judging from the competitors' personal best times,
Chichester has
the 13th best time (10:14.08).
Kenya's Chepkorir Pasalia Kipkoech has the best time (9:08.40) of
the lot. She is followed by Japan's Saori Makishima (9:12.36) and
Yuko Nohara (9:12.75), Kenya's Jebichi Yator (9:13.00), Mauritius'
Siham Hilall (9:16.20), Romania's Mariana Szabo (9:27.34),
Yugaslavia's Azra Eminovic (9:28.85), Poland's Aleksandra
Jawor
(9:32.33), Etiophia's Kulen Bekana (9:34.09), China's
Jinxue Chang
(9:38.40), Peru's Ines Melchor (9:40.28) and
Canada's Anita Campbell
(9:57.36). Mali's Sitan Boire (10:40.00), and Wesam Abubheet
(11:18.20) are slower than Chichester.
Prior to the
start of yesterday's Bi-Annual championships, the
athletes
participated in athletic clinics that were graced with the
presence
of former and current world champions Edwin Moses, Jackie
Joyner-Kersee
and Michael Johnson who gave pep talks and
demonstrations
in starting and other techniques.
Lamine Diack president of
the International Athletic Federation was
also present during
the clinics.
Official
Results - 3000 METRES - Women Final
Wednesday,
July 09, 2003 - 20:05
Pos Bib Athlete Country Mark
1 997 Hilali Siham MAR 9:12.70 (PB)
2 978 Kipkoech Pasalia Chepkorir KEN 9:13.77
3 965 Nohara Yuko JPN 9:14.82
4 983 Yator Jebichi KEN 9:14.89
5 963 Makishima Saori JPN 9:25.34
6 1035 Melchor Ines PER 9:28.44
(SB)
7 1197 Eminovic
Azra YUG 9:31.37
8
790 Chang Jinxue CHN 9:38.39 (PB)
9 1062 Szabo Mariana ROM 9:43.13
10 1041 Jawor Aleksandra POL 9:48.71
11 762 Campbell Anita CAN 10:01.74
12 909 Chichester Jennifer GUY 10:41.79
13 1011 Boire Sitan MLI 11:04.90
14 1037 Abubheet Wesam PLE 11:26.37
855 Bekana Kulen ETH DNS
Burnett
lowers national record at Zagreb Grand Prix (7/9/03)
(From Frederick
Halley in Toronto)
MIDDLE-distance champion Marian Burnett rolled away the
disappointment of missing the competition of the just concluded XIX
Central American and Caribbean (CAC) track and field championships
with a typical gritty run in Europe to lower
her national 800 metres
record.
Fairly inspired by the gold medal performances of her
Louisiana
State University (LSU) colleagues at last weekend's
regional meet in
Grenada, Burnett raced to her own glory with a satisfying second
place in 2:01.71 at the IAAF Grand Prix Meeting - Zagreb 2003 in
Croatia on Monday.
Representing Guyana in a world-class field, Burnett defied the heavy
goings' to seal the top two positions for her British-based
management company Kim Sports Management Inc., as her stablemate and
Kenyan champion Faith Macharia romped home with the victory.
Coming in after Macharia and Burnett were Russia's European bronze
medallist Julia Kosenkova; Germany's number two Monika Gradzki;
Dutchwoman Letitia Vriesde - a multiple CAC, Pan-American and World
medallist; former Slovenian champion, Sonja Roman; Olympic 1500m
champion Nouria Merah-Benida (Algeria) and Petra Pticek (Croatia).
With another elite meet slated for Sheffield, England, before
returning to her home in the U.S., Burnett's outdoor season also
took her to meets in the U.S., Holland, Germany and Poland.
She
moved up from a string
of consistent performances to break her
previous personal
best of 2:02.29 in a little over seven weeks.
When contacted
by telephone a few hours after her race, Burnett
recalled
that she stayed with the other runners until the 600 metres
mark
"when Faith accelerated giving me a cue to get going as well."
"It was good race and we all were there to win, make it competitive."
Burnett's performance was not without its usual pre-race quandaries,
as she suffered a misplacement of her luggage travelling from
England to the Croatia city.
After
several unsuccessful attempts to seek her belongings, she
eventually
reverted to utilising gear and apparel from friends,
including
Macharia, Jamaican hurdler Debbie-Ann Parris, American
sprinter
Me'Lisa Barber and Britain's Natasha Danvers who won the
400m hurdles in a personal best 54.32s.
Burnett
said she is happy with her showing in light of the
adversities,
citing that she was "kinda' concerned and uneasy at
first,
but I gave it a cold-shoulder for the race and now I am back
to
worrying about my things which may still be in England or
Austria;. "Anyhow, I am thanking God for the help I got, and for
guiding me though this episode" the half-miler noted, adding that
her `loaned' spikes were piercingly close fitting at half
a size
smaller than her customary fit.
"These trials normally serve to strengthen Marian's resolve, so in a
way I was expecting her to be aggressive and take out her
disappointment on something or someone, and ... hey! She vented it
on the race'" her coach Mark Elliott said in a respite for her
luggage misfortune.
He
saw her feat as a show of insistence to get over the added
disillusion
of missing the CAC championships. Burnett could not
attend
the meet due to tight liquidity preventing her national
athletics
federation from being able to meet the expenses of flying
her
from Europe when she is currently domiciled.
Burnett
breaks her own national record (7/8/03)
Zagreb, Croatia
National Record Holder and NCAA champions Marian Burnett showed
why
missing the CAC championship was worth it. She placed
second in her
first Grand Prix One race in national Record
time of 2:01.71.
Zagreb 2003 {Memorijala Borisa Hanzekovica}
(IAAF Grand Prix I)
1. 149 MACHARIA Faith 76 KEN 1:59,80
2. 143 BURNETT Marian 76 GUY 2:01,71
3. 147 KOSENKOVA Julia 73 RUS 2:01,79
4. 146 GRADZKI Monika 79 GER
2:01,87
5. 153 VRIESDE Letitia 64 SUR 2:02,37
6. 152 ROMAN Sonja 79 SLO 2:02,47
7. 142 MERAH-BENIDA Nouria
79 ALG 2:02,80
8. 151 PTIÈEK Petra 81 CRO 2:04,59
Vaughn
grabs only medal at CAC games (7/8/03)
Under-20
Jumper Michelle Vaughn secured Guyana's
only medal of the
just concluded
CAC Championships. Vaughn grab the bronze medal in
the Women's
Triple Jump on the first day of the championships. Her
effort
of 12.74m was just below her personal best of 12.80m.
1
LEE, SUZETTE Jam 13.89m
2 ESPENCER, MARIA Dom. Repub 13.41m
3 VAUGHN, MICHELLE Guy 12.74m
4 SAUNDERS, DAPHNE Bah 11.82m
5
CORNWALL, PATRICIA Grenada 11.72m
6 NISBETT, STEPHANIE Stk
11.69m
Under-20 middle distance runner Tai Payne
was the only other athlete
to make the finals. Payne make
the final of the 800m run with a
seasonal best of 1:51.99
and could only muster 1:51.90 in the
finals. Trinidad's Sheridan Kirk won with a 1:49.10.
1 KIRK, SHERIDAN Tri 1:49.10
2 MYERS, JERMAINE Jam 1:49.36
3 WATTS, MARVIN Jam
1:49.48
4 SOTO, LUIS D. Pur 1:49.76
5 BOVELL, SIMEON Tri 1:49.90
6 SILVERA, SIMONCITO 21 Ven 1:51.00
7 ETHERIDGE,
RICARDO Pur 1:51.62
8 PAYNE, TAI Guy 1:51.90
Sprinter Andre Blackman make the semi-finals of the 100m dash with a
time of 10.66. However, he only ran 10.83 in the semis with 10.42
needed to make the finals. Blackman had run 10.16 earlier this year
in Trinidad. Blackman
also ran 21.71 in the 200m trials.
Georgia Tech graduate Jessica Defreitas placed 15th in the fastest
to the finals 100m dash. Defreitas ran 11.94 with 11.63 taking the
last spot.
In the women's long
jump, Defreitas and Vaughn placed 10th and 13th,
respectively.
1 GOULBOURNE, ELVA Jam 6.96m 2.6
2 EDWARDS, JACKIE Bah 6.63m 4.4
3 BUSTAMANTE, YURIDIA Mex 6.28m 2.8
4 RIVERA,
YESENIA Pur 6.27m 2.9
5 SAUNDERS, DAPHNE Bah 6.26m 2.7
6 VESANES, ELISEE Mart 6.23m 3.7
7 MOSLEY, KEITHA Bar 6.17m 0.4
8 ESPENCER, MARIA
Dom. Repub 6.13m 3.1
9 CORNWALL, PATRICIA Grenada 6.02m 3.2
10 DEFREITAS, JESSICA Guy 6.00m 1.1
11 PETERS, NYOTA Guy 5.93m 1.5
12 NISBETT, STEPHANIE Stk 5.86m 0.6
13 VAUGHN,
MICHELLE Guy 5.78m 0.8
14 RIVAS, THAIMARA 21 Ven 5.57m -0.1
Guyana's greatest chances to capture gold was in the
women's 400m
and 800m. However, Miss Aliann Pompey and Miss
Marian Burnett was
unable to make the meet. The winning times
were much slower that the
performances produced by the two
former NCAA champions this season.
Pompey
out of CAC (7/2/03)
By Michael DaSilva
Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist Aliann Pompey will miss
the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Track
and Field
Championships billed to get underway in Grenada on Friday.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport by telephone yesterday, Pompey said she
has not heard anything about the CAC meet from the Amateur Athletic
Association of Guyana in a few weeks. "It's a few weeks now since I
heard from (Claude) Blackmoore (AAA president).
When contacted, Blackmoore said the locally based members of the
squad will leave Guyana tomorrow for Grenada and will be joined by
United-States based Guyanese Jessica DeFreitas.
When asked what is the position with Pompey, Blackmoore said he sent
Pompey an e-mail asking if she was available, but he received no
reply.
Asked if this meant that Pompey
would not be a part of the squad at
the meet, a hesitant
Blackmoore said "Let's leave that for after
CAC."
Pressed for a definitive response, Blackmoore said he does not think
so.
The locals were
originally scheduled to leave for Grenada today, but
according
to Blackmoore, there were problem with BWIA and LIAT so
the
traveling date had to be put back.
Pompey said she received
an e-mail from Blackmoore two weeks ago but
nothing more
since.
"I was expecting it (not being present for the CAC
meet), and I do
feel disappointed but I've already dealt
with that." Pompey
lamented, adding "I will go to Ireland
for a meet on Saturday then
return to New York.
Blackmoore said the AAA tried getting sponsorship to have Pompey
travel from London to Grenada but things did not work out. "We tried
to get funding for her and things had looked favourable, but nothing
has materialised," Blackmoore stated.
Yesterday, another section of the media reported that Blackmoore
disclosed to them (media) that Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
Gail Teixeira had provided funding to cover an air ticket for Pompey
from London to New York, but further assistance was still being
sought to allow Pompey to be in Grenada.
The
said article also quoted Blackmoore as saying persons have
volunteered
to provide additional funding and no efforts will be
spared
to have Pompey at the championships.
Pompey last competed
in the Czech Republic on Sunday and placed
second to Russia's
Olesya Zykina who returned a winning time of
51.61 seconds.
Pompey's time was 52.27 seconds. The third place
finisher
was another Russian, Natalya Antyukh (52.28).
Zykina is ranked
number three in the IAAF's world ranking for women
400m runners.
The number one and two ranked athletes are Mexico's
Ana Gabriela
Guevara and Jamaica's Lorraine Graham-Fenton
respectively.
Asked about that performance, Pompey said she went out too slow and
never recovered. "The time was better that when I ran in
Switzerland, but it still was a poor time," Pompey stated.
The other members of Guyana's CAC contingent are; Michelle Vaughn,
Nyota Peters, Andre Blackman, Tai Payne, Ken Elexy (manager) and
Foster Sampson (coach).
Another
US based Guyanese athlete, Alec Henry, was also shortlisted
for
the CAC meet, but according to Blackmoore, Henry is recovering
from
an injury.
GUYANA JUNE 2003 TRACK AND FIELD NEWS
Burnett grab 8th in deep Polish field (6/30/03)
Zywiec Cup; Poznan, Poland, June 29
800 m women
1 Olga RASPOPOVA
78 RUSSIA 2:01.85
2 Tamara VOLKOVA
79 UKRAINE 2:01.92
3 Yulia GURTAVENKO
80 UKRAINE 2:01.98
4 Michelle BALLENTINE 75
JAMAICA 2:01.98
5 Irina VASHENTSEVA
80 RUSSIA 2:02.02
6 Anna ZAGORSKA
80 AZS-AWF Wroclaw 2:02.13 SB
7 Heather HENNIGAR
73 CANADA 2:02.95
8 Marian
BURNETT 76 GUYANA
2:03.01
9 Joanna BUZA 81 Start Lublin
2:03.19 SB
10 Nadezdha VOROBYEVA 77 RUSSIA
2:03.54
11 Ewelina SETOWSKA 80 AZS-AWF Warszawa 2:04.09
12
Beata RUDZINSKA 82 SKLA Sopot 2:04.80
PB
13 Rikke RONHOLT 76 DENMARK
2:04.88
Pompey takes second in Prague (6/29/03)
Josef Odlozil Memorial (IAAF Grand Prix II)
Prague (CZE)
400 m Race A
1
Zykina Olesya 80 RUS 51,61
2 Pompey Aliann 78 GUY 52,27
3 Antyukh Natalya 81 RUS 52,28
4 Béwouda Hortense 78 CMR 52,86
5 Shinkins Karen 76 IRL 53,43
6 Ogunkoya Falilat 68 NGR 53,83
7 Fuchsová Helena 65 CZE 56,82
Pompey manages sixth at Switzerland meet (6/27/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Guyana's number one female athlete, Aliann Pompey, could do no
better that sixth place, when she contested the women's 400-metre
event at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzem meeting in Switzerland on
Wednesday.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport by
telephone yesterday, Pompey who
returned 52.56 seconds, said
she is at a loss for words as to what
really happened on
Wednesday.
"I have no idea what happened...I'm baffled for
words....I was not
tired, I did not have a long flight...I'm
at a loss." Pompey stated.
The Guyana 2003 Sports Woman of
the Year explained that she was in
lane seven and led from
the start until the 250-metre mark when she
glanced over
and saw the athlete in lane six "coming up on me".
Pompey
who has been selected to represent Guyana at the Central
American
and Caribbean Track and Field Meet in Grenada next month
said
she hoped Wednesday's performance in Switzer-land is her only
bad
race this season.
Asked whether she has received any news
from the Amateur Athletic
Association of Guyana (AAA) about
her going to Grenada for the CAC
meet, Pompey said she has not checked her e-mail in a few days so
she does not know if the AAA wrote her. She however said "CAC is
just a few days away and if I don't get to go to Grenada, I will
just go to the Prague (Czech Republic) for a meet on Sunday."
Stabroek Sport however contacted a representative from the AAA who
said that arrangements are being made to have Pompey in Grenada for
the CAC meet.
The official said several persons,
including Minister of Culture,
Youth and Sports Gail Teixeira,
have offered to assist in getting
Pompey from England where she is currently based to Grenada in time
for the meet.
Wednesday's 400-metre race
in Switzerland was dominated by athletes
from Russia who occupied the first three positions, they are;
Svetlana Pospelova (50.70), Kapachinskaya (50-74) and Olesya Zykina
(51.02).
Nigeria's Bisi Afolabi finished fourth in 51.26 seconds, while USA's
Demetria Washington was fifth in 51.72 seconds.
Pompey finished ahead of Great Britain's Catherine Murphy (53.59)
and Switzerland's Martina Naef (54.41).
Burnett grab 5th and Pompey 6th in Europe (06/26/03)
Papendal
Games Arnhem/Papendal (NED)
800m
1 Akosua Serwaa
GHA 2.01.91
2 Naila Jaber NED
2.02.08
3 Letitia Vriesde
SUR 2.02.12
4 Lotte Visschers NED
2.02.26
5 Marian Burnett
GUY 2.02.47
6 Ana Zagorska POL
2.02.55
7 Maura Prendiville
IRL 2.03.50
8 Rikke Ronholt DAN
2.04.01
Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern (EAA Permit)
Lucerne (SUI)
Women - 400 m
1. Pospelova Svetlana
RUS 50,70
2. Kapachinskaya RUS
50,74
3. Zykina Olesya
RUS
51,02
4. Afolabi Bisi
NGR 51,26
5. Washington Demetria USA 51,72
6. Pompey Allian
GUY 52,56
7. Murphy Catherine GBR
53,59
8. Naef Martina
SUI
54,41
Greene, Bagot bag three gold, one silver (6/26/03)
- B/dos Austin
Sealey Track Classic
By Michael
DaSilva
Local athletes Rawle Greene, Corwyn Bagot and Renson
DaSilva copped
three gold, one silver and one bronze medal
between them at the
recently concluded 2003 Austin Sealy
Track Classic, held at the
Barbados National Stadium.
Greene, a Bedford Track and Field Club member, recorded the sprint
double in the men's 100 and 200-metre races, while Bagot who
represented Atoms Athletic Club, won a gold and a silver medal in the
men's long and triple jumps respectively. DaSilva placed third to
Bagot in the men's long jump.
Greene returned 10.64 seconds for the 100-metre and 21.06 seconds for
the 200-metre.
The 21.06 seconds for the
200-mere, is Greene's personal best time.
His previous best
time over the distance was 21.22 seconds which he
clocked
in 2001 at the South American Games in Brazil.
Bagot leapt
6.74 metres in winning the long jump gold medal, while he
hopped,
skipped and jumped 13.67 metres in the triple jump.
DaSilva
leapt 6.23 metres in placing third in the long jump. He was
however
disqualified in the men's triple jump.
The double gold won
by Greene, is the second such achievement in
successive weekends.
Greene had also recorded victories over the same
distances
at the Falcons Classic Meet in Tobago one week earlier.
While Greene is happy with his performances, he is still not certain
if he will be selected for the Pan American Games, billed for Santo
Domingo in August.
According
to Greene, when the local Pan American trials were held at
the
Uitvlugt Community Centre ground earlier this year, he was beaten
into second and as such he was not shortlisted for national squad.
However, the 21.06 seconds he returned for the 200-metre in Barbados,
is better than the 21.43 seconds Pan American qualifying time as
stipulated by the Pan American Federation.
The
Pan American Federation also stipulates that an athlete must
register
10.49 seconds or less to qualify for the 100-mere race.
Barbados' Andre Browne (10.72) placed second to Greene in the 100-
metre event while Jamal Simmons (10.89) of the Barbados Defence
Force
finished third.
Andrew Holder (21.85) and Lemar Seale (21.87), both of Barbados,
placed second and third respectively in the men's 200-metre event.
Barbados' Alex Straughn was third in the men's long jump with a leap
of 6.54-metre.
The men's triple jump was won by Barbados Defence Force's Jamal
Cumberbatch with a 14.64-metre leap.
Greene
would like to thank the following individuals and business
houses
for making his sojourn in Barbados possible: Ashmin's Trading,
Hakeem Mohammed of Mohammed's General Store, New Guyana Marketing
Corporation and Mike's Pharmacy.
Its unfortunate if I miss CAC (6/20/03)
- Pompey
By Michael DaSilva
Aliann Pompey, Guyana's 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, said
yesterday it will be unfortunate for her if she misses the
opportunity to represent Guyana at next month's Central American and
Caribbean (CAC) Track and Field Meet in Grenada.
Pompey who will be graduating from a New York University with a
masters degree in Business Administration next month end, told
Stabroek Sports "It's unfortunate if I miss CAC, but I'm in good
shape and there's always Pan Am and World Championships to think
about."
However, Claude Blackmoore, president
of the Amateur Athletic
Association of Guyana (AAA) said
his association will do everything
possible to have Pompey
at the CAC meet.
Pompey who is currently campaigning in Europe, informed Stabroek
Sports by telephone that she had to get a loan (US$4,500) to
complete her Masters.
She said when she was in
Guyana a few months ago, she received some
financial assistance for her studies from GT&T. "I had to take
out a
loan. GT&T did make a donation towards my education
which I greatly
appreciate, but the rest was covered by a
loan." Pompey stated.
The 23-year-old who was born in Bee
Hive on the East Coast Demerara
and spent part of her adolescent
years in Lovely Lass, Berbice, said
she will be participating
in a meet in Switzerland on June 25
and "If I miss CAC, I
will run another race in Prague, Czech
Republic and then
Ireland and if I make an impression there, I can
always look
back and say CAC just wasn't meant to be."
Asked if any financial
assistance has been forthcoming from the
Guyana government, Pompey said Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports
Gail Teixeira was instrumental in her (Pompey) receiving a one
year
health insurance which began in January this year.
Pompey will benefit from a three-month grace period after graduating
next month, before she starts repaying her US$4,500 loan.
Pompey who was a finalist in the 400 metres at the 1999 Pan American
Games, won her first international meet of the season at one of the
oldest athletic meet in Europe
on Sunday. There she returned 51.48
seconds to finish ahead of Bulgaria's Svetlana Usovich (51.62) and
Anna Pacholak (51.88).
In her first meet of the
season just over a week ago, Pompey clocked
51.99 seconds
in finishing fifth to the world champion Amy MBacke
Thiam
of Senegal, who returned 51.15 for the distance. The meet was
staged in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Pompey set a new national 400-metre record when she registered 51.34
seconds in the semi-final of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in
Manchester, England.
She went on to win the gold medal with a 51.96
run.
Pompey AAA's number one priority (6/19/03)
-says AAA
boss Claude Blackmore
By Michael
DaSilva
The Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAA) will
make every
effort to get Guyana's Commonwealth Games women's
400-metre gold
medalist, Aliann Pompey, to the Central American
and Caribbean Track
and Field Meet, slated for Grenada from
July 4 to 6.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport yesterday, AAA president
Claude Blackmore
said his association would leave no stone
unturned in getting Pompey
from Europe, where she is currently campaigning, to Grenada for the
meet.
Blackmore also cleared the air on an article
which appeared in
Saturday's edition of the Stabroek News,
which stated that Pompey
could miss out on representing at
the CAC Meet, unless sponsorship
is secured for her to travel
from Europe to Grenada.
According
to Blackmore, the AAA had budgeted to fly Pompey from her
home
base in the United
States to Grenada, and not from Europe to
Grenada
since the association did not have the money.
Pompey had told Stabroek Sport that she was informed that she might
not be on the national team for the CAC meet since the AAA was
strapped for cash. She had said also that she had felt very
disappointed at that.
Pompey pointed out
that she decided to campaign in Europe in order
to get in some much needed competition leading up to the CAC and Pan
American Games.
Blackmore
said having won a gold medal at last year's Commonwealth
Games
in Manchester, England, Pompey has become the AAA's priority
in terms of representing Guyana at any international meet. "If there
is only space for one Guyanese athlete at a games, Pompey would be
our automatic choice," Blackmore declared.
Pompey who returned 51.96 seconds in winning the Commonwealth gold
medal, clocked 51.48 seconds when she won the women's 400-metre on
Sunday at the Kusocinski Memorial Meet in Warsaw, Poland. Bulgaria's
Svetlana Usovich finished second in 51.62 seconds, while Anna
Pacholak (51.88) placed third.
Blackmore said
another US based Guyanese - Jessica DeFreitas - has
been
added to the CAC squad which includes Pompey, Marian Burnette,
Alec
Henry, Michelle Vaughn, Nyota Peters, Andre Blackman, Tai Payne
and
Clyde Gibson. Burnette and Henry are also based in the US, but
Burnette
is currently campaigning in Europe also.
DeFreitas who is the daughter of former national football goal
keeper Vibert DeFreitas who hails from Bartica, attends the
University of Georgia.
She will contest the women's 100 metres and
long jump.
Burnette will contest the 800-metre,
while Vaughn will do battle in
the women's long, high and
triple jumps.
Peters will participate in the heptathlon, while
Henry and Blackman
are down for the men's 100 and 200-metre
events. Payne will contest
the men's 800-metre and Gibson
the men's long and triple jumps.
Henry's best time for the
100-metre this year is 10.5 seconds.
This year's CAC meet
is expected to attract some of the planet's top
athletes.
According to the IAAF website, so far six countries have submitted
names with their entries. The Bahamas will be fielding 32 athletes,
including former NCAA champion Avard Moncur, the gold medal
revelation of the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, along with
the Bahamas 4x100m women's relay team, three of whose members will
also be at the CAC meet. The Bahamian women, who were World
champions in 1999, went on to repeat their gold medal exploits at
the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Cayman Islands' Kareem Streete-Thompson, who once led the world in
the men's long jump, is on the list for the sprints.
Streete-Thompson was born in the USA, but lived his first 18 years
in the Cayman
Islands. Originally he represented
the Cayman Islands,
then USA,
and then from 1999 the Cayman Islands again. Veteran 800m
runner Dale Jones leads Antigua-Barbuda. Belize will be represented
by 400m hurdler Michael Aguilar at the meet.
Jamaica has indicated that a strong contingent will be sent but the
names will be submitted following their national championships
next
weekend. Haiti and the Netherlands Antilles
have also submitted
their entries.
More than 600 athletes and officials, including a contingent
from
Cuba, have registered for the championships.
Guyana's Pan Am
Games contingent to be decided by July 15 (6/19/03)
By Donald
Duff
Chef-de-Mission of Guyana's Pan Am Games team Charles Corbin says
the size of the Guyana contingent to this year's Pan Am Games
scheduled for Santo Domingo in August will be determined by July 15
the latest.
Guyana pre-registered some 21 athletes, 14 male and seven female
athletes for the August 1-17 Games in Santo Domingo also known as
the Dominican Republic.
However,
Corbin told Stabroek Sports that the Guyana Olympic
Association
(GOA) has a July 17 deadline to submit the team to
participate
in what will the biggest games to be held in the region
this
year.
Some 42 countries including powerhouse United States of America are
down to compete in the 35 sports disciplines at the Games.
Guyana are due to participate in only four sports disciplines -
track and field, weightlifting, swimming and table tennis, Corbin
said.
So far the quota of athletes for weightlifting and swimming have
been decided.
"Swimming and weightlifting
have already confirmed their
participation criteria," said
Corbin. "Weightlifting will be
represented by one female
and one male weightlifter while swimming
have also been allotted
two slots."
"Table tennis has applied for one wild card which,
if they get it,
they will be allowed two athletes to play
in both the singles and
doubles," said Corbin.
Guyana have also pre-registered eight coaches and delegates most of
whom will be named by their respective federations along with the
final members of the team.
Corbin said that the AAA still has some time remaining to select
their athletes but most of these will be done at the South American
Seniors and the CAC Seniors.
The AAA has
shortlisted several athletes to represent Guyana at a
few
international meets with a view towards them making the
qualifying
times for the Pan Am games.
For, although they have pre-registered
the names of 21 athletes,
only those who make the qualifying
times will be allowed to compete.
The AAA sent four athletes
Tai Payne, Clyde Gibson, Nyota Peters and
Michelle Vaughn
to the South American Seniors which starts on
Saturday in
Venezuela while Aliann Pompey, Marian Burnette, Vaughn,
Peters,
Alec Henry, Andre Blackman, Payne and Gibson are down to
compete
at the Central American and Caribbean Seniors scheduled for
July
4-6 in Grenada.
Pompey, however is a doubtful starter for
the CAC Seniors unless
sponsorship is secured for her to
travel from Europe to Grenada.
According
to the Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist ,she has
been
informed by an official of the AAA that the association is
strapped
for cash and, unless funds are made available, she would
not
be a part of Guyana's team to the meet.
Pompey and Burnett have recently been inducted into the
International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) world top
athletes lists.
They are among several
Caribbean stars, who have registered top-10
marks in their respective events.
Burnett, an NCAA champion, holds the #9 spot in the IAAF's top-10
outdoor 800m list comprising several elite stars from across the
globe.
Pompey on the other hand has been
having a fine indoor season twice
holding the world's fastest
400m time. She has also recorded a new
Guyana national record (52.17s) at the distance.
Pompey last weekend placed first in the 400m at a meet in Poland
while Burnette placed third at a meet in Germany.
Pompey wins in Poland (6/17/03)
- Marion
Burnette places third
By Michael
DaSilva
United States-based Guyanese athletes Aliann Pompey
and Marian
Burnett kept the Golden Arrowhead aloft on the
European circuit on
Sunday by placing first and third respectively
in separate meets.
According to an informed source, Pompey
won the women's 400-metre
event at the Kusocinski Memorial
Meet in Warsaw, Poland while the
IAAF
website reported that Burnett placed third in the 800-metre
event
at an EAA Meet in Dortmund, Germany.
While Stabroek
Sport was unable to get Pompey's time for the event,
it has
been reported that the 2002 Commonwealth Games women's 400-
metre
gold medalist has set a new Guyana record for the distance. The
previous record was 51.96 seconds set by Pompey herself at the
Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
Burnett's time for the 800-metre on Sunday was two minutes 02.46
seconds (2:02.46). The event was won by Russia's Natalia Khrushelyova
(2:01.44) from Germany's Claudia Gesell (2:01.99).
According to the IAAF rankings, Pompey is currently ranked 20th in
the top 100 list for women over 400 metres.
Mexico's Ana Gabriela Guevara heads the rankings while Jamaica's
Lorraine Graham-Fenton is second.
Both Pompey
and Burnett are currently campaigning in Europe leading
up to the Central American and Caribbean (CAC)
Track and Field
Championships and the Pan American Games
two meets which Guyana
will
be participating in.
However, Pompey could miss out on representing Guyana at the CAC Meet
unless sponsorship is secured for her to travel from Europe to
Grenada.
According
to Pompey, she was informed by an official of the Amateur
Athletic
Association of Guyana (AAA), that the association is
strapped
for cash, and unless funds are made available, she would not
be
a part of Guyana's team at the Meet.
Pompey along with Burnett, Alec Henry (US based), Michelle Vaughn,
Nyota Peters, Andre Blackman, Tai Payne and Clyde Gibson were
shortlisted by the Council of the AAA to represent Guyana at the CAC
Meet slated for July 4 to 6 in Grenada.
The
Pan American Games is billed for Santo Domingo
during the month
of August.
Vaughn, Peters, Blackman, Payne and Gibson were also shortlisted for
the South American Seniors which is scheduled to commence on Friday
in Venezuela.
Pompey wins Janusz Kusocinski Memorial (6/16/03)
Warsaw, Poland - 2002 Commonwealth Champion and National Record
Holder won her first International meet of the season at the one
of
the oldest athletics meetings in Europe.
400
m
1 Aliann Pompey (GUY) 51.48
2 Svetlana Usovich (BLR) 51.62
3 Anna Pacholak
51.88
Pompey placed 5th on Grand Slovenska Prix II (6/10/03)
Cena Slovenska
/ Slovak Gold - Bratislava (SVK)
Tuesday,
June 10, 2003
Official Result
Women - 400 METRES - Race 1
Pos Athlete Nat Mark
1 Thiam Amy Mbacke SEN 51.15
2 Amertil Christine BAH 51.28
3 Afolabi Olabisi NGR 51.46
4 Nguimgo Mireille CMR 51.97
5 Pompey Aliann GUY 51.99
6 Levina Tatyana RUS 52.48
7 Murphy Catherine GBR 53.40
8 Golendukhina Olga RUS 53.89
Burnett grab fourth place in Palo Alto. (6/9/03)
U.S. Track
& Field Open - Palo Alto, CA (USA)
Saturday, June 07, 2003
Official Result
Women - 800 METRES
Pos Athlete Nat Mark
1 Ballentine Michelle JAM 2:01.62
2 Jacobs Regina USA 2:02.42
3 Earl Chantee USA 2:03.77
4 Langerholc Brigita SLO 2:04.60
5 Burnett Marian GUY 2:04.83
6 Spencer Sasha USA 2:04.96
7 Hyman Mardrea JAM 2:05.31
8 Williams Tamika BER 2:06.86
Hotchkiss Katie USA DNF
Forde, Chichester off to South American juniors (6/6/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Junior Carifta medal
winners Clevland Forde and Jennifer Chichester
along with
Royston Ross, winged out for Ecuador yesterday morning to
participate
in the South American Junior Track and Field
Championships
billed for tomorrow and Sunday.
Forde who won the 5000m gold
medal at this year's Junior Carifta
Games in Trinidad and Tobago is expected to give a good account of
himself, having been very consistent over the past year.
Forde, a member of the Rising Stars Club will contest both the under-
20 boys 1500 and 5000m races while Police Sports Club athlete
Chichester, will do battle in the under-17 girls 1500 and 3000m
events.
Chihester won a silver and a bronze medal in the under-17 girls
1500m and the open girls 3000m respectively, at this year's Carifta
Games.
Ross (Bygeval) is expected to contest
the under-20 boys shot and
discus events.
In winning the 2003 Carifta 5000m gold in 15:27.42, Forde defeated
Jamaican Jason Elleson by more than 50 metres. The soft spoken
athlete had also won a gold medal over the same distance at the 2002
Carifta Games in the Bahamas. There (Bahamas) he had returned
15:47.00.
Forde's personal best time for the 5000m is 15:21.0 which he clocked
at the Central American and Caribbean championships in Jamaica.
Chichester who had returned
10:14.08 for the Carifta 3000m, had also
won gold and a silver medals at the Manny Ramjohn Games in Trinidad
during the month
of March.
The three athletes are being managed by Pamela
Phillips.
Stabroek Sport has learnt that Amateur Athletic
Association of
Guyana president Claude Blackmoore also accompanied
the team.
Meanwhile, Chichester, Forde, Ross and Cleon Washington have been
identified for the Pan American Juniors Track and Field Meet, billed
for Barbados from July 18 to 20.
Guyana May 2003
Track and Field News
Pompey, Burnett shortlisted for CAC championships (5/28/03)
COMMONWEALTH
gold medallist Aliann Pompey and Marian Burnett were
shortlisted to represent Guyana in the Central American & Caribbean
(CAC) Senior Championships billed for Grenada in July.
The Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAAG) identified four
teams for international meets in the region since May 10, but only
released them yesterday.
Teams were
named for the South American Junior Championships, Pan-
American
Juniors, South American Seniors and the (CAC) Seniors.
Pompey
named for the 400 metres sprint, the race she won for
Guyana's first track gold in the Manchester Games while fellow USA-
based Burnett will enter the 800m.
Another overseas-based athlete, Alec Henry, will be sprinting in the
100m and 200m events.
The
other members shortlisted for the July 4-6 meet are Michelle
Vaughn
(Long Jump, Triple Jump), Nyota Peters (Heptathlon), Andre
Blackman
(100m, 200m), Tai Payne (800m) and Clyde Gibson (Long Jump,
Triple
Jump).
Ken Elexey was named manager and Foster Sampson,
the coach.
Five athletes were identified for the South
American Seniors billed
for Venezuela from June 20-22 under the same management. They are
Vaughn, Peters, Blackman, Payne and Gibson.
Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year Cleveland Forde was shortlisted for two
junior teams. He is among four athletes identified for the Pan-
American Juniors to be staged in Barbados, July 18-20.
Forde who struck gold in two consecutive Carifta Games will enter
the 5 000m and 10 000m events.
The
other athletes are Jennifer Chichester (1500m, 5 000m), Royston
Ross
(Discus, Shot) and Cleon Washington (Discus, Shot). The coach
is
Raymond Daw.
Forde was also named for the South American
Junior Championships
that come off on June 7-8 in Ecuador, but he will compete in the
1500m and 5 000m events. Chichester and Ross were also identified
for that team under manager Pamela Phillips.
AAA shortlist teams for intl meets (5/28/03)
The Council
of the Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana met
recently and shortlist teams to represent Guyana at several
international meets.
Teams have been shortlist
for the South American Juniors (SAJ)
slated for Ecuador on June 7 and 8, the Pan American Juniors (PAJ)
billed for Barbados from July 18 to 20, the South American Seniors
(SAS) scheduled for June 20 to 22 in Venezuela and the Central
American and Caribbean (CAC) Seniors billed for Grenada from July 4
to 6.
Those athletes shortlisted are (SAJ)
Jennifer Chichester, Clevland
Forde and Royston Ross.
(PAJ) Chichester, Forde,
Ross and Cleon Washington.
(SAS)
Michelle Vaughn, Nyota Peters, Andre Blackman, Tai Payne and
Clyde Gibson.
(CAC) Aliann
Pompey, Marian Burnette, Vaughn, Peters, Alec Henry,
Blackman,
Payne and Gibson.
Burnett breaks national record at Adidas Track Classic (5/22/03)
By Lawrie
Lockhart
ALMOST a month after
running her name onto the IAAF's top-10 world
list, middle-distance
ace Marian Burnett added another major
achievement to her
resume. She broke Guyana's
national record for the
women's
800m, pulling off a second national top mark in three months.
Braving a quality field of runners and frigid temperatures, the
diminutive half-miler returned an impressive personal best time of
2mins 02.29secs at the prestigious Adidas Oregon Track Classic in
Oregon last Saturday. Her time betters the 2:02.52 standard set by
former Guyanese track phenom, Lorrie Ann Adams almost ten years ago
in the USA.
Representing Guyana in an elite field comprising seven other
nationalities, Burnett turned in a late burst of power to place a
creditable fourth among the eleven starters. She followed Canadian
record-holder and Commonwealth Games runner-up Diane Cummins,
Ethiopia's Meskerem Legesse - whom Burnett had defeated during the
indoor season - and Suzy Walsham, two-time Australian 1500 champion.
The Guyanese completed the race ahead of top stars, including
Jamaica's Olympian and middle distance champion Mardrea Hyman,
Slovenian champion Brigitta Langerholc who was fourth at the 2000
Olympics and America's #2 and #3, Jen Toomey and Sasha Spencer,
respectively.
Burnett,
who had set a new Guyana indoor standard at the distance in
early
February, said she is pleased with her performance despite
making
a tactical error which resulted in her "getting boxed in until
the
final stretch."
"This is special for everyone, especially
those back in Guyana,"
the
Linden City-born athlete
offered with a wide smile, adding that "I
want to dedicate
it to the young runners and tell them to aim to do
and be
the best they can, `cause anything is possible if you believe
and
are determined."
"The weather was real bad for all of
us, but I guess I felt it more
given what I am accustomed
and then everyone was pushing and
shoving."
The new record-holder said, "I knew I had the potential, it was just
to be in the elite company and do my thing so I am here now, and
I'll continue pressing forward."
The meet boasted the year's most solid line-up of world champions,
Olympic medalist, as well as 2003 season world leaders.
Though the inclement weather had a strong impact on the track, it
turned out to live up to the promise of an exceptional lead-off to
the US
leg of the IAAF Grand Prix circuit.
Burnett and many of the other athletes will be returning to the track
this weekend at the Pre Fontaine Classic in Oregon for the second
meet of the Golden Spike Tour.
Local athletes cop four medals at Palo Seco Games (5/21/03)
Local athletes
- Andre Blackman, Jennifer Chichester and Cleveland
Forde - copped four medals at the just concluded Palo Seco Games in
Trinidad and Tobago.
According to reports, Chichester, a member
of the Rising Stars Track
Club,
secured a gold and a silver medal in the under-20 girls 800m
and
the ladies open 1500m respectively, while Guyana Police Force's
Blackman,
stormed to victory in the men's international 100m. Forde
on
the other hand settled for a bronze in the men's international
1500m.
In winning the gold medal, Blackman returned 10.68 seconds.
Melvin
Nero finished second in 10.86 seconds while Carlton
Elwin placed
third in 11.34 seconds.
Forde who is also a member of the Rising Stars T.C. registered his
personal best time for the distance. He clocked four minutes 08.91
seconds (4:08.91) in placing third behind Trinidadians Jules LaRode
(4:08.27) and Carlton Arthur (4:08.29) respectively.
Prior to the 4:08.91, Forde's previous best time was 4:17.
No times
were made available to Stabroek Sport for Chichester's gold
or silver medal winning performances.
Forde would like to thank GT&T for their contribution in making his
participation at the meet possible.
Guyanese women in world and U.S. top-10 lists
(5/20/03)
By Lawrie
Lockhart in Colorado
WITH the Central American and Caribbean (CAC)
and Pan-American
athletics championships looming, two of
Guyana's US-based female
athletes Marian Burnett and Aliann Pompey are expressing
satisfaction after etching their names in the International
Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) world top lists. They
are among several Caribbean stars,
who have registered top-10 marks
in
their respective events.
Burnett, an NCAA champion, holds
the #9 spot in the IAAF's top-10
outdoor 800m list comprising
several elite stars from across the
globe. Her 2:03.17 at
California's Mt. SAC Relays on April 19 was
recorded in her only half-mile event for the season, which is in
its
ninth week.
Among world stars in the list are British champion Natalie Lewis
(#1), Australian champion Tamsyn Lewis (#3), Tanya Blake of Malta
(#4), American Jen Toomey (#6) and Tatyana Rosalova of Kazakhstan
(#7).
The world top-10 listing is the
first such achievement for the
Louisiana-based student-athlete
who was overly elated when contacted
by Chronicle Sports.
"This is so much encouragement for me,
especially since I've
only had one race for the season, so far,"
Burnett said,
adding that studies and exams for "finals have kept me
busy
from further competitions." She had broken her Guyana indoor
800m record with 2:04.57 run in Florida,
early in February.
Commonwealth
Games champion, Pompey says she "is revving-up for
major
meets later in the year, including the `world outdoors'."
Like
Burnett, she too has had less competition of late, since
studies
and exams towards her Masters degree demanded `front burner'
attention.
During the indoor season, Pompey twice held the world's fastest 400m
time and recorded a new Guyana national record (52.17s) at the
distance.
The multiple
record-holder also completed the indoor season as the
IAAF
world #5 at the seldom run 500m. Early this month, she competed
in
Belem, Brazil, and placed 4th in the 400m. Her appearance there
required air travel for almost 16 hours, which could have been a
major factor in the bitter-sweet experience of getting off her first
race of the season.
"It
wasn't all that good, neither all that bad in the circumstances
but,
hey! it's a start, and I'll take it from there I am
confident
of better things in the ensuing weeks," she told Chronicle
Sports.
Meanwhile, young New York High School track phenomenon Jeavon
Benjamin is listed as the #2 athlete in the USA Track and Field's
(USATF) top-10 list at indoor 600m - another infrequently conducted
event.
Benjamin's
1:30.67 recorded on Feb. 22 at Madison Square Garden
stands as the year's 3rd best time by USATF-classified athletes, and
it is behind Katie Erdman's double top strike at 1:30.33 in early
March.
Burnett breaks national record!!! (5/19/03)
Former Sportswoman
of the Year and NCAA Champion Marian Burnett
broke the national 800m record this past weekend at the Adidas
Oregon Track Classic - Portland, OR (USA). She placed 4th in the
race
won by Diane Cummins. Burnett will compete at the Nike
Prefontaine
Classic this weekend.
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Official Result
Women
- 800 METRES
Pos Athlete Nat Mark
1 Cummins Diane CAN 2:00.79
2 Legesse Meskerem ETH 2:01.11
3 Walsham Suzy AUS 2:02.00
4 Burnett Marian GUY 2:02.29
5 Hyman Mardrea JAM 2:02.38
6 Langerholc Brigita SLO 2:02.82
7 Toomey Jennifer USA 2:02.88
8 Spencer Sasha USA 2:02.94
9 Hennigar Heather CAN 2:05.10
10 Morris Emily AUS 2:07.25
-- Fleschner Vickie USA DNF
Guyana last country
to sign up for Pan American Games (5/16/03)
- pre-registers
more than two dozen athletes and officials
(AP) Guyana pre-registered more than two dozen athletes and
officials for the 2003 Pan American Games, making it the last of 42
member countries to sign up, organizers said Wednesday.
The South American country pre-registered 21 athletes - 14 men and
seven women - in five sports for the games, which run from August 1-
17, said Nelson Ramirez, sports director of the organizing
committee.
Guyana also sent in the names of eight coaches and delegates,
Ramirez said.
The
42 countries have pre-registered 7,769 athletes and 2,443
trainers
and delegates, organizers said. The numbers do not include
judges
and referees.
The final list of athletes from each country
- due by July 17 - is
expected to be much lower because many
probably will not meet
qualification requirements to compete
in the 35 sports, officials
said.
The United States has the largest pre-registered list of athletes
and officials with 1,010, of which 713 are athletes.
The host country has pre-registered 764 people, including 562
athletes, officials said.
Meanwhile, organizers
have come under intense pressure from the
continental sporting
organization because of constant delays in
construction on
many venues.
Dominican officials have insisted they would
be ready to host the
games by May 30.
Green, Payne land gold in Trinidad (5/14/03)
Local track
stars Rawle Green and Tai Payne bagged four medals
between them at the just concluded Falcon Games in Tobago. Green
copped
two gold medals while Payne secured a gold and a bronze.
Bedford
All Stars Track Club athlete Green returned 10.61 seconds
and
21.42 seconds in winning the 100 and 200-metre races
respectively.
Payne (Atoms Track Club) on the other hand, captured gold in the 800-
metre with a time of one minute 55 seconds, but could do no better
than third in the 400-metre where he registered 48 seconds.
Payne returned home on Monday evening, while Green was expected back
home last night.
Police athletes dominate World Athletic Day C/ship (5/13/03)
Athletes
from the Guyana Police Force's Sports Club dominated the
Amateur Athle-tic Association of Guyana organised World Athletic Day
Track and Field Champion-ships, staged at the Wales Community
Development Centre on Sunday.
Of the 10
events contested under wet conditions, the Police athletes
captured
six while placing second in another two.
Upper Demerara Schools
(UDS) won three and Bygeval Multilateral one.
Winning for
Police were Stacyann Wilson, Anika Niles, Jennifer
Chichester
and Richard Staglon, while the club's relay team was
first
in the 800-metre medley relay.
Wilson won
the girls 1200m walk in seven minutes 40.6 seconds
(7:40.6) and the discus with a throw of 18.55 metres (18.55m).
Niles captured the 100m (12.6 sec) sprint title, while Chichester
romped home an
easy winner of the girls 1500-metre (4:59.8).
Satglon was
first among the boys in the 1500m walk (8:31.2).
The Police
relay team returned a time of 2:03.0 for the 800m medley
relay.
Charles Binning of Upper Demerara Schools crossed the finish line
first in the boys 100m sprint. He clocked 11.3 seconds.
Binning's club mate Shawn Sandiford returned 4:36.6 in winning the
boys 1500m, while the club's relay team clocked 3:42.5 in winning
the 4X400 relay. Police finished second in 3:50.2.
Bygeval's Royston Ross won the boys discus with a throw of 39.04
metres.
Keisha Lamaison (Police) and Coleen
Allicock (UDS) finished second
and third respectively in
the girls 100m, while Delmas Reddock and
Quacy Trotman, both
of Police, was second and third respectively in
the boys
sprint over the same distance.
Delcie Dick and Donna April,
both of New Amster-dam Track Club
(NATC) placed second and
third respectively in the girls 1500m,
while on the distaff
side, John Henry of the Guyana Road Runners
Club and Ricky
Kissoon of Rising Stars finished second and third
respectively.
Derwin Eastman (Police) and Collin Williams (UDS) was second and
third respectively in the boys 1500m walk, while Matoya Cort of
President's College and Marcia Dodson (Police) was second and third
respectively in the girls 1200m walk.
Stacy Jacobs (UDS) was second in the girls discus, while Cleon
Washing-ton and Ronald Payne, both of UDS was second and third
respectively in the boys discus. UDS also placed second to Police in
the 800m medley relay.
Meanwhile, in results
from the National Age Group Athletic
Championship which was
staged at the same venue on Sunday, Temica
Waterman of East
Georgetown GTU accumulated 1138 points to win the
girls 10
and 11 years of age group. Second was Carlisa Atkinson
(1054)
of Road Runners Club (RRC) and third Kimberley Doris (974) of
Dora Primary School.
Carlwyn Colins (Police) won the boys 10 and 11 years age group with
1413 points ahead of Andre Stephens (NATC) and Romeo Limberg (RRC)
who tallied 1387 and 1368 points respectively.
In the 12 and 13 years age group, Lanna Doris of Dora and Gavin
Noble of President's College won the girls and boys categories
respectively. Doris accumulated 1731 points while Noble tallied 1226.
Rhondell Alleyne (East G/town) and Monica Roberts
(Bygeval) was
second and third respectively in the girls
category, while Tyrone
Bovell and Kharry Lawrence occupied
the respective order among the
boys.
Vaughn lands second gold (5/7/03)
-Hampton
Games
By Michael DaSilva
Michelle Vaughn added the women's triple jump gold medal to the long
jump gold she won on the opening day of the just concluded Hampton
Games Meet in Trinidad, while other local athletes bagged three
silver and an equal number of bronze medals to Guyana's tally.
According to Atoms Athletic Club team coach/manager, Foster Sampson,
Vaughn who competed in windy conditions, hopped, skipped and jumped
12.54m to win the gold in the women's triple jump at the Hasley
Crawford Stadium, Trinidad on Sunday.
One day before that performance, Vaughn leaped
5.83m in winning the
women's long jump.
The other locals to win medals were Clyde Gibson who hopped, skipped
and jumped 14.41m to secure a silver medal in the men's triple jump,
Tai Payne who clocked one minute 53.41 seconds for a silver medal in
the men's 80m, Keith Roberts who placed second in the men's 200 and
third in the men's 100m and Corwin Baggot who placed third in both
the men's triple and long jumps.
Vaughn, Gibson and Payne are all members of the Atoms club, while
Roberts and Baggot hail from the Royal Youth Movement.
Bedford All Stars' Rawle Green who also participated in the meet,
had to settle for fourth in both the men's 100 and 200 metres events.
According to Sampson, the jump athletes had to jump against some
heavy wind conditions which also prevented the 100 metre athletes
from recording better times.
Asked for
his opinion on the locals' performance, Sampson said "It
was
not as excellent as I was looking for, but I have to be
satisfied
with what they did. The wind really affected them, but
other
than that I think the competition was good for me and a good
warm
up for the athletes since there are lots of competitions left
for
the year, but they (athletes) are still far off and will have to
do a lot more work".
According to Sampson, Vaughn
and Gibson returned home on Monday
night, while Green and
Payne have remained in Trinidad to continue
training for this weekend's falcon Games in Tobago.
Both Vaughn
and Gibson were selected for the Falcon Games, but
because
no jump events are scheduled for the two-day meet, the two
returned
home.
Vaughn leaps to Hampton gold (5/5/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Atoms Athletic Club's
Michelle Vaughn captured a gold medal in the
women's long
jump event on the opening day (Saturday) of the 2003
Hampton
Games in Trinidad.
According to reports from Trinidad, Vaughn leaped 5.83m in winning
the event ahead of 2003 Carifta Games double gold medalist,
Trinidad's Rhonda Watkins who placed second with a 5.64m leap.
There were no reports about Vaughn's seven other club mates that
participated in the meet which was scheduled to conclude yesterday,
neither was there any word about Bedford All Stars' top sprinter
Rawl Green.
Stabroek Sport has learnt that
several other athletes from other
clubs went to Trinidad
over the weekend to participate in the
Hampton Games, but
their participation were not sanctioned by the
Amateur Athletic
Association of Guyana (AAA), whose president Claude
Blackmoore
said only nine local athletes (eight from Atoms and
Green)
were given permission to participate at the Trinidad meet.
The
nine are being managed and coached by Atoms' head coach Foster
Sampson.
Blackmoore said Vaughn and two of her club mates, Tai Payne and
Clyde Gibson, along with Green will stay on in Trinidad to train for
this weekend's Falcon Games which is billed for Tobago.
Blackmoore said
his association has identified the four athletes
along with
others, for developmental training leading up to the
Central
American and Caribbean Senior Track and Field Championship,
billed
for Grenada from July 4-7, as well as the Pan American Games
slated for Santo Domingo in August.
Meanwhile, the AAA will observe World Athletic Day on Sunday with a
junior meet, billed for the Wales Community Centre ground from 11am.
Six events
each are carded for junior boys and a similar number for
junior
girls.
Only Atoms Athletic Club authorised AAAG (5/1/03)
THE Amateur
Athletic Association of Guyana (AAAG), in a release
yesterday, said that it has been brought to their attention that a
number of athletes and in particular one of their affiliated clubs -
The Royal Youth Movement - have been making approaches in person and
by way of letter to individuals and businesses, seeking funding,
purportedly to send athletes to Trinidad and Tobago for the Hampton
International Games.
The only affiliated
club, which has received an official invitation
from the
Hampton Athletic Club for the 2003 Hampton International
Games,
is the Atoms Athletic Club.
This club (Atoms) has received
the necessary permission in accordance
with IAAF rules.
The Association would like all persons or businesses who have
received any such requests to disregard same.
Guyana April 2003 Track and Field News
Randy Lee had mixed results at Penn Relays (4/28/03)
Carroll was
the only Washington area team to qualify for the
championships in two events. However, Derrick Brinkley, Randy Lee
and Michael Taylor run on both the 4x400 and the 4x800, so
the team
decided to concentrate on the 4x400, which also
included Luis
Garcia. The Lions were running in fifth place
when Taylor and Lee
fumbled the exchange. Lee, who had run
one of the three fastest
splits (47.30) in the qualifying
round, tried to make up ground but
the team finished eighth
in 3:20.26.
"The kids deserve the national exposure,"
Carroll Coach Mark Landry
said. "I just told them, no matter
what happens here, it's just
icing on the cake, because they
made it to the championship."
The Carroll boys' 4x800
relay team (Derrick Brinkley, Bardell Brown,
Michael Taylor
and Randy Lee) was virtually unchallenged in its heat
but
still ran 7:58.18, the fifth-fastest qualifying time.
"We
could've gone a lot faster, but we need to find someone to push
us,"
Taylor said. "But we made some believers today."
Jessica Defreitas claim 3rd in Penn Relays Long Jump (4/28/03)
Georgia Tech
Senior Jessica Defreitas placed 3rd in the college long
jump championship at this weekend's Penn Relays.
Event 295, Thursday, 4:00 pm
CW Long Jump
1 6.37 / 20'10.75 Chelsea Hammond South Carolina
2 6.31w / 20'08.50 Cadriesha Akinfe St. Augustine's
2 6.29 / 20'07.75 Jessica DeFreitas Georgia Tech
3
6.17w / 20'03.00 Ychlindria Spears Texas
4 6.14w / 20'01.75
Kemesha Whitmire South Carolina
5 6.12 / 20'01.00 Simidele
Adeagbo Kentucky
Brian Fraser placed 10th in the college
triple jump with a leap of
48ft 1/4in.
Burnett returns to winners row (4/22/03)
By Lawrie
Lockhart in California
IN her maiden competition representing Guyana on U.S. soil, middle
distance
champion Marian Burnett powered to an emphatic victory in
the
Women's Invitational 800m event at last weekend's prestigious Mt.
SAC Relays championships.
The diminutive athlete
exploded on the tracks of the four-day meet in
California amidst a talented field of half-milers to record her
season best time of 2:03.17. Though it was her first outdoor 800m for
the year, Burnett already had overall season-leading 2:04 runs during
the indoor season.
She chalked up another
victory against Butler's Becky Lyne, 2000 NCAA
800m title-holder Chantee Earl and Tamika Williams of the Nike Farm
Team, 2003 silver medallist Nicole Cook of Tennessee, season leader
Tiffany Burgess of California and Puerto Rican Sandra Moya of Santa
Monica TC.
The victory came as "good
news" for Burnett and her coach Mark
Elliott as she comes
off a month-long lay-off recuperating from
physical injuries
and partial psychological anguish since her
surprising loss
at the national collegiate indoor championships a
month ago
in Arkansas.
Elliott said, "She is back to her smart, tactical, powerful running
self,' while describing Burnett's performance.
In separate comments both Burnett and Elliott felt that she could
have dipped into the "2:02
or better timing" had she "run through the
tape and desist from constantly looking at the clocks."
"It was wonderful to see her stamp such authority over the other
bigger runners, however we have some work to do for future clashes,"
Elliott opined.
His pride overflowed
onto one of Burnett's former Lady Tigers team-
mates, Grenada-born
Neisha Bernard-Thomas who made a big improvement
in reducing
her personal best by almost two seconds to 2:04.87
placing
seventh in the race. Bernard-Thomas now carries the LSU
mantle
passed from Burnett.
Burnett's win came in her first post-collegiate
half-mile as she has
effectively concluded her collegiate
athletics eligibility, but will
continue her preparations
for elite meets later this year, under the
tutelage of Elliott.
The Louisiana State University's distance coach had guided her to top-
three placing in five of six conference and national individual and
relay races she contested, resulting in a national title, two SEC
champion titles, three All-American awards and two NCAA/SEC `rings'
during the two indoor seasons she represented her college, LSU.
The Guyanese student-athlete is expected to compete in a few more
elite meets in the U.S.A. in the ensuing weeks, before venturing to
Europe for training and competitions at the end of the current
academic semester. Last year, Burnett used a similar stint in
Germany, France and Switzerland to reduce her personal best (PB) time
at 800m, prior to competing at the Commonwealth Games in England
where she reached the semifinals.
Meanwhile,
Burnett was one of two national collegiate sports
champions
in a list of 178 LSU students to be honored with an
excellence,
leadership, dedication medallion for maintaining a GPA
above
3.0.
The honors were bestowed at an Academic Excellence
Gala hosted by
Cox Communications, Cox Sports Television
and the Tiger Athletic
Foundation.
Earlier in the year, she was also a recipient of the Athletic
Director's Cup (plaque) given for similar accomplishments to student-
athletes of the 30 000-plus LSU student population.
Davy wins Atlantic Sun Belt title (4/22/03)
Jacksonville
University Junior Safia Davy broke her own conferenc
record in winning the 2003 Atlantic Sun Belt Conference 100m Hurdles
in a Regional Qualifying time of 13.64.
She
also placed 4th in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 1:04.54.
Brian Fraser win ACC title (4/22/03)
Congrats
to Georgia Tech Senior Brian Fraser on winning the 2003 ACC
triple title. His leap of 15.23m (49ft 11.75in)was a NCAA Regional
Qualifying mark. Fraser also placed 9th in the Long Jump.
Flash Results, Inc.
Atlantic Coast Conference
- 4/18/2003 to 4/19/2003
Outdoor Championships
NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Event 36 Men Triple Jump
==================================================
NCAA Reg:
14.94m
===================================================
Finals
1 Brian Fraser
SR Georgia Tech 15.23m*
2 Willie Johnson
SO Florida State 15.17m*
3 Kai Maull
SR Clemson 15.15m*
4 Blair Woodward
North Carolina 15.12m*
5 Rafeeq Curry FR
Florida State 14.91m
6 Mark Curry
SR North Carolina 14.68m
7 Terrance McDaniel JR Clemson
14.66m
8 Spencer Irvine
JR Georgia Tech 14.37m
Also competing was Senior Jessica Defreitas, she finished 4th in the
Long Jump with a Regional Qualifying mark of 6.18m (19ft 7in). She
also placed 5th in the triple jump with a mark of 12.08m (39ft
7.75m) and 8th in the 100m dash (12.07).
Finals
1 Kim Jones
SR Florida State 6.46m*
2 Gisele Oliviera
SO Clemson 6.26m*
3 Kiamesha Otey
SR Virginia 6.18m*
4 Jessica DeFreitas SR Georgia
Tech 5.97m*
5 LaShawn Gee
SR North Carolina 5.94m*
6 Caroline Harvey
JR Virginia 5.85m
7 Cassy Richards
SO Wake Forest 5.79m
8 Chaunte Howard
FR Georgia Tech 5.78m
Chichester grabs silver for Guyana (4/22/03)
2003 Carifta
Games
By Ezra Stuart
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Petite Guyanese Jennifer Chichester gave
another delightful display of distance running to capture the silver
medal in the Girls Open 3 000 metres race on the second day of the
32nd Carifta Games athletics championship at the Hasely Crawford
Stadium here Sunday night.
Chichester, fresh from a bronze in Under-17 Girls 1500 metres on
Saturday, ran with grit and determination to finish a commendable
second behind Antigua's long
distance queen, Janill Williams, who
has dominated this event ever since first winning it as a 11-year-
old in Barbados in 1997.
The 14-year-old
Guyana Police Force club athlete, who hails from
West Demerara,
ran barefooted but with steely resolve against her
older opponents, leading the field for most of the race.
She went on to clock 10 minutes, 14.08 seconds while Williams, who
overtook her just after hearing the bell for the final lap, crossed
the line in 10.12.32 minutes.
Chichester, who
has benefited from competition exposure here in
Trinidad and Tobago, has been Guyana's only medallist after two days
of competition, with a silver and a bronze.
Jamaican Lorain McKenzie (10:15.47) collected the bronze medal on a
day in which her compatriots again dominated most of the events to
push their medal haul to a whopping 40, comprising 23 gold, 10
silver and seven bronze.
Host country
Trinidad and Tobago are second in the medal table with
five
gold, nine silver and seven bronze for a total of 21 while
Grenada
are third with three gold, three silver and five silver in
their
11 medals.
Jamaica were in a class above the opposition
as they swept all four
4x100-metre relays, easily winning
the Boys' and Girls' Under-17 as
well as Under-20 events.
Apart from Chichester's
silver medal performance, competitors from
Guyana had little else to celebrate with most of them failing to
qualify for the final of their events.
In the Boys' Under-17 3 000 metres, Guyanese Ricky Kissoon was
outclassed as he finished seventh in 10:22.61 minutes in a race won
by Grenadian Neilon Joseph in nine minutes, 20.50 seconds.
Another Guyanese, Rodwell Downer, was the eighth qualifier for the
final of yesterday's Under-17 Boys' 800 metres with a time of
2:02.09 minutes but he will have to run a lot faster to get near the
Jamaican pair of Kemar Ellis (1:58.96) and Melvin Weller (1:59.05),
who had the two fastest qualifying times.
David Younge, the second Guyanese in this event, failed to advance
to the final after clocking 2:09.81 in his preliminary run.
Donna April also failed to qualify for the final of the Under-17
Girls' 800 metres after clocking 2:24.42 minutes in the
preliminaries.
There was some encouraging news
in the Under-17 Girls' 200 metres
with Dianne Munroe advancing
tonight after returning the fifth-
fastest qualifying time
of 24.98 seconds.
The two Guyanese competitors in the
Under-17 Boys' 200 metres, Quacy
Trotman and Delmas Reddock
both failed to make it to the final.
Trotman was fifth
in his heat with a time of 22.91 seconds while
Reddock was
sixth in his heat in a slow time of 24.29 seconds
Forde wins gold (4/22/03)
PORT OF SPAIN
- Guyana's Cleveland Forde retained his title as the
best junior distance runner in the Caribbean when he won the 5 000
metres at the 32nd Carifta Games at the Hasely Crawford Stadium here
for the second consecutive year, last night.
Forde, who led for most of the race, was forced to sprint home in
the last 50 metres to stave off a challenge from Jamaican Jason
Elleson.
The slimly built Forde won
in a time of 15 minutes 27.42 seconds
from the fast-finishing
Elleson, who clocked 15 minutes, 31.64
seconds.
Another Jamaican Keron Fairweather, was third in a time of 16
minutes 14.24 seconds.
Burnett wins first race (4/21/03)
2002 NCAA
800m Champion Marian Burnett won her first post collegiate
half mile in an impressive 2:03.17. Burnett said she is gearing up
for the World Championship this summer and hope to be overseas for
the rest of the season to ensure that Paris will be a successful
trip. It a good early season time which is less than a second behind
the national record of 2:02.52 set by Lori-Ann Adams.
Finals
1 Marian Burnett
Unattached 2:03.17
2 Becky Lyne
Butler 2:03.84
3 Nicole Cook
Tennessee 2:04.33
4 Tamika Williams
Nike Farm Team 2:04.43
5 Chantee Earl
Nike Farm Team 2:04.48
6 Tiffany Burgess U C L A
2:04.62
7 Neisha Bernard-Thomas
Louisiana State 2:04.82
8 Sandra Moya
Santa Monica TC 2:04.99
9 Linetta Wilson South
Bay TC 2:06.00
-- Aimee Teteris Rice
DNF
Randy Lee wins again
Hurdler Peresta
Focuses, Takes 2
By Kynan W.
Kelly
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 20, 2003; Page D10
Carroll's 4x800 (Bardell Brown, Derrick Brinkley, Mike Thomas, Randy
Lee) got a final tuneup for next weekend's Penn Relays, winning in 8
minutes 6.10 seconds over C.H. Flowers (8:12.55). Lee also won the
400 in 48.96 after surviving a charge around the final turn from
runner-up C.H. Flowers's Daryl Young (49.19). Brinkley cruised to
victory in the 800 (1:58.64).
Southern
senior Andrew Peresta has some advice from sprinting legend
Carl
Lewis to thank for his wins in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles
at
yesterday's Jaguar Invitational at C.H. Flowers.
Peresta
matched up in both events against Suitland senior Deyon
Williams, the reigning Maryland 4A champion in the 300 hurdles.
However, Peresta, who won last year's Class 2A championship in the
400 dash, did not dwell on the competition as he captured the 110 in
14.55 seconds and the 400 in 55.70.
"We went to a clinic at the Nike Indoor [Championships] last month,
and Carl Lewis said, {grv}'No matter what, focus on your own
race,' " said Peresta, who tripped over the final hurdle in the 400
hurdles at last year's meet. "I knew [Williams] was a state
champion, but I had to pay attention to my own race."
Williams was second in the 110 (14.62) and third in the 400 (57.80)
after runner-up Keith Anderson (57.42) of High Point. He also won
the
high jump, clearing 6 feet 4 inches.
Peresta was runner-up
in the 2A/1A championship 55 hurdles despite
running the
fastest preliminary (7.50), and also was runner-up
(40.47)
at last year's state meet in the 300 hurdles for the 2A
champions.
As a natural 400 runner, however, this is his first year
running
the 110, so he watched Williams in the preliminaries in that
event.
"I knew he didn't get out of the blocks [in the 110] but he was
almost flawless over the hurdles, so I knew I had to just explode
out," Peresta said.
Bullis's
Rashaad Woodard doubled in the 100 (10.85) and 200 (22.05).
The
senior, who earned all-American honors in the 60 at the Nike
Indoor
Championships, is gearing up in an attempt to qualify for the
U.S. junior world team that will compete in Barbados this summer.
Carroll's 4x800 (Bardell Brown, Derrick Brinkley, Mike Thomas, Randy
Lee) got a final tuneup for next weekend's Penn Relays, winning in 8
minutes 6.10 seconds over C.H. Flowers (8:12.55). Lee also won the
400 in 48.96 after surviving a charge around the final turn from
runner-up C.H. Flowers's Daryl Young (49.19). Brinkley cruised to
victory in the 800 (1:58.64).
C.H.
Flowers's 4x400 (Young, Afolabi Aromire, Eric Lawson and Kevin
Davis)
won by five-hundredths of a second as Davis, a freshman,
fought
down the homestretch on the anchor leg with Mergenthaler, who
overcame
a 30-meter gap on the backstretch.
Atholton senior Lindsay
Grigoriev won the shot put (44-11/2) and the
discus (141-5);
Southern's Ashley Riggs was second in both events.
Bowie senior Leif Crago also doubled in the discus (162-8) and shot
put (55-1).
C.H.
Flowers junior Tiffany Nesfield, the 4A/3A state hurdle
champion,
won the 100 hurdles (14.29) and 400 hurdles (1:04.10).
Bronze for Chichester, Forde fourth (4/21/03)
2003 Carifta Games
By Ezra Stuart
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - Jennifer Chichester got Guyana's lone
medal on
the opening day of the 32nd Carifta Games athletics
championship
when she took the bronze in the Under-17 Girls 1500
metres
event at the Hasely Crawford Stadium here on Saturday.
Chichester placed third with a time of four minutes, 48.06 seconds,
finishing behind gold medallist Jodran Richards of Jamaica, who
clocked 4:37.72 minutes and Trinidadian Pilar McShine (4:38.67).
The biggest disappointment of the day for Guyana came in the Under-
20 boys 1500 metres when Cleveland Forde failed to medal.
The diminutive Forde was fourth in four minutes, 04.44 seconds as
Trinidadian Carlan Arthur (4:03.29), Bahamian Alex Sawyer (4:03.32)
and St Lucian Ran Joseph (4:03.81) took the gold, silver and bronze
respectively.
Rodwell Downer also narrowly
failed to emulate Chichester in the
Under-17 boys 1500 metres when he finished fourth in the final with
a time of 4:19.88 minutes.
Grenadian
Neilon Joseph (4:13.52) got the gold with Barbadian
Roderick
Rock (4:15.69) taking the silver and Jamaican Robert Watson
(4:17.00)
holding off Downer for the bronze.
In the Under-17 girls
100 metres, Guyanese Dianne Munroe failed to
qualify among
the eight finalists as her time of 12.31 seconds in
the preliminaries,
was the 10th fastest overall.
Jamaica's Samantha Henry won this event in 11.71 seconds from
Tamara
Rigby of the
Bahamas who clocked 11.79 seconds.
In the Under-17 boys 100 metres, Guyana's duo of Quacy Trotman
(11.61) and Delmas Reddock (11.90) had two of the slowest times -
18th and 20th respectively - among the 21 athletes who contested the
preliminaries.
Jamaica
had a 1-2 finish in this event, courtesy Renaldo Rose (10.65
seconds)
and Jerraine Downie (10.72) with Barbadian Ramon Gittens
(10.92)
gaining the bronze.
Another Guyanese, Serma Mentore, also
failed to advance to the final
of the Under-17 girls 400
metres when she clocked one minute, 04.74
seconds in her
heat.
Jamaica's Annabella Reid won the event in 53.81 seconds from her
compatriot Sonita Sutherland (53.90).
Guyana's Ronald Payne was seventh in the boys Under-17 Shot Put
with
a
best effort of 12.48 metres. Dominican Tyron Benjamin (15.17
metres)
was a clear winner from Grenadian Deon Charles (14.56) and
Barbadian
Ramon Harewood (13.71).
Guyana also failed to make an impact in the Under-20 boys discus
with Royston Ross placing ninth with a distance of 38.87 metres and
Cleon Washington coming 11th with his best effort being 38.75 metres.
Eric Matthias of The British Virgin Islands won this event with a
throw of 55.20 metres, setting a new Carifta record.
Jamaica dominated proceedings on the opening day, capturing six gold
medals among the men and seven in the women's events while host
country Trinidad and Tobago got two gold medals from their men and
another from their girls.
Jamaica swept the top two places in the Under-20 girls 100 metres
with Kerron Stewart (11.41) and Sherone Simpson (11.44) sprinting
home from Trinidadian Wanda Hutson (11.68).
However, Trinidadian sprint sensation Darrel Brown sent home his
compatriots with smiles on their faces with a record-run of 10.20
seconds in the Under-20 boys 100 metres, erasing his own mark of
10.22 seconds.
For some, those smiles
turned to sadness as Brown had to be
stretchered off the
field with a strain to his quadriceps and it is
now uncertain
whether the clash between himself and Jamaica's Usain
Bolt
in 200 metres may materialise.
Another record was shattered
in the Under-20 boys 400 metres when
Bolt ran a blistering
46.35 seconds, to eclipse Trinidadian Damion
Barry's 46.51
seconds which was set at the 2001 Games.
Jamaica's MC Laughlin won the Under-20 girls 400 metres in 52.57
seconds from Tiandra Ponteen of St Kitts/Nevis (52.76) while
Shernelle Nicholls gave Barbados their only gold medal with a
winning throw of 41.77 metres in the Under-20 girls discus.
Chichester snatches bronze at Carifta (4/20/03)
- Forde places
fourth in 1500m
By Orin Davidson
in Trinidad and Tobago
Tiny Jennifer Chichester came up big
for Guyana on Saturday night to
win a bronze medal while
Cleveland Forde and Rodwell Downer ran their
best ever 1500
metres races at the 2003 Junior Carifta Games here at
the
National Stadium.
In her first ever Carifta Games, Chichester
led the field for most of
the girls under-17 1500 metres
event but was overtaken in the final
straight and held on
for third place and Guyana's lone medal on the
opening day.
The 14-year-old West Demerara competitor was coming off top three
finishes in two recent international competitions in Trinidad and
Tobago and maintained her fine record in only her first year of
overseas exposure.
"I feel good about the race, it was a hard race but the other girls
were faster at the end," Chichester told Stabroek
Sports.
The Guyana Police force
club member explained that she was not
nervous before the
race although most of her opponents were much
older and went
on to clock a personal best four minutes 48.06 seconds.
She
also expressed confidence of doing well in 3000 metres open even
despite hurting her left ankle in her pursuit of success in the 1500,
scheduled for last night. The event was won by Jodran Richards of
Jamaica in 4:37.72 with Pilar McShine of Trinidad and Tobago second.
Two races
after Chichester's inspiring run, Forde did likewise in
narrowly missing his first international medal in the 1500 metres
by
placing fourth. A brave bid for the gold was put on by
the defending
Carifta 5000 metres champion who with 400 metres
to go, successfully
challenged Bahamaian Alex Sawyer for
the lead which he maintained for
the next 250 metres. But
the effort proved too much and Forde faded
in the final 50
when a trio of runners eased past him in a close
finish.
Forde's effort though was by far his personal best in the 1500 metres
for which he recorded 4:04.44 and bettered his performance last year
in the Bahamas staged games where he placed seventh in 4:17.00.
"I came out too early which is why I did not have anything left for
the finish," the 5000 metres specialist stated. "I will make up the
5000," he added.
The
gold medal was won by Carlan Arthur of Trinidad and Tobago in
4:03.29 who edged Sawyer into second place in
4.03.32 while Joseph
Ran of St Lucia was third in 4:.81.
Forde who is much more comfortable in the longer races will defend
his 5000m crown tonight in one of the feature races and is coming off
two silver medal winning performances in the Central American and
Caribbean Championships in 5000 and 10000 races in November.
Downer also competing in his Carifta Games ran well for a deserved
fourth finish in the boys Under-17 1500m. He clocked 4:19.88 , a
personal best effort and expects to do better in the 800m tonight, an
event he says he is stronger in.
Diane
Munroe will give Guyana
another chance at a medal in the girls
200 metres final after she qualified yesterday morning from the
semifinals in a personal best 24.98 seconds.
Other
Guyanese athletes in action on the opening day were Munroe who
clocked
12.31s in the girls under-17 100m but did not qualify for the
final,
Ronald Payne who was 7th (12.48m) in the boys under-17 shot
putt,
Royston Ross 11th (38.75M) in the boys under-20 discus, Serna
Mentore
11th (1:04.74) in the girls under-17 400m and Quacy Trotman
18th (11.61) boys under-17 100m.
Saturday's
proceedings were witnessed by a large vocal crowd which
celebrated
another gold medal for Trinidad's celebrated sprinter and
world
junior champion Darrell Browne who cruised to victory in the
Under-20
100m final. He clocked 10.20s for a new meet record but was
stretchered
off the track immediately afterwards with a thigh muscle
strain.
Browne held the previous record of 10.22 set last year.
Another
junior world champion was on show Saturday night in Jamaican
Usain
Bolt who flashed to victory in the under-20 boys 400m, clocking
46.35s
for a new meet record.
Bolt, the world under-17 400m champion
helped Jamaica cash in with
seven golds on the opening day for a total of 11 medals to lead the
table.
AAAG name 18 for Carifta games (4/17/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
An 18-member contingent
will represent Guyana
at this year's Junior
Carifta
Games, slated for Trinidad and Tobago from April 19-21. The
team which comprises 15 athletes and three officials, are expected
to leave Guyana for Trinidad today.
President of the Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAA) Claude
Blackmore told Stabroek Sport yesterday he was very excited with the
team that was selected by the AAA's Council members, but regretted
that a relay team could not have been mustered.
Blackmore said he is expecting a great lot from defending 5000-metre
champion Clevland Forde, Donna April and Rodwell Downer.
April has been selected to contest the under-17 girls 800-metre,
while Downer has been selected for the under-17 boys 800 and 1500-
metre events.
Forde ran a blistering 5000m
on Sunday when the New Amsterdam Track
Club (NATC) staged
their Open Invitational Meet at the Rose Hall
Canje ground.
At that meet, Forde, who will contest the 1500 and 5000-metre events
in Trinidad, returned four
minutes 19.7 seconds in winning the 1500m
and 15 minutes 55.9 seconds for the 5000m.
April,
who did not have anyone to compete against on Sunday,
contested
the men's 800-metres and returned two minutes 30.5 seconds
for
the event.
Downer on the other hand placed third to Forde
in the men's 1500m
and second to Kerlis Kendall in the men's
800m.
Blackmore said he is pinning his hopes on Ricky Kissoon
who hails
from the North West Region and is not affiliated
to any club in
Georgetown or elsewhere.
Kissoon who has been selected for the under-17 boys 3000-metre,
contested the men's 5000-metre on Sunday because there were no other
3000-metre athletes.
According
to Blackmore, Kissoon was spotted by Guyana Teachers Union
executive
member Shirley Hooper, who arranged for him to be
transferred
to Dolphin Secondary School in Georgetown.
The other team members are: (Girls U-17) Dianne Munroe (100m, 200m),
Serma Mentore (400m) and Jennifer Chichester (1500m, 3000m).
(Boys U-17) Quacy Trotman and Delmas Reddock (100m 200m), Ronald
Payne (shot put), David Younge (800m) and Kendingo Thomas (long
jump). (Girls U-20) Ashanti Scott (1500m and 3000m). (Boys U-20)
Royston Ross and Cleon Washington (shot put and discus).
Lyndon Wilson and Marvis David will accompany the team as coach and
assistant coach respectively while Pamela Phillips is the team's
manager/chaperone.
Forde sensational as Carifta hopefuls impress (4/15/03)
By Michael
DaSilva
Local Carifta Games
hopefuls turned in some impressive performances
on Sunday
at the New Amsterdam Track Club's Open Invitational Track
and
Field Meet, at the Rose Hall Canje ground, but of the lot,
Clevland
Forde was sensational.
Forde, who participated in the men's
1500 and 5000-metre races, won
both events in convincing
fashion and was by far the pick of the
athletes on show.
Forde, who did not participate in the Amateur Athletic Association
of Guyana's (AAA) National Championships at the Uitvlugt Community
Centre ground last month due to injury, clocked four minutes 19.7
seconds in winning the 1500m and 15 minutes 55.9 seconds for the
5000m.
In the latter,
Forde lapped the other five participants twice during
the
course of the event and powered to victory with a blistering run
in the final 100 metres.
Royal Youth Movement's (RYM)
Clevland Thomas placed second in the
men's 5000-metre. He
returned 18 minutes 55.7 seconds, while David
Daniels, also
of RYM clocked 19 minutes 09.9 seconds for third.
Corentyne's
Kerlis Kendall (4:26.1) placed second in the men's 1500-
metre
while Rodwell Downer finished third.
Forde is among a list
of athletes short-listed by the AAA for
possible selection
to represent Guyana at the Carifta Games, slated
for Trinidad and Tobago this weekend. However, the AAA in a release
had stated that Forde would have to undergo a medical examination
and participate in Sunday's meet and before he could gain
selection
for the Easter weekend Games.
The release had stated that selection of the final team would depend
on performance and the finance available.
Ricky Kissoon who was on the AAA's short-list for the boys 3000-
metre, contested Sunday's 5000-metre because he was the only
registered athlete present for that event (3000m). He managed fifth.
Forde made his intention known from the start by positioning himself
at the head of affairs for the first 200 metres, and after
completing six laps around the 300-metre circuit, he had already
overtaken the entire opposition.
With three
laps remaining for the defending Carifta 5000-metre
champion
lengthened his strides and subsequently overtook the field
for
a second time before storming to victory.
Donna April, another
Carifta hopeful showed some grit when she
contested the men's
800-metre, and while she did not finish among
the top three,
returned a reasonable two minutes 30.5 seconds. There
were
no other participants for the women's 800m.
The men's version
was won by Corentyne's Carlos Kendall in two
minutes 09.1
seconds, while Downer, also of Corentyne and a Carifta
hopeful,
placed second in two minutes 09.3 seconds, three seconds
faster
than David Younge who clocked two minutes 12.3 seconds for
third.
Jennifer Chichester who has been short-listed for the under-17 girls
1500 and 3000-metre events was beaten in both events by NATC's
Delsie Dick who returned five minutes 17.4 seconds for the 1500-
metre and 11 minutes 18.7 seconds for the 3000-metre.
Chichester placed second (5:18.2) in the 1500-metre and third
(11:23.3) in the 3000-metre.
Leanne Doris of RYM was third (5:18.6) in the women's 1500m and
second (22.9) in the 3000m.
Dianne Munroe who
has been short-listed for the under-17 girls 100
and 200-metre
races, won both events. She clocked 12 seconds flat
for the
100-metre and 26 seconds for the 200m.
Ruschelle Coates placed
second in the 100m in a time of 12.4
seconds, while Robyne
Allen (12.5 sec) was third. Allen however
turned the tables
on Coates in the 200m when she finished second
(26.5 sec).
Coates returned 27.2 seconds.
Keith Roberts scored a double
by winning the men's 100 and 400-mere
races. He clocked 10.4
seconds for the 100m and 54.1 seconds for the
400m.
Carlton Babb (10.8) and Alex Greavesande (11.4) was second and third
respectively in the 100m, while Delon Clarke (54.6), placed second
in the 400m and Jermain Johnson (55) third.
Babb returned 23.3 seconds in winning the men's 200-metre from
Trelon Garraway and Greavesande respectively,
The women's 400-metre event was won by Carifta hopeful Serma Mentore
in 1:02.9. Second was Brenatta Henry (1:03.4) and third Velisha
Easton (1:03.8).
Royston Ross won the men's
shot put with a throw of 12.25 metres.
second was Cleon Washington
(12.21m) and third Ronald Payne
(10.16m). All three are Junior
Carifta hopefuls.
The women's javelin was won by Nesia Bamfield
(27.0m). Second was
Erica Forte (16.60m) and third Lisa Barrow
(12.90m).
Forde demolishes field in 5000 metres
NATC Invitational meet
By Isaiah Chappelle
JUNIOR Sportsman-of-the-Year
Cleveland Forde confirmed his place as
the number one choice for Guyana's Carifta Games team, but Jennifer
Chichester
suffered a major upset from Delcie Dick at the New
Amsterdam Track Club (NATC) Invitational meet at Rose Hall Estate
Community
Centre ground, Sunday.
Forde more than convincingly demolished the field in the 5 000
metres Men's race, that effectively
climaxed the exciting, but
poorly attended meet.
By the fifth lap, Forde lapped the three other top placers and
did
it again before he wrapped up the race in 15 minutes 55.9 seconds.
One competitor was lapped three times in the
process.
Three minutes later, Cleveland Thomas of Royal Youth Movement ran in
second in 18:55.7 minutes, Davionan
Daniels of Road Runner was third
(19:09.9), Jimel Trotman of President's College fourth (19:14.9).
Running in fifth
was Carifta Games Under-17 selectee Ricky Kissoon
for the 3000-metre event, in 19:20.1 minutes. He was also the only
entrant
for the 3 000-metre Men's event.
Forde set his mark in the second track event of the day, easily
taking the 1500-metre
Men's in four minutes 19.7 seconds.
Karlis Kendall of Corentyne finished second in 4:26.1 minutes,
Rodwell Downer
(Corentyne) third (4:37.8) and Cleveland Thomas
(Royal) fourth.
But it was Dick of NATC, who started the day hot,
disposing of
Chichester in the first track event of the day, the 1500-metre
Women's race, clocking five minutes 17.4
seconds. The Carifta Games
1500 and 3 000 selectee finished second in 5:18.2 seconds, Leanna
Doris (Royal) third (5:18.6
minutes), and Ashanti Scott (Carifta
Games Under-20 selectee for the 1500 event) fourth (5:32).
Then in the 3000-metre
Women's race, Dick held on to Chichester who
led the race. About 150 metres from the finish line, Dick pulled
away,
easily leaving Chichester behind. The bunch, about 30 metres
behind, caught up with Chichester who had to summon all she
had to
eventually place third.
Leanna Doris (Royal) was second in 11:22.9 minutes, Chichester third
(11:23.3)
and Malika Morgan (Rising Star) fourth (11:23.6).
Under-17 Carifta Games selectee Dianne Munroe won both her events,
the 100 metres Women's in 12 seconds flat and the 200 metres in 26
seconds flat.
Rushell Coates (Royal) was
second (12.4 seconds) in the 100 metres,
Robyne Alleyne third and La Toya Roberts fourth, while Alleyne
(Royal) was
second in the 200 metes (26.5), Coates third and Nasi
Bamfield fourth.
Serma Mentore, another Carifta Games selectee,
was a clear winner in
her event, the 400 metres Women's in 1:02.9 minutes, with Brunetta
Henry (Royal) second (1:03.4),
Velisha Easton (Royal) third and
Rondell Alleyne fourth.
National senior sprinter Keith Roberts (Royal) easily
won the 100
metres Men's dash in 10.4 seconds, with Carlton Babb (Atoms) running
in second in 10.8 and Alex Gravesande
(Royal) third (11.4).
Roberts returned to power from behind in capturing the 400 metres
Men's race in 54.1 seconds,
followed by Delon Clarke (Corentyne) in
54.6 and Jermaine Johnson (Royal) in 55.0.
The 200 metres Men's sprint
went to Babb who clocked 23.3 seconds,
with Trelon Garraway (Royal) coming in second (23.9) and Gravesande
third (24.2).
Carlos
Kendall (Corentyne) carted off the 800 metres Men's race,
finishing in two minutes 9.1 seconds, with Rodwell Downer (Under-17
Carifta Games selectee for the event) coming in second (2:09.3),
David Young (Corentyne) third and Breshnev Smith
fourth.
Under-17 Carifta Games selectee for the 800 metres event was the
only entry and she ran with the Men, finishing
in 2:30.5 minutes.
On the field, Under-20 Carifta Games selectee Royston Ross won the
Men's Discus with a 38.55-metre
throw, with fellow selectee Cleon
Washington placing second with 31.76 metres. Kaschta Otto (Royal)
was third (25.7)
and Ronald Payne (Under-17 Carifta Games selectee)
fourth (25.0).
Ross and Washington were again one-two in Men's
Shot-put, with 12.25
and 12.21-metre throws respectively. Payne was third (10.16) and
Wesley Tudor fourth.
The
Men's Javelin went to Alvaro Edwards (Royal) with a winning 46.0-
metre throw, Otto second (43.53), Bruce Glen (Royal)
third (37.62)
and Delon Clarke (Royal) fourth (37.05). Payne was fifth (35.52).
On the distaff side, Neshia Bamfield
was first (27.0) in Javelin,
Erica Forte second (16.6) and Lisa Barrow third (12.9), all Royal
athletes. Forte was
the only one in the Shot-put and Discus.
Randy Lee wins 400m dash
By Dave Yanovitz and Kynan W. Kelly
Special to The Washington Post
Monday,
April 14, 2003; Page D03
Track and Field
Carroll's Derrick Brinkley and Randy Lee combined for an impressive
showing
in Saturday's Morgan State Invitational.
Brinkley, a senior, won the 800 in 1 minute 57.71 seconds, and Lee,
a
freshman, prevailed in the 400 in a meet-record 48.16 seconds
(National Outdoor Championship Qualifier). The two then teamed
with
Bardell Brown and Michael Taylor to capture the 4x800 relay in
8:01.37 over C.H. Flowers (8:03.72). . . .
Bullis's
Rashaad Woodard won the 200 in a meet-record 21.21 and was
second by two-hundredths of a second in the 100 to DeMatha's
Anthony
Wiseman (10.53). . . .
Eleanor Roosevelt All-Met Tiandra Ponteen set meet records with wins
in the
200 (23.59) and 400 (55.49). . . .
Robinson senior All-Met Steve Huntzinger won the shot put with a
personal-record
of 64 feet 1 inch Saturday at the 36th annual
Arcadia Invitational in California. The mark came on his fifth
effort,
and all six of his throws were farther than 60 feet. He also
placed third in the discus with a toss of 188-3.
Her Métier is Running
Women in Sports
by Peter Gambaccini
Aliann Pompey On the Fast Track
April
9 - 15, 2003
n the world of track and field, Aliann Pompey has been underestimated
since she first materialized
at Manhattan College's Riverdale campus
in the late 20th century. But Pompey was impossible to overlook in
2000, when,
from 10 meters behind at the midway point in the 400-
meter run at the NCAA Indoor Championships, she ran down Miki Barber
of South Carolina to become Manhattan's first-ever female national
collegiate track titleholder.
And in 2002,
against the best that Britain and other track powers
could muster, Pompey took the 400-meter gold medal at the
Commonwealth
Games, upsetting the favorite, former world indoor
champion Sandi Richards of Jamaica. Pompey's Commonwealth triumph
resulted
in her being named Guyana's 2002 Female Athlete of the Year
and sent her back to her homeland for "a homecoming celebration
that
lasted a whole week," she beams. "I met with a lot of schoolchildren
and did a lot of TV shows and radio interviews.
I was the first
female to win Commonwealth gold and the second person ever from
Guyana. The first was Phil Edwards
[an 880-yard runner] 68 years
ago."
On January 25, Jearl Miles-Clark, a two-time Olympic gold medalist
for
the U.S. in the 4 x 400 relay, came from Tennessee to New York's
Armory Track & Field Center with the publicized goal
of smashing the
world and American records in the 500-meter run. Not one pundit
suggested that Aliann Tabitha Omalara
Pompey, now a Bronx resident
and a Manhattan College MBA candidate, was on hand to do anything
more than fill out
the field behind Miles-Clark. The Tennessean
seemed to have the race well in hand through 400 meters until, sure
enough,
Pompey swooped past and jetted to the finish line more than a
full second in front. Taciturn and deadpan, Pompey declared,
"I try
not to go out in a race thinking about second place."
Joe Ryan, who has coached Pompey for seven years,
first perceived her
as "very quiet, extremely quiet," adding, "Your initial impression
upon meeting her would be 'there's
no way that this girl is an
athlete.' However, having said that, when she is on the track, she's
an absolute tiger.
There's a real contrast between the person you see
on the track and off of it. It's very, very pronounced. She's the
most
humble athlete I've ever coached, and in the sprinting game,
that's very, very unusual. But when that gun goes off, she's
kind of
like a fighter pilot. There's a real, real fire in her eyes. It's
fantastic to see."
It's not just
her lack of swagger that makes Pompey an anomaly among
400-meter stars. Pompey is 5-6 but weighs only 106 pounds. Miles-
Clark,
the leading American, is an imposing 5-7 and 132 pounds, the
same size as Ana Guevara of Mexico, the top 400-meter athlete
in the
world in 2002. Marie-Jose Perec of France, the 1992 and 1996 Olympic
gold medalist in the 400, was a powerfully
long-legged 5-11.
It's her "scrawny" size that drew Pompey, now 25, into track in the
first place. She's the oldest
of eight children in a family that
moved from Guyana to the Albany County town of Cohoes in 1992. Her
sister Allison
was a track star in Cohoes. "Everyone knew her. They
used to think she was the reason I started track," explains Pompey,
who makes clear that the reason was "I was really light in high
school. The doctor told my dad I need physical activity,
maybe to get
out more and put more weight on."
So, at the end of her junior year, Pompey joined her sister on
the
track team. Her success was stunning and virtually instantaneous. Ask
her when she first realized she had talent
in the sport and she'll
mention the qualifying meet for the New York State Championships her
senior year, when, for
the first time, she beat her sister, in a 200-
meter race. "I said, 'Wait a minute. She's been good all these years.
This
is her thing.' Maybe there's a little bit more to this than just
running around in an oval." Pompey went on to win the
400 at the
state championship. "I was the first person in my high school to do
that," she says, smiling at the memory
and adding, "I haven't put on
much weight, but what I did put on was muscle." Meanwhile, Pompey was
a happy bargain
for Manhattan's track program, which had signed her
when, recalls Ryan, "there really wasn't any indication that
something
like that championship was going to happen."
Most of Pompey's major wins in the 400 have come in nerve-rackingly
dramatic
come-from-behind fashion. She once vowed to change that
tactic, but now demurs, insisting she has little choice. "It's
not a
tactic as much as it is a running style," she says. "I'm not a true
sprinter. I can only go out in the 200 at
a certain pace and maintain
for the last 200." Miles-Clark has competed well in the 200, and
Perec actually won the
200-meter gold in Atlanta in '96, but Pompey
realizes that, for herself, "I'm more of an endurance runner than a
speed
runner. I've tried going out faster before, and the last 200
was truly horrible. It's just best, basically, to go out
at a
comfortable pace, and I finish well." She's not a distinctive 400-
meter "stylist" by choice, in her words: "It's
not like I'm trying to
do something new. It's just the way my body's built."
Her size may actually hold the key
to her track success. "If she's
with girls that are much larger, over the last 50 meters she's
probably going to beat
them," Ryan says. "She doesn't generate as
much lactic acid as the bigger sprinter. Consequently, she's
fatiguing
a lot less over the last part of the race."
Pompey can be spotted doing hill work in Van Cortlandt Park or other
parts
of Riverdale. An eager trainer, she runs in Manhattan's Jadwin
Gym track in the winter, but in warmer weather will sprint
on
Columbia's Wien Stadium track, near the north end of Inwood Park.
Ryan, who says that after seven years Pompey
"can almost read my
mind," says his biggest challenge may be getting her "to back off
from working too hard. That's
where injuries come."
Having begun running somewhat belatedly, with modest expectations,
Pompey relishes her success
at the world-class level. "It's been
really good. Everybody has a low moment in their lives," she
observes. "There
have actually been some times when I really felt
that the only thing I had going for me at times was track, whether
that
was realistic or not."
But running "took a back seat" to her education until she suffered
her first big injury,
a stress fracture in her tibia, near the knee,
after being tripped in a meet in Nebraska in 1998. "I was stubborn,"
she
recalls. "I was running on it until I couldn't bear the pain, and
I had to sit out a whole year. That really hurt." And
she learned how
important track was to herthe ordeal left her "completely
distraught." She recalls, "Track was this
big thing for me all of the
sudden. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it anymore."
But in 2003, she's as good
as she's ever been, and will compete for
Guyana in the World Championships in Paris this August. Recovering
and returning
to the track, says Pompey, "I knew I was really blessed
to be doing this because it's something that I like. It's like
I'm
playing a game for a job now."
Blackman cops sprint double in T/dad
Guyana Police Force's athlete, Andre Blackman, copped the men's
sprint double
at the Petrotrin sponsored-Annual Southern Games at
Guaracara Park, South Trinidad over the weekend.
According to reports
from Trinidad, Blackman won the men's 100-metre
in 10.34 seconds, beating Trinidad's Shane Dyer (10.38 sec) and
Venezuela's
Jose Carabali (10.51 sec) into second and third
respectively.
In the men's 200-metre, Blackman returned 21.14 seconds
in winning
from Carabali (21.70) and Trinidad's Edwin Hill (21.31).
Another Guyanese, Tai Payne, settled for second
in the men's 800-
metre behind Venezuela's Manuel Gonzalves, while Trinidad's Jieutome
Archer placed third.
Gonzalves
clocked one minute 55.32 seconds, while Payne registered
one minute 56.43 seconds.
Gonzalves' time for the 800m was
however three seconds slower than
that recorded by defending Junior Carifta Games 800m winner, Simeon
Bovell of Trinidad
who clocked one minute 52.26 seconds for the 800m
boys under-20.
Meanwhile, in cycling, reports reaching Stabroek Sport
states that
Guyana's Tyrone Hamilton was eliminated in the `Devil Takes the
Hindmost' for International riders. This
event was staged on Sunday.
No report has been received on whether Hamilton participated in any
of the other seven
international events during the two-day meet at
Guaracara Park.
The cycling aspect of the meet was dominated by the
Cubans who won
all eight international events. Joel Marinio won five of the eight
events, while Julio Herrera won
two and Michael Pedrosa the other.
Apart from Hamilton, seven other Roraima Bikers cyclists left Guyana
on Sunday for
the Guaracara Park meet as well as the West Indies
versus the World Meet which gets underway tonight around the Queen's
Park Savannah.
The seven did not reach their destination on time and so could not
have participated in the Guaracara
Park meet. The seven, along with
a number of other local riders will however be a part of the West
Indies series.
Forde upsets national champion Lionel DAndrade
By Isaiah Chappelle
THE highlight of the Linden Track Club meet, Sunday,
was national
junior athlete Cleveland Forde's upsetting of senior National
Champion Lionel D'Andrade but there was
no light for the good-sized
crowd to see the feat.
When daylight faded, a generator arrived but there was no
technician
to connect it to lines of the Mackenzie Sports Club and the ground
remained in darkness, with the announcer
begging car owners to go
onto the ground to turn on their lights. Two vehicles responded.
The Open 5 000 metres
race had begun just as light was fading but
halfway through, the athletes could not be recognised from the stands.
However,
in the opening laps of the 16-lap race, Forde took the lead
early and D'Andrade kept with him for nine laps, but the junior
athlete moved ahead steadily, leaving his senior behind to eventually
finish the race by more than half a lap.
Forde
was exempted from the recent National Championships at Uitvlugt
on medical grounds. He was still shortlisted by the Amateur
Athletic
Association of Guyana for the Carifta Games but would have to be
cleared by a medical certificate and participate
in the Rose Hall,
Canje meet staged by the New Amsterdam Track Club on April 13.
Coach Leslie Black told Chronicle
Sport: "He is fit and ready to
repeat the Carifta gold. He will be at the Rose Hall meet."
Another race with
much interest was the 100 metres Women's Open in
which Beverly Selman turned the tables of National champion Alisha
Foster,
with Rushell Cort placing third.
In National championships Selman was third, with Foster clinching the
title
and Michelle Vaughn placing second.
The Men's dash went to Keith Roberts who again beat athletics
Sportsman-of-the-Year
Rawle Green, while Alan Gravesande placed
third. Roberts placed second to the National champion Andre Blackman
at
Uitvlugt, with Green third.
Ten-year-old Carlisa Atkinson defied her age to place second in the 3
000 metres
Girls Under-17 event, but Leanna Doris comfortably
finished first and Delicia Dick was a distant third.
On
the cycling track, Marlon Williams was the pick of the riders,
comfortably carting off both Junior races, with Jorge Emerson
playing
second fiddle and Travis Mendonca placing third, in the five-lap
event then in the 10-lap.
Darren
Allen captured both the Juvenile three- and five-lap races.
Albert Philander placed second in the three-lapper and third
in the
five laps, while Travis Crandon was third in the former and second in
the latter.
The excitement
was in the Veterans Under-45 category, with Linden
Blackman triumphing in the five-lapper, Vaughn Phillips finishing
second
and Virgil Jones third. The same order was in the three-lapper.
In categories 1 & 2, Andrew Reece won a clever
ten-lap race,
attacking from outside to grab the lead, coming from behind on the
turn with two laps to go, and surprising
Warren McKay and Tyrone
Hamilton with the move, which left them in a bunch. A fight ensued in
the bunch for a distant
second place, with McKay taking the slot and
Dwayne Gibbs placing third.
Dwayne Gibbs had earlier taken the
five-lapper, in a close finish
with McKay placing second and Gerald Fowler third.
Categories 3 & 4 champion
rider was Ian Jackson who won both the five-
lap and ten-lap events. John Charles placed second in the former,
followed
by Mark Lewis, while Shawn Alves came second in the latter
and Samuel Barker Jnr third.
John Hamilton and Rupert
Baichan shared honours in the upright races,
with Hamilton taking the first five-lap event and Baichan turning the
table
in the other.
The Full Figure Women defied their weight to produce an entertaining
150 metres race, with Caren
Briggs taking top honours, followed by
Sharon Sutherland and Denise Skeete.
In the 800 metres for Under-14
Girls, Donna April beat Balty Dick,
while only the winner was recorded for the Men's 800 metres - Roberto
Inniss.
Despite
the administrative teething problems, the events were staged
smoothly one after the other after a late start. It was an
encouraging and welcome beginning for each club to stage its own meet
to give athletes much needed competition.
The
AAAG did not sanction the meet, because a three-month notice is
required for checks to ensure that certain criteria are
met to stage
a meet properly.
Thus the governing body did not provide officials, but some worked in
their
private capacities. The AAAG did not bar clubs from entering
their athletes.
Lee, Garcia, Brinkley Propel Carroll in Relays
--------Newcomers Help Fuel Lions' Relay Success
By Kynan W. Kelly
Special
to The Washington Post
Sunday, March 30, 2003; Page D15
Freshman Randy Lee has been sensational for the Carroll
track team,
but at yesterday's Banneker Relays at Bowie State University, he got
some help from another newcomer to
the program, junior transfer
Louis Garcia.
At the start of the 4x400-meter relay, Garcia slipped on the rain-
soaked
track and had to fight through a pack of runners, but made up
enough ground to get the Lions into second place before
handing off
to Lee. Lee then battled with Wilson senior Marco Aguilar before
giving Carroll a slight lead that Michael
Taylor and Derrick
Brinkley were able to stretch into a five-second victory over Mervo
in a time of 3 minutes 21.85
seconds.
The win capped a nice day for Carroll, which also won the 4x800
(Brinkley, Bardell Brown, Taylor and James
Washington) in 8:09.41
and the 1,600 sprint medley (Brinkley, Lee, Michael Thomas and
Howard Bailey) in 3:36.74. And
even though it is early in the
outdoor season, the addition of Garcia to a team that already boasts
Lee and Brinkley
-- one of the nation's top 500-meter runners during
the indoor season -- has the Lions thinking big.
"Louis is
our 'X' factor," Carroll Coach Mike Williams said. "He's
an athlete, and we're placing him wherever we need him in our
relays. It puts us at the point where we're talking about a
championship at the Penn Relays, about a month from now."
Garcia,
who transferred from Techworld Charter School before this
year, said he has benefited from the challenge of fitting into
a new
school and a high-caliber team.
"Both my older sisters went here, and my man [Brinkley] has been
telling
me about what we were doing here," Garcia said. "It's been
tough in practice -- they're fast and they make me better."
Garcia
can take something from the performance of Lee, who earlier
had won another close matchup against Aguilar in the 400-meter
leg
of the sprint medley.
"Every time I'd try to overtake him, he'd run up and force me
outside, so I just
relaxed and waited until the straightaway," said
Lee, who ran one of the nation's top 20 times in the 400 (48.87)
during
the indoor season.
Carroll is attempting to track down Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference powerhouse DeMatha,
which won the 4x200 (Anthony Wiseman,
Joshua Wilson, Antoine Washington and Edward Smith) in 1:28.57 and
placed second
in the 4x100 (42.71) behind Mervo's meet-record 42.51.
And DeMatha is looking to take back the conference championship
it
lost to Gonzaga last year when the Stags get sprinter Paul Hall back
from a broken vertebrae and hurdler Dominic
Berger back from a bout
with the flu.
Western dominated the girls' competition, but Wilson's Shanice
DePass
came back after sitting out the indoor season to lead the
Tigers' 4x400 (Tiffany Green, Sheena Willis and Shawnise Bryant-
Lawson)
to victory in 4:04.22. Yorktown's distance medley relay
(Becca Shinners, Jessica Hairston, Ellen Ferrante and Katie Read)
won in 13:17.35.
Blackman, Chichester strike gold
ANDRE Blackman and Jennifer Chichester struck gold in the Manny
Ramjohn
Memorial invitational athletics meet in Trinidad & Tobago on
Friday night.
Blackman won the 100-metre dash in 10.18
seconds and placed second in
the 200-metre sprint, clocking 21.01 seconds.
The sprinter will be back in the Twin Island
Republic for the
Southern Caribbean Games on the weekend of April 5 and 6. He will
compete in the same events.
After
ten minutes 27.38 seconds on the track, Chichester crossed the
finish line first in the 3000-metre event and ran in second
in 1500
metres, registering four minutes 41.08 seconds.
Chichester was shortlisted for the Carifta Games billed also
in
Trinidad & Tobago on April 19 and 20, competing at the same distances.
Roberts turns tables on Blackman
by Candyss Odle
Royal Youth Movement star athlete Keith Roberts took revenge
for his
100m loss to rival Andre Blackman with a stirring 21.6 seconds run in
the 200m as the Amateur Athletic Association
of Guyana national
junior championships climaxed yesterday at the Uitvlugt Community
Development Centre ground.
Blackam,
dubbed the "fastest man" after Saturday's 100m triumph,
settled for second with a time of 21.7 secs, in a nail-biting
finish.
Alisha Fortune-Foster proved her worth when she also claimed the
Women's 200m in a time of 26.1 secs.
Atoms
athlete Annalisa Austin, who seemed not to be able to produce
her best form, was only able to muster fourth, beaten by
Diane
Munroe, Asanti Mickle and Anika Niles respectively in the girls U-17
200m.
The first place time was 26.4
secs.
Quacy Trotman (23.6 secs) and Carlton Babb (23.0 secs), took top
honours in the Boys U-17 and Under 20 200m respectively.
Ricky
Kissoon of South Georgetown, claimed the 3000m Boys U-17 and a
possible space on the Carfita team, when he outran Jemel
Trotman and
Dia Shabbazz in a time of 9:16:08.
Jennifer Chichester who stole the day by competing in three events,
took top honours in the Girls U-17 3000m and the girls U-17 800m with
times of 11:15:9 and 2:32:0 respectively and
then came back to give
her 4x400m relay team a win against Rising stars club when she ran
the first leg.
Tai Payne
of Atoms, won his pet event, the 800m, in a time of 2:00:00
despite a nagging thigh injury, ahead of Roberto Inniss and
Dwayne
Walcott who produced times of 2:03:04 and 2:07;07 secs respectively.
Rodwell Downer and Carlos Kendal won the
boys U-17 and U-20 800m
respectively. Kendal's win in the 800m may also earn him a place on
the Carifta team.
Payne
also won the Men 400m in a time of 51.3 secs ahead of his
closest opponent Trevor Scotland who ran in second in a time
of 51.7
secs.
Lionel D'Andrade won the U-20/Men 500m in a time of 16:38:09, ahead
of Tulsiram Ramnauth while Ashanti
Scott won the Women's 5000m in
20:51:02 ahead of Alicia Craig.
In the field events, favourite, Michelle Vaughn of Atoms,
pleased a
large crowd when she outjumped heptathlete Nyota Peters with a jump
of 6.06 meters while Peters who proved
to be of no serious
competition was forced to settle for second with a jump of 5.86
meters.
Clyde Gibson also of
Atoms, made light work of Kevin Bonnette of
Linden track Club in the combination of the Men and boys U-20 Long
Jump
when he made a winning leap of 7.43 meters with Bonnette
responding with a leap of 7.03m.
Stacy Wilson took the girls
U-17 long jump with a leap of 4.91m.
Lone Guyanese female referee, Diane Ferriera-James took top honours
in the U-20/women
Shot Put and U-17/U-20/women discuss with throws of
9.70m and 23.04m respectively.
Royston Ross of Bygeval, took the
boys U-20 discus event with a throw
of 43.30m.
Police club, claimed both the Men and Women 4x400m with times of
3:49:02
and 4:18:04 respectively.
The Amateur Athletic Association will hold a council meeting on
Wednesday evening to shortlist
the athletes to be included in the
Carifta team scheduled for the Twin island Republic, Trinidad and
Tobago, and to
choose the athletes to represent Guyana at the
upcoming Southern Games.
Blackman claims `fastest man title
by Candyss Odle
National sprinter Andre Blackman proved that he was the fastest
sprinter in Guyana when he outran an eight man field in the final of
the Open 100m event at the Uitvlugt Community
Centre ground on the
first day of the Amateur Athletic Associaion of Guyana (AAAG) Carifta
Trials.
Blackman's winning
time was 10.2 seconds, creditable considering the
grass track, the overcast weather and reasonably high winds
Blackman
was able to defeat Keith Roberts who ran a time of 10.6s,
Rawle Green: 10.6s and Brennon Thompson:10.9s who were forced
to
settle for second, third and fourth positions respectively.
On the women's side, veteran sprinter Alisha Fortune-Foster
outran
favourite Michelle Vaughn in a time of 11.9s in the 100m while
Vaughn's time of 12.1s earned her second place.
Vaughn,
however, promises much better results in her pet event, the
Women's long jump to be held today.
The Girl's U-17 100m
was won by Diane Munroe in 12.0s with favourite
Annalisa Austin settling for third while Quacy Trotman in 11 seconds
flat,
won the boys U-17 100m.
The Girl's U-20 100m was won by Rushell Coates in 12.2s while Carlton
Babb won the Boy's U-20
100m in 10.9s.
Jennifer Chichester was able to live up to expectations and shake off
stiff competition from Delcia
Dick to emerge victorious in the Girl's
U-17 1500m in a time of 5:15:7s. In second and third position, was
Dick and
Carlisa Atkinson with times of 5:16:9s and 5:26:5s,
respectively.
Rodwell Downer claimed the Boys U-17 1500m in 4:41:2s,
while Karlis
Kendall took the Boys U-20 1500m in 4:33:6s, and Ashanti Scott took
the Women 1500m in 5:30:8s.
The
10,000m was won by Lionel D'Andrade in 34:15:9s, in heavy
downfall of rain which began at the start of the race and ended
at
the end of the race. It was as if the rain knew that the athletes
would need some form of cooling down, because
of the long duration of
the race.
Female football referee, Diane Ferriera-James claimed the U20/Women's
Javelin
event, with a throw of 31.78m beataing heptathlete Nyota
Peters.
The Championships conclude today, beginning at 10:30am,
with events
such as the 200m, 800m, long jump, discus, all under the categories:
U17 male and female,U-20 male and
female and open male and female,
3000m (girls and boys U-17, 5000m (girls and boys U-20 and men and
women open) and
the 4x100m and 4x400m Men and women.
Lee disappointed at missing Carifta
by Candyss Odle
Top junior athlete Randy Lee is disappointed that he will
be unable
to compete at this year's junior Carifta Games which takes place
during Easter week-end in Trinidad and
Tobago.
The US-based Lee said he would have loved to compete at the Junior
Carifta Games to be held in Trinidad from
April 19-21 but, his
school's team schedule will not allow him.
High schools in the U.S.A. compete every weekend, Lee
disclosed
adding that he would also miss quite a bit of his school's academic
work if he were to leave for Trinidad.
Trials
for places on the Guyana team for the Carifta Games take
place tomorrow and Sunday at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground.
Lee
also spoke of his disappointment in failing to make the finals
of the 400m dash at the Nike Indoor Championships in Landover
USA
last week-end.
"I was disappointed, because I really wanted to do well," he said
adding that he did not like
being put in the first heat.
"It was a disadvantage for me," he said.
Lee, however, said he has learnt a lot from competing
with the best
athletes and that the outdoor championships would be totally
different as there would be no bumping
and lane interference to
cause him any problems.
Randy said he is definitely looking forward to any upcoming outdoor
competition as he is positive he would do much better than in-doors.
At the recent Nike Indoor Championships at the
Prince George's
County complex, Lee ran a time of 50.60 seconds in the 400m dash
which earned him an overall position
of 14th which was not enough to
allow him to qualify for the finals.
Burnett's unbeaten collegiate record smashed
By Lawrie Lockhart and Gary Tim in Arkansas
VISIBLY affected by the seemingly
discordant nature of her
compatriot Aliann Pompey's exit from the 400m at the World Indoor
championships in England,
(LSU) middle-distance athlete Marian
Burnett had her own taste of disappointment.
The Louisiana State University
(LSU) ½-miler failed to repeat as
champion in the 800m at the U.S. NCAA Division I Indoor
Championships in Arkansas,
U.S.A., a few hours after Pompey's
experience.
Burnett, who earlier in the indoor season had also recorded
a
qualification for the England meet, had been checking the progress
of her track colleagues in England "on the internet
every time I am
at our hotel".
The six-hour difference between the two meets had given her the
chance to
keep abreast of the progress of Pompey, as well as former
LSU teammates ¼ milers Ronetta Smith and Leuroy Colquhoun, and
Grenadian Alleyne Francique, whose results in England all came as
disappointments.
Ironically, Burnett's
unexpected defeat in her last collegiate
competition is the first time that she has been beaten at the junior
or senior
collegiate levels. Her winning streak at 800m dated back
to November 1999, and spanned some 43 heats and finals.
Contesting
her signature event last Saturday, the Guyanese `tied-up'
in the final of four laps when she was almost certain to live
up to
the polls' #1 ranking in the distance. Burnett was nearly a second
short of top honours, recording 2:06.43 to
gain third behind Swedish
national Lina Nilsson of UCLA and Amerivcan Nicole Cook of
Tennessee. She ran three of the
four fastest times for the season,
and went into the final with the fastest time of 2:05.33 from the
heats.
It
was a bitter-sweet experience for Burnett whose final
representation for her college saw her lose "a race that was hers
for the taking", but still contributing points to her Lady Tigers'
winning of the women's champion team honours.
Among
the startling showings for her team was sprinter Muna Lee's
sprint double (60m & 200m) wins, including her 22.49s
in the latter
which broke the 21-year-old collegiate record held by Jamaican
Merlene Ottey, and which is also the
2003 world's fastest.
Her defeat was one of several upsets at the championships as
favourites in the men's
60m, 400m, 800m, triple and long jumps, as
well as the women's 400m, mile, high jump, pole vault and distance
medley
relay lost out to eventual winners, many of whom were not
even in the reckoning.
Her LSU distance coach Mark
Elliott, just like the crowd at the
Randall Tyson stadium, was numbed at the performance since she was
prepared to
threaten the school and meet records.
The two-day meet ended as a championship of "upsets and the
unexpected,
along with personal, school and national records in
Marian case, she just had an uncharacteristically bad day" according
to LSU head coach Pat Henry who saw more than five of his male and
female athletes fall way below what was expected
of them going into
the meet.
The Lady Tigers repeat team title, however, improved Henry's
unmatched overall
record of championships wins (11 indoor and 13
outdoor titles) to 24 in sixteen years.
Among the favourites
faltering at the preliminary stages or in the
finals were 2002 NCAA indoor and outdoor 400m champion Allison
Beckford
of Rice, defending 800m champion Outile Lekote of South
Carolina and 60m hurdle champion Perdita Felicien of Illinois
- all,
coincidentally, non-Americans.
Most of the disappointed athletes have resolved to "putting the
meet's
experiences behind and turn to the outdoor season to regain
whatever lost status, now." Burnett, however, will be competing
without the privileges of a collegiate scholarship athlete since her
eligibility has effectively ended with the recent
meet.
Last year she was pulled from the LSU team, along with Francique,
after an NCAA regulation ruled them
out of outdoor collegiate
competitions due to their international participation after their
21st birthdays, and before
enrolment at U.S. academic institutions.
As predicted, LSU won the women's title and placed 4th in the men's
category
from the 512 eligible Div. I universities. The women scored
an amazing 62 points to be way ahead of a second place tie
(44pts)
between South Carolina and Florida, North Carolina 38pts, Texas
35pts and Stanford 32pts. The men's 24pts
were behind Arkansas'
52pts, Auburn on 28pts and Nebraska with 26pts.
Lee miss 400m finals
--Lee make All-American Team
Junior National Champion and Archbishop Carroll's Randy Lee in a
surprise
to everyone did not make the finals of 400m dash. Highly
expected to challenge the high school indoor freshman record,
Lee was
beaten to the first break and had to slow down to prevent from
falling or bumping the other runner. He did
come back to win his heat
in 50.60, however it was only good for 14th with the top 6th times
qualifying to the finals.
Lee will get two chances to redeem himself with his team's entries in
the sprint medley and the 4x400m relay.
Although Archbishop Carroll high School freshman Randy Lee did not
win his
signature event the 400m dash. He didn't garner some honors
for his outstanding indoor season. Lee was honored with two
All-
American team selection in the 4x400m relay (3rd) and the Sprint
Medley relay (5th).
I tried my best
..Aliann Pompey
By Michael DaSilva
United States based Guyanese Aliann
Pompey, who failed to qualify
for the final of the women's 400-metre event at the World Indoor
Championships in Birmingham,
England, said she went out there and
tried her best but failed.
Questioned about her performance via the internet,
Pompey stated
that many things affected her before and during the race. She cited
a change in the lane draw before
her semi-final, personal problems
and a slow start among others.
"They actually redrew the lane draw before the competition.
I was in
what I consider the more difficult heat since most people in my heat
are known for going out over the first
200m very, very fast and
unfortunately, in lane 1 (which she ended up in), there was very
little I could have done.
I always thought it was a mental thing and
that lane 1 was not so daunting, apparently I am wrong" Pompey
stated.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist said she is not
pleased with the time (52.74 seconds) she returned
for the semi-
final "I feel like I can run that time or close to it whenever I
chose".
The Business administration
student who hopes to complete university
this year said prior to the race, she was having a very tight hip
flexor
but got some work done on it. "Being in lane 1 does not help
that at all" Pompey Stated.
"There was also a lot going
on behind the scenes that I was just
trying to put out my mind and deal with after the competition, but
it was hard.
Overall I am happy that at least I got the experience.
I really, really felt that if it was the way it was originally
set,
i would have made it to the finals".
"I was mentally prepared to run with those people. I know how
Monique
(Hennagan) runs and I know how Ronetta (Smith) runs, so I
knew where I would have to be in comparison to them at what
point in
my race, so I knew what I had to do, and I was ready to do it, but
when I showed up for competition, Ronetta
was not in the semi's, and
Monique was not in my heat, and I was in the worst lane possible. I
hate to sound like
I am complaining, but my heart really did sink a
bit when I heard that. But I think that's a bad situation to be put
in
RIGHT BEFORE YOU RUN.
"But i went out there and tried to make the best of it, my only
thought was to go out with them,
but when they go out in 23.2, I
would kill myself for the last 200 if I went with them. I ran a
strong last 200m,
but I lost the race because of my start and first
200m. I have a lot of work to do for outdoors and a fair amount of
time,
so I should be able to get it.
Pompey advance to World
Indoor Semi-finals
National Record holder Aliann Pompey advance into the
Semi-finals of
the World Indoor Championships with a 52.86 second place finish in
her heat. Enroute to the semis,
Pompey defeated 2001 Outdoor
finalist Nadjina Kaltouma of Chad.
Heat 4 - Friday, March 14, 2003 - 13:28
Pos
Lane Bib Athlete Country Mark React
1 6 529 Usovich Svetlana BLR 52.20 Q 0.226
2 4 656 Pompey Aliann GUY 52.86 Q 0.299
3 3 546 Nadjina Kaltouma CHA 53.50 0.173
4 5 854 Yefremova Antonina UKR 53.64 0.195
5 1 562 Djamaldine Sailhate
COM 58.88 0.230
2 579 Hernández Karla ESA DQ 0.191
Pompey will be competing in the semi tomorrow, March 15,
2003. The
Heat one set-ups a re-match of the 2002 Commomwealth Finals between
Pompey (Champion) and Murphy (2002 Runner-up).
Startlist
- 400 METRES Women - Semi-Final
Qual. rule: first 3 of each heat (Q) qualified
Heat 1 - Saturday, March 15, 2003
- 17:30
Lane Bib Athlete Country 2003 Personal
1 694 Smith Ronetta JAM 53.74 52.59
2 656 Pompey Aliann GUY 52.17
51.34
3 529 Usovich Svetlana BLR 52.04 52.04
4 872 Hennagan Monique USA 52.44 50.82
5 617 Murphy Catherine GBR
52.63 51.79
6 516 Amertil Christine BAH 51.15 51.15
Freshman from Guyana Will Contend
in 400
Press Release
by Pete Cava
LANDOVER,
Md., March 7, 2003 --- A year ago in his native Guyana,
Randy Lee was a big fish on a small pond. Today the Washington,
D.C., high school freshman is on the verge of becoming one of the
top prep 400-meter runners in the United States.
"He hasn't been pushed yet," says Mark Landry, Lee's coach at
Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington. "He's
just been
outrunning people. Right now everything is coming easy to him."
Lee's first big test will be at the
Nike Indoor Championships, which
take place March 15-16 at the Prince George=s County Sports Complex
in Landover.
One of the youngest entries in the 400, the 5-foot-9,
135-pound Lee is also one of the best. He's run an indoor 48.87
quarter this year, as well as an eye-popping 47.3 relay split.
That season best came Feb. 22 at Penn State and,
says Landry, "there
wasn't anybody near him. He was just coasting."
The impressive relay leg took place in the
4x400 at the Virginia
Tech Invitational in Blacksburg, Va., on Feb. 1. "We were in a fast
heat," Landry explains,
"and Randy led off. A club team [New Horizon
TC] beat us [3:22.00 to 3:22.10], but they made him run, and that's
what
he needed."
Born Feb. 3, 1988, in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city, Randy Lee
has been fascinated by running for
as long as he can remember. At a
very early age he began pestering his father about competing at
track meets. "One
day he finally agreed to let me run," says
Randy, "and I really enjoyed it. It was great."
So was Randy. Last year
as a 14-year-old, he won national outdoor
400 and 800 meter titles in under-15 and under-17 competitions.
Track officials
in Guyana began wondering what Lee could do against
higher-quality competition in the U.S. Richard and Karen Lee,
Randy's
parents, began looking around for an American school and
decided on Archbishop Carroll.
"I can't take credit for
this one," says coach Landry. "He was
dropped into our laps. Randy's father introduced himself last
summer, and showed
us a newspaper article about him. I said, 'Oh,
yeah! We'll welcome him with open arms!'"
Randy came to U.S. last
September and moved in with relatives in
suburban Silver Springs, Md. Foster Sampson, Lee's club coach in
Guyana,
was happy for his prize pupil. "Randy is a very promising
athlete," Foster told the Stabroek News, a Guyana daily. "With
better facilities in the U.S., we're hoping for good results from
him."
Lee took full advantage of the opportunity.
Although no fan of cross
country, he competed last fall to get in top condition for track
season. "I totally hated
it!" he laments. "It's entirely too long. I
really like sprinting, but I don't like long distances."
A diligent
scholar, Lee has a 3.2 grade point average in advanced
placement classes. "The first quarter was kid of rough," says
Landry.
"After that, he started getting all A's."
Track and school are Lee's top priorities. "I train almost every
opportunity
I get," he says. "When I'm not doing schoolwork, I'm
training."
Landry, who's been coaching for nearly two decades,
says he's never
had anyone like Randy. "I've had some good sprinters," he says, "but
I've never had someone come in
at this age and run these kinds of
times. I don't know any freshman who's done this."
Lee is an aggressive runner
who likes to get in front and stay
there. "He doesn't let anybody pass him," says Landry, "and if they
do, he never
forgets it. When he's out there on the track, he looks
like a baby. He's got that baby face, but a killer instinct. He'll
be happy as a little kid at a meet, but then a half-hour before his
race I can't even talk to him. Can't get into
his zone."
The Nike Indoor Championships are Lee's first big U.S. meet, and
Landry has warned him that the competition
will be fierce. "I tell
him, 'There are at least six other guys running as well as you, and
you've got to be ready,'"
says Landry. "Basically, this is his
baptism. But he's not scared of anything. He might just turn around
and conduct
the baptism."
Landry says he's expecting big things from Lee during the outdoor
season. "I expect him to go 46
[seconds] if he can get to the right
meets," says Landry. "By the time we get to the Penn Relays [in
April], we hope
he can get around 46."
The national high school freshman record is 46.55 by William Reed of
Philadelphia in 1985.
Lee remains unfazed by his new surroundings and his budding
reputation as a high school track sensation. Asked
about his biggest
adjustment since coming to Washington, the soft-spoken Lee answers
without hesitation. "The weather,"
he says. "I had to get used to
this cold climate."
Corlette wins National
title
Lindenwood University (MO) Sprinter and reigning Senior
National Champion Angilla Corlette added her name to the long list
of Guyanese athletes to capture collegiate national
championship
titles. This past weekend in Johnson, TN, Corlette won the 2003 NAIA
Indoor 200m dash championship in
convincing fashion. Her time of
24.54 defeated the second place competitor by nearly half a second.
Corlette also
placed 4th in the 55m dash finals with a time of 7.18.
She was also a member of the 2nd place 4x400m relay (3.53.00).
Corlette
join the like of Aliann Pompey, Marian Burnett,
June Griffin, Jennifer Innis, Nicole Martial and Nujume Fletcher to
be
crown national champions.
Also, competing was Junior Sprinter Kurt Gibbons. He did
very well as he make the finals
of both the 55m and 200m dash. He
finished 5th in the 200m dash (21.83) and 6th in the 55m dash
(6.46).
Complete
results can be found at this link.
http://www.cfpitiming.com/results/index.htm
Lee, Carroll Set for Stern Test
By Kynan W. Kelly
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, March 15, 2003;
Page D12
Carroll freshman Randy Lee's national championships in the 400- and
800-meter under-17 events in his
native Guyana last year didn't make
much of an impression on his new teammates when they met him in
August.
"At
first, I thought he was a big fish in a little pond in his
country," senior Derrick Brinkley said, "but after I saw him
run his
first meet, I said, 'He's legit.' "
Lee has proven himself in the big pond this season, running one of
the nation's top 15 times (48.87 seconds) in the 400. But it is the
blazing 47.1-second split he ran in the 4x400
last month that has
the Lions (Brinkley, Lee, Michael Taylor and James Washington)
eyeing a national title in that
event at this weekend's Nike Indoor
Championships.
Because the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference does not
hold an
indoor track championship, Carroll has been looking forward to this
weekend more eagerly, and certainly longer,
than most teams.
Carroll's last big meet was at Penn State on Feb. 22, when most of
the teams they face this weekend
were gearing up for state or
conference championships.
"We didn't get the competition, we weren't pushed, like
we would
have been around here," first-year Carroll Coach Mark Landry
said. "Lee won the 400, but no one was near
him, and I think he just
coasted, saving it for another race."
They will need to shake any rust by Sunday, when
they face Vineland
(N.J.), the nation's No. 1 team this season with a banked-track time
of 3 minutes 17.15 seconds.
Carroll ran a 3:19.89 at the Microtel
Invitational on Virginia Tech's banked track.
Brinkley knows teams from
the rest of the country will use today's
open 400 trials to scout Lee before Sunday's 4x400.
"I think everyone
will be looking at him, and once he runs [the
400], they're gonna say, 'Oh, he's coming back on the [400 relay],
Carroll
must have a nice team,' " said Brinkley, who owns the
nation's second-fastest banked track time (1:05.65) this season
in
the 500. "He's just fueling other people's expectations."
But Landry said the soft-spoken Lee may hold the highest
expectations of himself.
"Our seniors, they know it's now or never, but Randy is almost the
hungriest," Landry
said. "In his mind, he's winning the 400, but I
said, 'You're running these times, but you gotta remember there'll
be
other guys there.' "
Even at 5 feet 9, 135 pounds, Lee often finds the front on the lead
leg, the relay's second-most
important leg after the anchor.
"He always gives us the lead -- he just runs from the front, and by
200 meters,
people get frustrated because they can't pass him,"
Landry said.
Even if Lee can't give the Lions a cushion, Brinkley's
senior savvy
and his 48-second split on the anchor is usually enough to give them
a shot.
"A lot of guys will
run the 400, but they don't have the team behind
them to run the relay with," Landry said. "And most teams run their
fastest
legs at anchor, but we got two strong legs and I use them as
bookends."
Guyanese women extend accomplishments in U.S
Pompey betters national record
By Gary H. Tim in Florida
THE 2003 Indoor
Track and Field season in the U.S. continues to
absorb extraordinarily impressive performances from an extremely
talented
threesome of Guyanese female runners.
The athletes Jeavon Benjamin, Marian Burnett and Aliann Pompey have
run their
names into the statisticians' formbooks on no less than
four more occasions over the past week.
Pompey, the most
decorated of the three, added another glow to her
shining career with a record-breaking run at the Armory track in New
York City, last Friday. She bettered her personal best in the 400m
indoor doing a superlative 52.17 secs, which also
bettered her own
Guyana national record for the event.
The ¼-miler, who held the world's fastest 400m indoor time
this year
as well as breaking some meet and stadium records, may have gone
faster had the competition been more challenging.
Her time was a
whopping seconds faster than the second-placed runner's, prompting
her to state that she "really liked
the atmosphere here tonight, and
I was hoping for a faster time".
Pompey also said "I felt very strong over the
200m mark even though
I don't know what my split was," adding that there is still
some `fine-tuning' to be done. The
Guyanese star's performance
couldn't have come at a better time, as she is jetting across to
Europe to continue her
preparations for the World Indoor
Championships in Birmingham, England, in mid-March.
Burnett had also achieved
a qualification for the championships as
she spiked out a U.S. season-leading mark at 800m in early February.
However,
the Guyanese half-mile champion will not be available, due
to prior commitments for her university at the NCAA Indoor
Championships that will be held simultaneously with the Birmingham
meet.
Undaunted, the defending NCAA and
Southeastern Conference (SEC) 800m
indoor champion bagged one of two titles to keep on track to repeat
her 2002 feat,
when she won the half mile at the 2003 SEC
championships last Sunday in Gainesville, Florida. Burnett, who
attends
Louisiana State University (LSU), recorded an easy 2:05.02
following her preliminary 2:04.87 to defeat perennial conference
rivals Kristina Bratton of Florida and Beth Heinmann of Kentucky.
Five days before her conference win, the student-athlete,
who is
pursuing double degree studies in Kinesiology, Criminology,
Sociology and Arabic, was awarded the LSU Athletic
Director's Cup
for academic excellence. She was one of 29 awardees honoured for
sustaining a grade point average (GPA)
over 3.0 during the past
academic year. The recognition ceremony was held at halftime of a
televised basketball game.
In
New York, high school sprinter Jeavon Benjamin extended her
superb season by recording a resounding win in the 600m at
NYC
Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) indoor championships at the
Armory track. From a talented field, the Far
Rockaway High sophomore
survived a tussle to record 1:32.62 to out-sprint her prime
opponent, Selena Sappleton of
A.P. Randolph High (1:32.83).
Benjamin's win was a big contribution to her school's final tally of
23 points, which
was good for 10th place of the 29 teams that made a
point or more at the meet.
One week before that meet, Benjamin
won the Most Outstanding Girl
Track Performer title when she recorded the No.1 US national high
school 600m Performance
this season. She ran an astounding 1:30.67
(nearly a second off the record) to again defeat Sappleton (1:31.39)
at
the Mayor's Trophy Meet at the Armory.
Aliann Pompey's
lates win A NEW NATIONAL RECORD!!!!!
|
P R E S S R E L E A S E
On
Friday night at the NYC 168th St Armory, the local crowd
witnessed history in the making. Aliann Pompey bteetered her
personal record while breaking her own Guyanese nationel record int
he 400m. A winning time of 52.17 (previous record
was 52.21)was over
5 seconds faster than the second place competitor.
"I really like the atmosphere tonight. I
leave for greece on Monday,
then I'm off to the World Championship. I just wanted to get a race
in. I felt ok. I was
hoping for a faster time. I'm not sure what my
splits were, but it felt like an even race. I feel very strong over
the
last 200m. There's still some work that needs to be done, a few
things that need to be fine tuned."
They Guyanese
Sportswoman of the Year is scheduled to finishd her
Master's degree this semester at Manhattan College.
Heat Results
Aliann Pompey 52.17
Teresa Frierson 57.19
Maurellena Walles 58.01 |
Abidemi Charles crowned Mid-Continent Conference Champion
National Record holder Abidemi Charles competing for Chicago State
University
won her first Mid-Continent Conference Championship by
winning the 5000m run this past weekend at Westwood Sports Complex,
Sterling, Illinois. Her winning time of 17:56.46 would have broken
the current outdoor record on the books by over
two minutes. Charles
also placed second in the 3000m run in 10:10.10 (which is under her
current outdoor record of
10:26.7).
Guyaneses Light up the tracks around
the country.
National Record holder Aliann Pompey was not the only Guyanese
kicking tail
on the Armony track. Former All-American and 1999 CAC
800m champion Ian Roberts looked like he's getting back to his old
way by winning his signature event in 1:51.15. Sprinter Kwesi Sarabo
is also rounding into form. He won the 200m dash
in a seasonal best
21.57 and placed second in the 60m dash in 6.85.
Also, Far Rockaway sophomore Jeavon Benjamin
continues her wonderful
season by cruising to victory in the PSAL 600m championship. Her time
of 1:32.62 over two
second slower than her National leading time and
#3 high school all time ranking. She was also a member of the winning
4x200m relay (1:41.05).
Southern Illinois Senior Marvin Primo finished 3rd in the 2003
Missouri Valley Conference
Championship with his time of 21.90. He
was ranked 1st going into the final with a personal best time of
21.78. Primo
rank a seasonal best 6.89 in the 60m dash semi and
trials but missed the finals by one spot.
UMBC Sophomore Chris
Hutson finished 3rd in the Northeast Conference
500m dash with a time of 1:05.02.
Aliann Pompey's 52.24 win
in Boston "dulls the pain of Millrose Games"
P R E S S R E L E A S E
February 15th, 2003
Aliann Pompey's win
at the Valentine's Fasttrack Invitational
shattered the stadium record by over two seconds. A winning time of
52.24
seconds is 0.03 (3 hundreths of a second) off her personal best
and Guyanese national indoor record of 52.21 seconds.
"I ran the
race mostly by myself. Second place was about 55.5 seconds (I
think). So I had to keep pushing myself to
the finish. I'm in really
good shape. I think a performance like that would be followed by an
even better one. My
training is going well, my coach is fairly
pleased. But I still have a bit of work to do before the World
Championships."
Pompey was not scheduled to compete this weekend. But felt she ad
to. "This was supposed to be my week off from competition.
But my
performance at Millrose last week was on my mind all week. There
were so many things wrong with that performance.
Some errors on my
part, some things were beyond my control. But I still coundn't wait
for another week to compete.
I had to dull the pain of the Millrose
Games. It was just nagging me all week."
Pompey sontinues to prepare for the
World Championships to be held in
Birmingham England next month.
"I feel good. but I need one or two more competitions
before Worlds
to set me up nicely. If I can go with the momentum I've developed,
it would go well. But for now I can
only wait and see."
Pompey returns to classes at Manhattan College where she is currently
completing hers Masters
in Business Administration (concentration
Finance) on Tuesday.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
1 Aliann Pompey Adidas 52.24
1
2 Lauren Warman Boston Universit 55.45 1
3 Maurelhena Walles Shore AC 56.82 1
4 Catherine Regan Greater Boston
T 57.60 2
5 Andrea Walkes LeMans TC 57.71 2
6 Leeann Teager Colgate 58.33 2
7 Danieka Lottier Coppin State 58.82
1
8 Elisabeth Budd U Mass Amherst 59.20 3
RUNNERS CRUISE AS BOXERS LOOSE IN THE U.S.
Burnett has season fastest US time, Benjamin is phenomenal
by Gary H. Tim
in Florida
While overseas-based Guyanese boxers let their guards down in bouts
over the weekend, their track and
field compatriots admirably rose
to keep the golden arrowhead fluttering on North American soil.
In a manner similar
to the occurrences of April of last year,
national middle distance champion Marian Burnett `evened out' the
failure
of, especially, former world title holder Andrew `Six Head'
Lewis with another historic victory two days after the pugilist
was
vanquished in a title bid. Burnett's performance for her college
Louisiana State University (LSU) was well supported
by fast rising
junior athlete Jeavon Benjamin who "raised the bar when it
mattered."
Running in her first
competitive 800m event since last July's
Commonwealth Games, Burnett set the University of Florida indoor
track abuzz
with a blistering run at the Gator Invitational in mid-
warm Gainesville, Florida. Media personnel at LSU state that the
defending national indoor champion officially signaled her intents
to defend her title while posting an impressive
NCAA automatic mark
of 2:04.97. Burnett's time is reported to be the overall fastest
women's indoor performance at
800m in the U.S.A. so far this
season. Burnett, who ran unbeaten at the collegiate level last
year, defeated a solid
field of top collegians and elite athletes
that included Adidas athlete Maskerem Legesse of Ethiopia and 2002
NCAA
silver medalist Kristina Bratton of Florida.
Burnett's run is listed by LSU's distance coach Mark Elliott as "a
truly
historic performance considering this is her first competition
at her pet distance in almost seven months." She is being
gradually "eased back into championship shape" following a
performance-limiting injury that developed at the end of
the X-
country season last November.
The Guyanese police officer highlighted a stellar day of competition
for
the LSU men's and women's squads, in which 5 automatic marks and
almost double that number in provisional qualifying times
were
registered. "Anytime you can have these marks, you have to be happy
with the day's performance," said LSU head
coach Pat Henry, the most
successful NCAA women's track and field coach ever. "We did some
good things here today
and came out of the meet very healthy. I
feel we are where we need to be at this point in the season, and I
think
we have put ourselves in a good position heading into the
Armory Invitational (in New York, February 14-15)." Burnett
is
expected to defend two track records she set at the prestigious meet
last February.
Later in the meet, she
came back to pull the LSU Lady Tigers 4X400m
relay team to a second place finish behind a hot Miami squad. They
recoded
a NCAA Indoor provisional qualifying time of 3:37.13 which
is 13/100th of a second outside the automatic time.
Almost
1,100 miles away in snow-covered New York City, young track
and field phenom, Jeavon Benjamin rolled back her dark-horse
tag
with two impressive showings to lead her school, Far Rockaway High
to the women's team crown at the Public Schools
Athletic League
(PSAL) Queens Borough Indoor Championships. Benjamin burned the
tracks at Madison Square Garden to
emphatically win the 300m in
39.74s and the 600m in 1:32.33 (personal best). The times are
automatic qualifications
for the national high schools championships
by more than 5 seconds and 13 seconds, respectively.
Benjamin's performance
was even more outstanding considering her
ability to be the only athlete under 40 seconds in the 300m, while
she beat
the second placed opponent in the 600m by more than 13
seconds. Her Lady Seahorses team finished on 156 points, way ahead
of Townsend Harris on 93pts, Benjamin Cardoso on 78pts, Jamaica on
48pts and Campus Magnet with 36pts rounding off
the top of the 14-
team points table.
The sophomore who is No.3 at both 500m (1.16.19) and 600m on the
national
high school rankings, put paid to her below-par 4th
position in the 400m (58.64s) at the Colgate Women's Games a day
earlier
at the same venue. Benjamin's development at a top class ¼-
mile has been absorbing the attention of Guyanese track and
field
executive Clifford Wong in Washington who had earlier in the year
indicated that she is one of "other athletes
you keep an eye out
for." Wong had offered his congratulations to Benjamin for her
breaking into the national high
schools' rankings, stating that she
has the potential to continue the excellent `400m to distance'
tradition of Guyana.
Meanwhile,
Guyana's Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Aliann Pompey
returned to the track at the Milrose Games last Friday at Madison
Square Garden to continue her preparations for the World Indoor
Championships in France slated for March. Pompey,
who spent five
days in Guyana the previous week attending formal engagements, lost
the ¼-mile event to top American
400m runner Jearl Miles-Clark and
2002 African Championships 400m title holder Kaltouma Nadjina of
Chad (2nd).
In
a comment after the meet, the MBA (Business
Administration/Finance) student reiterated her dislike for the
arena's
track, stating "the track is not helpful to my style of
running, though I needed the opportunity to get back competing
after
the short absence."
| U.S. based Guyanese heat
up cold indoor tracks |
|
by Geeman Thom
Coming off an extremely successful year for the nation's
sportsmen
and sportswomen, Guyanese track stars based in the U.S. have begun
to show what can be expected of the country's
athletes this year as
they surround themselves with historic early-season
accomplishments. International athlete Aliann
Pompey, junior star
Randy Lee and collegiate champion Marian Burnett are keeping the
statisticians busy just a few
weeks into the indoor season.
Pompey, the 2002 Commonwealth Games 400m champion, in her first
event of the season
on January 10th, `endorsed' her phenomenal
performance of last year with a blistering run at the Fordham/St.
John's
Universities Collegiate Invitational at New York's Armory
track to record the world fastest time at 400m (53.27s), this
year.
Six days later, the Guyanese half-miler lowered her time to 52.8s
(hand timed) when she returned to the same
track at the NY Road
Runners Club's `Thursday Night at the Races' meet.
The multiple Guyana, South American and
collegiate record holder was
aiming to eclipse her 1999 personal best (PB) indoor time of 52.21
at the mid-January
meet, but suffered a stumble at her start "when I
almost fell on my nose", which evidently affected her `flow'. She
still
managed to beat the next athlete by a full 4 seconds, and her
time was later ratified to be another `world leader', however
it
only lasted for a couple of days as Russia's Oleysa Zylina stole the
spotlight in Europe with a 52.62s run.
The
following morning an evidently elated Pompey told Stabroek News
her performances represent "a progression in the right
direction
surely I cannot complain". Asked about her coach's reaction, she
opined, "he's not too eagerly impressed,
what I had to do is break
my PB". Pompey said she is thinking ahead to get the times to
assure automatic places in
elite meets on the world circuit aimed at
landing her in this year's World Indoor Championships in Birmingham,
England,
where she hopes to, again, reap "British good fortune".
She stated that since she had not competed on the indoor circuit
since 2000, she has to work arduously on erasing the disadvantage
she faces as a result of not being listed in recent
statistics.
Pompey returns to the track on January 25th AT THE New Balance Games
to contest the 500m, an event
she has not done in almost 3 years
since her PB of 1:09.23 in Boston. She is also making arrangements
to take a short
break from her competition schedule to return to
Guyana for an important engagement.
Following Pompey feat, Guyana
claimed another historic moment at the
2nd Montgomery Invitational in Landover, Maryland when Randy
Lee `scorched'
the PG County Sportsplex indoor track with a
sensational win in the 400m in 49.95s. The Archbishop Carroll H.S.
student
`spiked' his name into the meet's record books as the holder
of the fastest high school time. In a photo finish, the 15-year
old
Lee edged out favourite and namesake Dean Lee of McDonough High by
3/100th as they both beat the old mark of 50.6s
set by Darryl Young
of CH Flower H.S. last year. The former Atoms athlete's
accomplishment on January 11th is even
more astonishing considering
his recent arrival in a frigidly cold U.S on a scholarship, and his
limited experience
of indoor conditions.
His name is `making the rounds' around junior-level track and field
circles, and according
to Friends of Guyana Athletics executive
Clifford Wong, "there is no other high school freshman or sophomore
who is
as good as him right now. He is running against people 2 and
3 years over his age and whipping them." Wong who also coaches
high
school track in the Washington/Maryland area contended that Lee's
performance is beyond his age, and added that
"I feel there are many
athletes in Guyana who could do the same if they're given the
opportunities like Randy".
It
is reported that Lee recently underwent an extremely intense
workload at a junior meet, and has raised the attention of
his
former coach Foster Sampson who has expressed concern. However,
track and field analysts have likened the experiences
to the
standards associated with "competition orientation, especially at
this level in the US". "It is not unusual
for athletes to go
through this `feeling-out period' but things will fall into place
to the athlete's ultimate benefit,
soon," they assured.
For her part, Marian Burnett is aiming to make it two collegiate
indoor titles in as much
tries as she starts out the season ranked
No.2 at 800m, according to the prestigious US publication, Trackwire
Dandy
Dozen that predicts performances during the track seasons.
Burnett is topped by last year's outdoor champion Alice Schmidt
of
North Carolina whom she had defeated at the 2002 Indoor meet.
Additionally, Burnett's school Louisiana State
University (LSU) has
the historic achievement of holding down No.1 rankings for both
men's and woman's indoor titles
this year. It is the first time
that one of the 512 NCAA Division I universities has the top
rankings in both categories
for the same meet.
Burnett ran unbeaten at the collegiate level in 2002 and began her
indoor campaign last Saturday
at the SEC Quin Championships in
Arkansas by contesting the distance medley relay which her team won
in a season leading11:36.37s,
beating the home team in second place
by nearly 36 seconds. Burnett's DMR inclusion was a move to `ease'
her back
into championship shape following a performance-limiting
injury which developed at the end of the X-Country season last
November.
Pompey, Lee and Burnett, as well as other Guyana-born runners in the
U.S. will be looking to improve
as the indoor season progresses.
Pompey. In particular, regards the achievement as an excellent start
to her campaign
this year after she took a break from competition
since her historic feat in England last July. She noted that
herself
and Burnett, like most of the region's elite athletes, could
not have participated at last December's CAC Games in El
Salvador.
She cited that the meet clashed with their academic commitments,
coupled with "the fact that it was way
outside of most western
athletes' prearranged training and competition seasons though we
would have most likely medaled
there." However they both assured
that the chance to rest and recuperate will "be beneficial and reap
dividends this
year".
The two women are expected to appear on the same track over the
Valentine's Day weekend at the Armory Classic
in New York where
Burnett holds the track's collegiate 800m record which she set last
February.
Lee Puts Troubles Behind
Carroll Freshman Wins 500; Wilson's Aguilar Takes 300
By Kynan W. Kelly
Special
to The Washington Post
Sunday, January 19, 2003; Page D12
Carroll's Randy Lee had more to think about than
staying undefeated
as a freshman at yesterday's D.C. Interscholastic Athletic
Association Invitational at the D.C.
Armory.
His 4x200-meter relay team, which placed second to Wilson, was
disqualified early in the meet because of
an entry technicality, and
the soft-spoken Guyana native was not happy about it. In addition,
he had been knocked
down crossing the finish line first at last
weekend's Montgomery Invitational, so he was relieved to win
yesterday's
500 meters in a comfortable 1 minute 9.85 seconds.
"This time I was saying, 'Get way ahead so I don't have a repeat
of
last week,' " said Lee, who ran the nation's fourth-fastest 400
meters (49.94) last weekend. "I had so much on
my mind going into
the race after we were disqualified . . . so I had to make up for it
in my race."
Wilson's
4x200 relay team (Aaron Jackson, Marco Aguilar, Jamil
Williams and Brandon Reed), which ran one of the top 15 times
(1:32.62)
in the nation last weekend, grabbed the lead on Aguilar's
leg and won in 1:39.22. Douglas (1:40.85) was moved to second
when
Carroll was disqualified.
"We run against D.C. schools here, so it's friendly competition, but
it won't
be" in the DCIAA championship, Aguilar said. "We work hard
in practice, we don't play around. We hate losing."
Aguilar,
an All-Met as a junior, came back from a third-place finish
in the 500 to capture the 300 meters (37.82) ahead of a surging
Lee
(37.85), who suffered his first loss in that distance.
The disqualification was about the only blemish for
Carroll. Mike
Thomas, the second leg on the 4x200 team, celebrated his 16th
birthday by winning the 55-meter dash
in 6.89 ahead of teammate
Howard Bailey. Derrick Brinkley won the 1,000-meter dash in 2:45.00,
and the 1,600 in 4:56.30.
And Andrea Key won the shot put with a
throw of 30 feet 10 inches.
Bowie shot-putter Leif Crago's winning throw
of 56-1 not only landed
beyond the padded area but was also the farthest throw in the meet's
more than 30-year history.
Last week, Crago threw 58-51/2, one of
the top five tosses in the nation this season. He is coming off a
groin injury
and may have thrown farther if not for a slippery
throwing circle.
"I was basically going against the distances
that have already been
thrown this year," Crago said. "It's a matter of getting that
psyched, going for that number
one throw."
Riverdale Baptist senior Jessica Neal dominated both the 1,600- and
3,200-meter runs in 5:30.45 and
11:36.80, respectively, despite
running the slower heat in the longer distance. Neal, who won the
800 and 1,500 events
at this summer's AAU Junior Olympics, is in her
first indoor season and ran the 3,200 for only the second time.
"I
was a little nervous. . . . I didn't know if I was running the
right pace," said Neal, who is aiming for a low-11-minute
time. "I
wish I had someone to run against [in the faster heat], because it
would have caused me to run faster."
Douglass
senior Latisha Brown's lead leg gave her 4x200 team the
lead, and Shani Boone, Starema Flood and Dominique Langford pulled
away from a charging Ballou team to prevail by two seconds in
1:53.60.
Ballou's Andria Smallwood took control
early in the 500 and
increased her lead over Wilson's Tiffany Green to win in 1:19.36.
Anacostia junior Lakisha Gantt
won the 55-meter hurdles in 9.97 over
Dunbar's Agnes Chase. DuVal's Aaron James won the boys' 55 hurdles
in 8.19.
| Pompey back in winner's row |
|
...expected in Guyana today
By Michael DaSilva
Guyana's 2002 Commonwealth Games women's 400-metre gold medalist,
Aliann Pompey kept the `Golden
Arrowhead' aloft on Sunday, when she
defeated established American 800-metre record holder Jearl Miles by
over a second,
to win the New balance Games' 500-metre dash.
Pompey is expected home today and will be a special guest when the
Guyana
Olympic Association holds its Annual Appreciation Ceremony,
billed for the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel on Friday.
In
winning the event, Pompey, the NCAA 500-metre record holder also
pulled A.P. Randolph Senior, Natasha Hastings, to a high
school
national record in the event. Hastings placed fourth.
Pompey who ran unattached, since she is on a break from
studies,
clocked 1.10.06 in winning the event from Miles (New Balance) who
placed second in 1.11.24. Tiffany Barnes
(Delaware State University)
was third in 1.11.77, and Hastings (A.P. Randolph) fourth in 1.11.84.
On January 10, Pompey
in her first event for the season, endorsed
her phenomenal performance of last year, by winning the 400-metre
event
at the Fordham/St. John's Universities Collegiate Invita-
tional meet at New York's Armory Track, recording at the time,
the
world fastest time at a 400-metre this year.
Six days later, the Guyanese lowered her time to 52.2 seconds (hand-
time),
when she returned to the same track at the NY Road Runners
Club's `Thursday Night at the Races' meet.
The multiple
Guyana, South American and Colle-giate record holder
was aiming to eclipse her 1999 personal best indoor time of 52.21
at
the mid-January meet, but suffered a stumble at the start. She still
managed to beat the next athlete by a full
four seconds and her time
was later ratified to be another `world leader' however, it only
lasted a couple of days.
Pompey
is reported to have said her performance represented "a
progression in the right direction....surely I cannot complain".
Pompey
is looking forward to making times that will guarantee her
places in elite meets on the world circuit, aimed at landing
her in
this year's World Indoor Championships, slated for Birming-ham,
England.
The last year Pompey competed on
the indoor circuit, was in 2000,
when she contested the 500-metre, returning a personal best time of
1.09.23 in Boston.
|
Forde demolishes 5k field in Trinidad
By Naz Yacoob
PORT of Spain, Trinidad - Guyana's Carifta Games champion,
Cleveland Forde, carted off the five-kilometre run at yesterday's Clico
Trinidad and Tobago Marathon here in Port of Spain.
The
2002 Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year covered the distance in 15
minutes, 43 seconds, ahead of the Trinidad and Tobago pair
of Kern
Ramdin (16:13) and Jules La Rode (16:16).
The 5K was the undercard in the 21st running of the region's top
athletic event, and Forde enjoyed himself in the cool conditions
which prevailed in Port of Spain.
The `Rolls Royce'
Guyanese athlete demolished a field of over 1 200
runners, the largest ever since the inception of the 5k a few years
ago.
Forde collected TT$500 for his winning effort and won praises from
the talent scouts who came from the United
States of America and the
large crowd which gathered at the finish at Traggerete Road outside
the Queen's Park Oval.
In
the `Blue Riband' event, St Vincent and the Grenadines' Pamenos
Ballantyne broke his own course record of two hours, 15
minutes and
37 seconds he established in 1998.
The 28-year-old Ballantyne clipped seven seconds off the old record,
which attracted close to 450 international and regional competitors,
including defending champion John Muriuki of
Kenya.
It was an unprecedented 6th Clico Marathon win for the long-striding
Vincentian runner. Muriuki ended in second
place, while Juan Carlos Cardoza of Columbia was third.
In the women's category, Gitte Karlshoej of Denmark emerged as
winner
and also set a new course record.
Karlshoej, the 41-year-old lone competitor from Denmark, smashed the course record set
by Salina Chirchir by almost eight minutes to
place first among the women and 12th overall.
The Clico Marathon was
sponsored to the tune of US$100 000.
Big Truck and Pompey take sports awards
By Michael DaSilva
World Boxing Council's cruiserweight champion Wayne `Big
Truck'
Braithwaithe and Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist Aliann
Pompey, were adjudged Guyana's 2002 Sportsman
and Woman respectively,
yesterday (Jan. 24th, 2003).
The Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman awards went to middle distance
athlete Clevland Forde and squash player Nicolette Fernandes
respectively. Fernandes who is currently in England competing
on the
European circuit, had won both the sportswoman and junior sportswoman
awards in 2000 and 2001.
The selection
panel, chaired by former National Sports Commission
Chairman Ken DeAbreu and comprising 14 panelists, voted 8-5 in favour
of Braithwaithe winning the award from compatriot and World Boxing
Association/International Boxing Association junior
welterweight
champion `Vicious' Vivian Harris, who subsequently took two rounds of
voting to get rid of body builder
Sylvan Gardner for the Sportsman
runner-up spot.
Harris was the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the Guyana
Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association's (GABA) nomine. However,
Braithwaithe was nominated by the Guyana Amateur
Boxing Association
(GABA), Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) and the Guyana
Rugby Football Union (GRFU).
Gardner
won a gold medal at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean
Bodybuilding Championships.
Pompey on the other hand was
a run-away winner for the Sportswoman
award. She secured all 14 votes, while Central American and Caribbean
Games'
heptathlon bronze medalist Nyota Peters, won the runner-up
spot.
The US based athlete received nominations from the
Amateur Athletic
Association, Guyana National Rifle Association, Guyana Badminton
Association, GRFU, GABA, GASA and
GABA.
Forde participated at several Regional and International meets,
winning a gold medal at the Junior Carifta Games
in the Bahamas.
Fernandes had an outstanding year in 2002. She won four medals,
including a silver at the CAC Games
in San Salvador.
Table tennis player Johnathan Sankar and track athlete Michelle
Vaughn were voted runner-up Junior
Sportsman and Woman.
The Male Sports Personality award went to Guyana Amateur Body
Building Federation's President
Yale Holder, while the female version
went to FIFA referee Diane Fereira-James.
Among Holder's achievements for last
year were, successfully
presenting Guyana's case to the IFBB/CAC Executive in Barbados for
Guyana's hosting the 2004
CAC Championships, being elected member of
CAC's 2004, 3-man committee and being elected vice-president,
Southern
caribbean Region.
Fereira-James officiated as a referee in 52 local matches last year,
as well as 21 international
matches, including the U-19 Women's World
Championship Play-Off, the US Virgin Islands Federation Cup Final,
CONCACAF
U-19 Women's World Championship Final, CONCACAF Gold CUP
Final and FIFA's U-19 Women's World Championship.
She is the
first Caribbean referee (male or female) to officiate in a
World Championship Final.
Squash coach Carl Ince won the
Sports Coach award, while the Guyana
Squash Association won the Sports Association award.
Guyana's National Cricket
team won the Sports Team of the Year award,
while Stabroek Sport reporter, Michael DaSilva, won the Sports
Journalist
award from compatriot Steve Ninvalle.
The selection panel included Director of Sports Neil Kumar, Guyana
Olympic Association's
General Secretary Ivor O'Brien, Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Keith Booker,
immediate
past National Sports Commission Chairman, Conrad Plummer,
former Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis and members of the
print
and electronic media among others.
Aliann Pompey break National Record - 51.34!!!!!!!!!
Lee McConnell (51.29) ran a superb race in the second semi-final to take first place ahead of
Guyana's Aliann Pompey (51.34). Catherine Murphy (51.36) qualified for the final along with highly fancied Sandie Richards
(51.45) of Jamaica.
The first semi-final was won by Christine Amertil (51.38) of the Bahamas. Clementine Bewouda (52.00)
claimed second place.Allison Beckford (52.10) and Heide Seyerling (52.12) claimed the last qualifying berths.
The final
is set to be a close fought affair and appears completely wide open for the medal positions.
Final (28 Jul 2002 20:50) Status: Result (correct as of
28/7/2002 - 20:55)
Rank Bib Name Country Reaction Time
1 1067 POMPEY Aliann Guyana (GUY) 0.199 51.63
2 1209 McCONNELL Lee
Scotland (SCO) 0.296 51.68
3 682 RICHARDS Sandie Jamaica (JAM) 0.271 51.79
4 665 BECKFORD Allison Jamaica (JAM) 0.249
51.81
5 892 SEYERLING Heide South Africa (RSA) 0.195 52.87
6 1043 MURPHY Catherine Wales (WAL) 0.174 52.91
7 303
BEWOUDA Clementine Cameroon (CMR) 0.256 53.00
8 313 AMERTIL Christine Bahamas (BAH) 0.269 53.45
Semifinal 2 (27
Jul 2002 19:54) Status: Result (correct as of
27/7/2002 - 19:58)
Rank Bib Name Country Reaction Time Qual
1 1209
McCONNELL Lee Scotland (SCO) 0.259 51.29 (PB) Q
2 1067 POMPEY Aliann Guyana (GUY) 0.339 51.34 (NR) Q
3 1043 MURPHY
Catherine Wales (WAL) 0.182 51.36 (PB) Q
4 682 RICHARDS Sandie Jamaica (JAM) 0.294 51.45 Q
5 1206 NGUIMGO Mireille
Cameroon (CMR) 0.250 51.76 (SB)
6 329 KARAGOUNIS Helen England (ENG) 0.228 51.97 (PB)
7 386 WILLIAMS Foy Canada (CAN)
0.255 53.21
8 841 ARNOTT Jane New Zealand (NZL) 0.202 53.49
Pompey, Burnette cruise into semi-finals
By Michael DaSilva
United States based Guyanese track athletes Aliann Pompey and Marian Burnette
cruised into the semi-final round of the ladies 400 and 800
metres respectively, of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, currently
underway in Manchester, England.
Local squash `Queen' Nicolette Fernandes failed to qualify for the round of 16, after
being beaten by Northern Ireland's M. Perry in the
round of 32 yesterday. According to the Commonwealth Games' website
(commonwealthgames.com), Pompey returned 52.61 seconds on day two (Saturday), to qualify for the semi-final round which is
slated for
today.
Burnette on the other hand clocked two minutes 03.31 seconds in her 800m preliminary round to secure
a semi-final berth. Fernandes was beaten 2-9, 0-9, 1-9 by Perry in the round of 32 and
will now have to wait for the mixed
doubles to stake her claim for a medal.
Fernandes will partner Canadian based Guyanese Luke Fraser in the mixed doubles.
Pompey's personal best time for the 400m is 51.69
seconds, which she registered at the Harry Jerome Classic meet in Canada
last month.
Burnette's personal best time for the 800-metre is two minutes 02.56 seconds. Burnette is scheduled to come
up against the Games' record
holder, Maria Mutola of Mozambique, in the semi-final round of the 800-metre today. In her
first round heat on Friday, Pompey returned
52.88 seconds in placing third to Jamaica's Allison Beckford (52.29)and Bahamas'
Christine Amertil (52.64) respectively.
Pompey was a semi-finalist at last year's World Championships in Canada. Jamaica's
Sandi Richards who clocked 53.24 seconds in winning
her heat on Friday, returned 51.91 seconds in the second round yesterday.
Richards is the Games' record holder (50.17) over the 400m.
Other qualifiers for the semi-final of the ladies 400m include
Bahamas' Chrystine Amertil, Jamaica's Allison Beckford and Scotland's
Lee McConnell. Kenya's Faith Macharia (2:03.88),
Scotland's Susan Scott (2:02.82) Nigeria's Grace Ebor, Canada's Diane Cummins
(2:04.09) and Namibia's Agnes Samaria (2:03.04)
are among today's women's 800-metre semi-finalists. Ransford Goodluck and Mahendra
Persaud, Guyana's two rifle shooters
at the Games, were billed to get into action yesterday, but up to press time, no results were available.
Both Goodluck
and Persaud are just off the Queen's Golden Jubilee meet where Goodluck recorded 222 points with 21 V's in capturing the LVA
Communications `O' Class title. He also carted off 23 bronze bars at the meet while Persaud captured 16.
Guyana first
participated in the Commonwealth Games in 1934 as British Guiana and have so far contested a total 13 Games, during which,
local athletes have won 13 medals (including two gold medals) in a range of events.
Pompey wins first of three races in Canada
Olympian Aliann Pompey won the first of three
races schedule for British Columbia, Canada. She won the New Westminster track meet 400m dash in 52.10. Pompey will next compete
in the Harry Jerome Classic on Sunday June 2nd and the Port Aliberni meet on June 4th.
Burnette out of NCAA c'ships
by Orin Davidson (May 30, 2002)
Guyana's Marian Burnette has fallen victim
to the fierce rivalry associated with American sports and will miss this weekend's first
division outdoor college athletics
championships as a result.
A hot favourite to win the women's 800 metres title, Burnette was pulled from the Louisiana
State University team after being deemed
ineligible by the NCAA ruling body.
A rule which restricts the participation
of foreign athletes was used against Burnette after it was brought to the attention of the NCAA by a rival school.
It states
that foreigners who compete after age 21 before entering the NCAA organisation would have their participation cut by a maximum
of two years from the four years of college competition.
Burnette represented Guyana at the Central American and Caribbean
(CAC) Games in Venezuela in 1998 and the CAC championships in Barbados in 1999 after she passed 21 years before competing
for two years at junior college level.
As a result her NCAA participation was reduced to two years for which she has already
completed for Essex Community College in 2001 and 2000.
It means her outdoor career in the NCAA has ended. However, she
will be eligible for next year's indoor competition as she never competed at that level before going to the United States.
Burnette's
LSU coach Mark Elliot told Stabroek News that they were unaware of her ineligibility up to five weeks ago and were banking
heavily on the Guyanese to help them win the women's team title.
The Guyana Police Force athlete had spearheaded LSU to
the indoor title in March after winning the 800 metres gold. Elliot said Burnette's only option now is to compete on the European
circuit and in high level meets in the United States this year. He added that every effort will done to make it a reality.
McKenzie crowned state champion
New York, NY
South Shore High School Senior Chase McKenzie was crowned
PSAL 800m champion on Sunday @ St. John's University. He narrowly beat out Lindel Pope of Canarsie in a time of 1:56.15 to
1:56.22. McKenzie was also the anchor leg on the winning 4x800m (7:53.58) relay and the
fifth place 4x400m (3:23.62) relay
team.
Kwesi West was a third leg of Canarsie High School's second place 4x100m (43.79) relay team.
Baltimore,
Maryland
Bowie High School Junior Peter Ramdial and Senior Kareem Charles ran third and anchor leg of second place
Maryland 4A 4x800m (7:55.16)
relay team. They also run on the 4x800m team that make the Championship of America at Penn
Relays. Ramdial placed 9th in the 1600m run final with a time of 4:38.40.
FYI
CHASE MCKENZIE, KAREEM CHARLES,
PETER RAMDIAL, TAI PAYNE
1:56.0, 1:56.0, 1:54.0, 1:51.0 (7:37.0)
This Junior team could have defeated the following
teams @ The Penn Relays. Maybe, something Guyana could think about for the World Juniors in Kingston, Jamaica.
7:38.07,
Binghamton
7:38.29, Army
7:39.50, Pennsylvania
7:40.31, James Madison
7:41.16, Virginia Commonwealth
7:41.24,
William & Mary
7:44.44, Maryland/Eastern Shore
7:51.03, Oklahoma State
7:40.24, Boston College
7:41.26, Fordham
7:41.35,
G.C. Foster (Jam)
7:42.37, Dartmouth
7:43.21, Loyola (Ill)
7:44.66, Findlay
7:44.69, Maine
7:45.32, Davidson
7:45.62,
Albany
7:45.69, Mount St. Mary's
7:46.54, St. Francis (Pa)
7:48.32, East Carolina
7:53.90, Bucknell
7:54.70,
Southern Connecticut State
8:02.17, Lafayette
7:40.60, Florida
7:42.26, Navy
Gibbons takes 2nd, Corlette takes 4th at Nationals.
Lindenwood Sophomore Kurt Gibbons took 2nd place in the 200m dash
at the NAIA National Championship in a time of 21.53. Kurt run a
seasonal best 21.43 to win his first round race. The
200m would serve as the make for the 100m dash final, where Gibbons was disqualified after false starting. He was ranked number
two going into final with a 10.68 and ran a personal best 10.43 in his first round trials.
Gibbons was a member of the
victorious 4x100m relay team.
On the women's side, Freshman Angilla Corlette takes 4th in the 200m dash finals with
a time of 24.74. Corlette came into the final ranked 7th of 8 runners with a qualifying time of 24.73. She was also a member
of Lindenwood's 2nd place 4x100m relay team.
Updated Results for Month of May
HAAC Championship (5/4/02)
Lindenwood University Sophomore
Kurt Gibbons was crowned 2002 HAAC Conference 200m champion with a time of 21.78. It made up for his 2nd place finish in the
100m dash final with a 10.85. He also placed 4th
in the long jump with a leap of 22ft 5.25in. He was also a member of
the winning 4x100m relay.
Freshman Lindenwood University Freshman Angilla Corlette qualified 3rd for the 100m final
with a 12.88, however she was false started and was disqualified. She came back to finish 2nd in the 200m dash with a time
of 25.12. Corlette was also a member of the winning
4x100m relay.
NEC Championship (5/4/02)
UMBC Freshman Kris
Hutson placed 11th in the 400m dash with a time of 49.51.
UMBC Freshman Delisa Williams placed 11th in the 400m dash
with a time of 58.92. Also a member of the 3rd place, All Conference 4x400m relay team.
Big East Championship (5/4/02)
Pittsburgh
Senior Patrick Harding placed 3rd and earned All-Big East Honor with his throw of 54ft 5.25in. He also placed 9th in the Discus
with a toss of 165ft 6in.
Howard Richter Invitational (5/5/02 - High School)
South Shore Senior Chase McKenzie placed
2nd in the 200m dash with a time of 22.24. Chase went on to win the 400m dash in 49.94.
PSAL Development Meet (5/7/02
- High School)
South Shore Senior Chase McKenzie ran a 1:56.44 to take second in the 800m dash.
Eddie P. Hurt Invitational
(5/10/02)
Kwesi Sarabo placed 3rd in the 100m with a 10.54 (1.5 wind) and placed 1st in the 200m with 21.24.
Jesse
Owens Classic (5/10/02)
Ohio State Senior Onica Fraser placed 2nd in the 400m dash with a time of 54.45.
Purple
& Orange Classic (5/11/02)
2000 Olympian Charles Allen run 20.77 (1.5 wind) to place 2nd in the 200m dash. Georgia
Tech Junior Brian Fraser placed 8th in the 100m dash with a time of 10.85.
Big Ten Championship (05/18/02)
Ohio
State Senior Onica Fraiser defended her 2001 Big Ten 400m Championship by placing second in the 2002 finals. She took second
with a time of 54.37.
She was also a member of the 4x100 and 4x400m relay team.
IC4A Championship (5/18/02)
Pittsburgh
University Senior Patrick Harding placed 4th in the IC4A Championship with a throw of 55ft 7in.
Georgia Tech Invitational
(5/18/02)
Jessica Defreitas placed 7th with a Jump of 20ft 3.75in.
Brian Fraser placed 17th with a jump of 23ft 5.25in.
PSAL Outdoor Brooklyn Championship (5/19/02 - High School)
South Shore Senior Chase McKenzie placed 3rd in the
200m dash in 22.84 and 3rd in the 400m dash in 49.24.
Vaughn breaks Whitsuntide Games record
--- (Stabroek News 5/21/02)
Atoms athlete Michelle Vaughn claimed the lone gold medal for
Guyana in a record breaking long jump performance at the Whitsuntide Games in Grenada on Sunday.
The 18-year-old jumper
leaped a personal best 6.14 metres to set a new Whitsuntide Games record to help Guyana add five more medals to their overall
tally which amounted to 10 in the two-day competition.
Vaughn narrowly missed the World Junior Championships qualifying
mark of 6.15 metres, but it was a remarkable effort from the teenager who was bypassed for the Junior Carifta Games, in only
her second
competition of the year. The previous Games record stood at 6.04 metres.
Nyota Peters was second in 5.93m
and she added another silver in the women's triple jump.
Distance specialist Lionel D'Andrade got his second medal by taking
silver in the men's 10,000m in 34 minutes.07.72 seconds finishing
behind Vincentian J. Richardson who had beaten the Guyanese
into third place in the 5000m on Saturday. There seemed to be a mix up in
times given in the 5000 as D'Andrade was given
15 minutes 10 seconds which happened to be the best in the race. Roberto Innis secured the
other medal on Sunday by placing
third in the men's 800 metres in 1:55.58.
Sprinter Rawle Greene was fourth in the men's 200m in 21.48 after taking silver
in the 100 on the first day.
DAY ONE
Guyana collect 2 silver and 3 bronze at Whitsuntide games Guyana's
seven-member team to the Whitsuntide Games in Grenada has been holding its own against tough Caribbean competition. A release
from the Amateur Athletic Association stated that after the first day of competition on Saturday the team had collected two
silvers and three bronze medals.
Rawle Green and Clyde won silvers in the 100 metres and long jump respectively Green turned
in a time of 10.5 seconds while Gibson leapt 7.18 metres. A bronze medal went to Lionel D'Andrade who finished the 5000 metres
race in a time of 15 minutes 10.6 seconds. Budding hept athlete Nyota Peters gained the other two in the javelin with
a throw of 33m 35 and the High Jump with a jump of 1m 65.
Peters performance are basically for points and the places are
not of relevance the release stated. Athlete Roberto Inniss was unable to
compete in the Men's 1500 event as he sprained
his ankle while warming up and had to seek medical attention.
Hope was high that he would have competed in his pet event,
the 800 metres yesterday. Also expected to compete yesterday were Green
(200m), Inniss (800m), D'Andrade (10,000m) and
Rennison Da Silva (triple jump). Michelle Vaughn and Peters will compete in the Women's
Long Jump.
Mark Williams memorial 5k from the Guyana Chronicle (05/21/02)
Cleveland Forde establishes new record
TEENAGED middle and long distance athlete Cleveland Forde continued his impressive
run of form with a record-breaking performance in last Saturday's third Mark Williams Memorial 5-km Run last Saturday. The
2002 Carifta Games 5 000 metres gold medallist, a member of the Rising Stars Track Club, clocked 15:53 minutes to record the
best time since the first event was run in 2000.
Carla Benjamin was the first female athlete to cross the finish line,
covering the distance in 21:38 minutes. The early pace was set by Forde, his Rising Stars team-mate Kelvin Johnson and Colin
Mercurius of Police Sports Club.
However, Forde thrashed the opposition and went on to win unchallenged with Johnson finishing
second and Mercurius third. Despite placing 34th overall, Guyana Defence Force's Evadne Eusibio occupied the second spot in
the female Open category with her team-mate Rebecca Alexander placing third.
The Boys' Under-20 category saw Tulsierai
Ramnauth (Atoms) take the top spot from Christopher Joseph (Atoms) and Keon Browne (Police Sports Club).
Jevita David (Royal
Youth Movement) was top among the Under-20 Girls, winning from Joann Van Sertima (Police) and Nakisha Blair (Royal
Youth
Movement).
The Under-17 Boys' category saw Derwin Eastman (Police) take the top position from Martin Calvan (Royal Youth
Movement).
Jennifer Chichester (Police) won the Girls' Under-17 category from Carlisa Atkinson (Royal Youth Movement) and
Lianna Doris (Dora Secondary).
Clifton Thom won among the Over-40 men, Maurice Fagundes among the Over-50s and Philip Beckles
among the Over-60s.
The youngest female athlete to cross the finish line was Carlisa Atkinson; the youngest male Jonhatan
Fagundes; the first West Demerara athlete Sherwin Washington and the first 18-year-old Keon Browne.
This race, in honour
of former Guyana Defence Force member who was killed in a motor accident just outside his home, started at Patentia, West
Bank Demerara and finished outside the Williams' residence at Stanleytown.
He was to date the only Guyanese athlete to
have won the lottery draw of the International Amateur Athletics Association's (IAAF) first
World Athletics Day competition
in 1996. He attended the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games as the guest of the IAAF. The mother of the late athlete, Joan Williams,
is expressing sincere
thanks to the following for making the race a success and for the donation of trophies: members
of the Amateur Athletic Association of
Guyana, Guyana Police Force, Corporal Lynden Wilson, COURTS, National Sports Commission,
Selwyn Anthony, Leslie Black, Lawrence Griffith, Christopher Gaskin, George Barry, Fon Roje Variety Store of Regent Street,
Cosmos Football Club of Barbados and Images Beauty Salon of North Road, Bourda.
Charles Allen Break his own national record.
Running in his first outdoor meet of the season, Guyana National 110mH record holder and 2000 Sydney Olympian broke his own
national record by 0.03 second. His winning time at the Clemson Invititional of 13.73 (0.04 wind reading) replaced the 13.76
set back in 2000.
Allen also placed second in the 200m dash in an impressive early season time of 20.80.
Congrats to Mr. Allen.
Here is the link to the web results.
http://graphics.fansonly.com//photos/schools/clem/sports/m-
track/auto_pdf/results.pdf
Hampton Games results from the Stabroek News
|
|
|
Guyanese athletes notch 7 golds in T&T
Guyana's athletes made a huge impact at the Hampton Games athletics meeting by bagging
12 medals including seven golds in Trinidad and
Tobago last weekend.
Atoms club took away all the Guyana medals except
one silver, to record their best ever performance with a nine-person team in the
annual meet at the Hasely Crawford stadium.
Fourteen
year old Randy Lee led the medal haul by carting off three golds in all three Under-15 events he contested while there was
even
greater joy for Tai Payne who copped two first places while Michelle Vaughn and Clyde Gibson completed the gold medal
haul with one each.
In speeding to victory in the 400m, Payne recorded a personal best 47.26 seconds and smashed the Guyana
national junior record of 48.4s set by Anthony October in 1976 and the Hampton Games mark (47.40). In the process, the Bishops
High student also clinched a place for the World Junior Championships by bettering the qualifying time of 47.9s.He went on
to whip the 800 metres field in 1 minute 51.90 seconds and avenged his loss to Trinidadian Simeon Bovell at the Junior Carifta
Games last Easter in the Bahamas where he settled for silver.
The time for the Guyanese's pet event fell short of the
world Championships qualifying mark of 1:50.00 and his personal best
1:51.32. Lee touted as one of Guyana's most promising
young runners, fully justified that feeling by romping to victory in the Under-15 200 (23.3s), 400 (50.65s) and 800 (2:13.08)
metres, recording personal best times in all three events. His 400 performance was also a
Hampton Games record.
Michelle
Vaughn who was overlooked by the Amateur Athletics Association for the Carifta Games, proved it was a mistake by winning
the
women's long jump with a 5.89 metres effort that would have earned her a medal in the Bahamas. She also won silver in the
triple
jump by leaping 11.00 metres.
Clyde Gibson took gold in the men's triple jump with a 14.28m effort, in an event
hardly contested in Guyana. His clubmate Rennison Da
Silva won bronze in 13.46m.
Twelve year-old Analisa Austin stepped
up to the Under-15 level and won silver in the 100 and 200 events, in personal best times of 12.34 and 25.62 seconds respectively.
Carifta Games gold medalist 17-year-old Cleveland Forde was also in blistering form as he chopped nine
seconds off his
personal best, clocking 15:39.28 in his first international track race among seniors in the 5000 metres. He finished fourth
in the event won by world class marathoner Pamenos Ballantyne in 14:39.90.
A silver medal performance was also recorded
by Royal Youth Movement's Keith Roberts who clocked 10.78 seconds in placing second
to world under-18 champion Darrell
Browne of Trinidad and Tobago who recorded a stunning personal best 10.19s. There was a fourth place finish for Kelvin Johnson
in the men's 1
mile and fifth in the 5000 metres.
Atoms coach Foster Sampson described the athletes' performances
as excellent and said they were fully motivated to do their best. He
pointed out that mental preparation was a key to
their success, which he was able to accomplish to an extent.
Double Carifta Games gold medalist Guyanese James Baird,
representing Antigua Pioneers won the boys Under-17 1500 metres.
The meet attracted a number of high profile world class
runners including Namibian Frankie Fredericks who won the men's 100m in 10.28s from 19-year-old Trinidadian Marc Burns and
Americans Coby Miller, Jon Drummond and Tim Harden.
The women's 100 featured Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers who had
to settle for fourth behind Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas, Jamaica's
Tanya Lawrence and Inga Miller. (Orin Davidson)
Burnett continued winning streak.
LSU Reigning Division One Indoor 800m Champion and National runner Marian Burnett continued her undefeated streak by
winning her first outdoor meet of the season. Competing at the Stafford Invitational, Burnett defeated a very talent field
that included some past All-American 800m runners with an outdoor personal best and NCAA provisional qualifier of 2:05.52.
She also claims the early number one rankings for the outdoor season. This victory was Burnett's five straight 800m victory
on the Division One Level which included an indoor NCAA and SEC title.
Burnett next competes at the Texas Relays.
Junior Carifta Games highlight
Forde wins 5000m gold.
-----Payne take 2nd in the
800m.
Promising long distance runner Cleveland Forde captured the Carifta
Games 5000m with by less than one second.
His time of 15:48.03
bettered local homeboy Alex Sawyer (Bahamas) time of 15:48.81. This
victory is a honor for Forde
who has showed great strides since his
participation in the World Youth games last year. It is also a
continuation
of some wonderful performances by him this season
including wins at the Milo/Teachers Secondary School Championship and
the Junior National Championship.
Middle Distance runner Tai Payne couldn't improve on his second place
finish
from last year even though he ran a personal best time of
1:51.33. Payne also ran a very impressive 48.32 in the 400m
dash to
place 6th in the finals.
Also, 12-year old and future star Analisa Austin
competed in the Under 17
division and ran an impressive 12.33 in the 100m dash. She also ran 26.34 in the 200m. Everyone she competed against had 5
years on her. The sky is the limit for this young superstar.
Visit this site for complete details.
http://www.cfpitiming.com/Carifta%20Games%202002.htm
These two next competes at the South American Junior Championship on
April 11th 15th.
Nestle Milo championships
North Georgetown nose past Upper Demerara
By Michael DaSilva (Stabroek News)
North Georgetown (District 11) surged ahead of defending champions Upper Demerara/Kwakwani, in the athletics competition
of the Ministry of Education/Guyana Teachers Union/Nestle Milo sponsored-42nd Track and Field, Cycling and Swimming Championships
at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, on day three yesterday.
The defending Champions (District 10) are also behind
in the teachers championships, and are level with Corentyne in cycling.
After 70 track and field finals, District 11 have
accumulated 326 and one half points with District 10 on 322 points.
East Coast have 107 points in the teachers championships
after 40 finals, as against third place, District 10, on 57 points. Corentyne are second with 87 and one half points.
Corentyne
and District 10 are tied on 134 points in cycling after 18 finals.
Up to press time, three records were broken, the most
notable feat was of Junior Carifta Games silver medalist Tai Payne (District 11) who returned 49.9 seconds for the boys Under-20
400 metres, eclipsing the 50.2 seconds mark set by Julian Edmonds in 1991.
Darrel Johnson of Corentyne (District 6) also established a new record in the 1500m boys Under-15 event by clocking four
minutes, 42.7 seconds, bettering the four minutes, 52.4 seconds set last year by East Demerara's Shawn Sobers in Linden.
The
other record set yesterday, was by District 11's, Curtis McKenzie's, who clocked 23.6 seconds for the teachers Under-21, 200-metre
event in 1996. This record was broken by South Georgetown's (District 13) Troy Eastman who returned 23.4 seconds.
District
11's Cleveland Forde captured a third title yesterday when he won the boys 5000m event in 16 minutes, 38.1 seconds, ahead
of Corentyne's Dorrell Williams and Rupununi's Kentigan Orlando respectively.
In the 400 metres boys under-20 race, Payne,
running in lane one cruised through the first 200 but changed into overdrive in the final half to win by a handsome 25 metres.
The
boys 5000m saw Forde positioning himself at the head from the start, setting the pace while Shawn Sandiford, Jelanie Saul,
Orlando and Charles McLeod followed closely. With three laps remaining, Forde changed gear and left his rivals standing, lengthening
his strides to win comfortably with more than 100 metres in hand.
In the 3000m open for girls, Dick controlled the pace
of the race with Hernandez close up her heels for most of the race. Keisha Barry was a close third and Allicock a distant
fourth, but with 600-metre remaining, Dick accelerated and opened a sizeable lead over Hernandez who tried in vain to close
the gap. In the end, Dick won by approximately six metres.
New cycling 5000 metres record Christopher Cush of East Georgetown
suffered a setback when he was disqualified by race official Hassan Mohamed for humiliation. The young rider was a convincing
winner of the 1500 metres event and after crossing the line he waited and called the other finishers which prompted Mohamed
to take an unusual course of action. Second place finisher Jorge Emerson was awarded the gold.
Selected track and field
results: 400m boys Under-20 - (1) Tai Payne (2) Trevon Garraway (East
Georgetown) and (3) Germaine Hazel (West Demerara). 400m girls Under-20 - (1) Latoya Barker (East Georgetown) (2) Nekeisha
Blair (South Georgetown) and (3) Renetta Sealey (Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon). 400m girls Under-17 - (1) Cadijah St. Hill (East
Georgetown), (2) Candida Higgins (Corentyne) and (3) Kimberly Holder (East Coast). 400m boys Under-17 - (1) Derwin Eastman
(East Georgetown), (2) Troy Thomas (Corentyne) and (3) Kelvin Chester (South Georgetown). 3000m girls open - (1) Delcie Dick
(New Amsterdam/Canje), (2) Vanessa Hernandez (Rupununi) and (3) Zola Allicock (West Demerara). 1500m boys Under-15 - (1) Darrel
Johnson (Corentyne), (2) Keston Tyrell (East Georgetown) and (3) Winston Alexander (East Bank Demerara).
Selected cycling
results - 1500m girls open (1) Oviah O'Selmo (District 10) (2) Tremayne Smart (Corentyne) and (3) Allena Evans (Potaro/Siparuni).
1500m boys open - (1) Jorge Emmerson (District 10), (2) Devon Crandon (New Amsterdam) and (3) Clive Harry (Corentyne).
Payne, Roberts shine at
National Junior championships
RUNNER-UP Junior Sportsman of the Year, Tai Payne, blazed the trail in the
Boys Under-20 400 and 800 metre races, while Keith Roberts ruled the sprints at the National Junior Track & Field championships
at the Uitvlugt Community Centre ground, Sunday.
The top Under-20 female sprinter was Michelle Vaughn, while Gevita David was
tops in the middle distances.
Payne of Atoms burst the 400-metre tape in 50.2 seconds, followed by club
mate Christopher Joseph (50.4), Quacey Straker of Police (55.6) and Cort Zammett of Police (55.8).
In the 800 metres, Payne clocked 2:03.3 minutes, comfortably beating Richard
Staglon of Police (2:14.9), with Cortis Europe of Bedford (2:24) and Pete Younge of Red Hornets (2:37.8).
The tussle for the 100-metre finish was between Roberts of Royal Youth Movement
(10.4 seconds) and Seon Forde of Linden Track Club (10.5), followed by Treton Garraway of Royal and Kareem Williams.
Roberts (22.4 seconds) beat Joseph (23.3) in the 200 metres, with Straker
coming third and Germain Hazel fourth.
Cleveland Forde of Rising Stars comfortably took the 1500 and 5 000 metres.
He beat Tulsirai Ramnauth of Atoms in the 1500, 4:25 minutes and 4:30 respectively, with Mark Branker of Police running in
third and Shawn Sandiford in the fourth place.
Forde then beat the field by over two minutes in the 5 000 metres, finishing
in 16:40.6 mintues, followed by Shawn Sandiford of Upper Demerara (18:08.6), with Ramnauth coming third and Branker fourth.
In the Girls Under-20 100 metres, Vaughn of Atoms clocked 12.2 seconds to
beat La Toya Morris of Royal (12.6), Rebecca Harris of Atoms (13.2) and ODonna Pryce of Upper Demerara.
Vaugh (26.4 seconds) then triumphed over Joann Van Sertima of Police (26.8)
in the 200 metres, followed by Stacy Smith of Police in third place and Nakisha Blair of Royal fourth.
Smith (1:03.5 minutes) and Blair (1:05) advanced to the top two slots in the
400 metres, with third place going to Shondelle Johnson of Linden TC and fourth to Van Sertima.
David of Royal won the 800 metres, finishing in 2:44.2 minutes, followed by
Alana De Freitas of West Demerarar (3:00.2) and Leslyn Qualis of Police (3:12.5).
In the 1500 metres, David (5:47.5 minutes) turned back club-mate Abigail De
Souza (5:56.3), with De Freitas third and Qualis fourth.
The 3000 metres went to Delcie Dick of New Amsterdam Track Club (11:43.8 minutes),
with Jennifer Chichester of Police running in second (12:12.3), Keneisha Lashley of Presidents College third and De Souza
in fourth place.
Renaldo Mc Rae of Police dominated the Boys Under-17 sprints, taking the 100
metres in 11.2 seconds, followed by team-mates Quacey Trotman (11.4) and Richard Barrington, and Dason Rameswar of Upper Demerara
fourth.
In the 200 metres, Mc Rae finished in 23.8 second, Trotman 24.8, Barrington
24.9 and Colin Williams of Upper Demerara 25.
Randy Lee of Atoms was the master of the next two distances, capturing the
400 metres in 53.4 second, followed by Derwin Eastman of Police (54.5), Kelvin Chester of Police and Travis Trotz fourth.
Lee (2:13.5 minutes) again beat Eastman (2:19.5) in the 800 metres, while
David Younge of Presidents College came in third, followed by Chester.
The 1500 metres went to Sherwyn Johnson of Linden TC (4:44.1 minutes), second
Erwin Allen of Royal (4:55.6), third Shawn Sobers of PC and fourth Mervin Calvan of Royal.
Calvan stepped up to take the 3 000 metres in 10:55.9 minutes, followed by
club mate Cleveland Thomas (11:15.7), with Tito Allicock of West Demerara third and Deryck Adams of Striders Athletic Club
fourth.
La Toya Barker of Bedford was the top Girls Under-17 athletes, winning the
200 and 400 metres races. She beat Cadejah St Hill in the 200 metres, 26.1 seconds to 26.8, with the third place going to
Rosanna Lewis of Royal and fourth to Sabrina Walcott of Bedford.
Barker clocked 1:03.6 minutes in the 400 metres, beating Brunetta Henry of
Royal (1:07.3), while running in third was Latesia Noble of Royal and fourth Cherisa Mc Lean.
Analisa Austin of Atoms won the 100 metre dash in 12.1 seconds, ahead of Dianne
Munroe of Police (12.7) St Hill third and Ashanti Mickle of Royal fourth.
Victory in the 800 metres went to Kimberly Holder of PC, followed in descending
order by Athia Allicock of West Demerara, Alanna James of PC and Erica Browne of YMCA.
The 1500 metres was won by Jennifer Chichester, with Delcia Dick second, both
appearing and placing in the Under-20 3000 metres. Brown was third and Melissa Lowe of Police fourth.
Boys Under-20 field events were won by Royston Ross of Bygeval (shot), Cleon
Washington of Upper Demerara (discus) and Andell Smith of Linden TC (javelin), while on the distaff side, the winners were
Shondella Johnson (shot) Dacia Carter (discus) and Runada Floris (javelin).
Vince Reid of YMCA won both the Boys Under-17 shot and discus.
Burnett wins first Division One title.
LSU Junior and Guyana National Runner Marian
Burnett won her first NCAA Division One title with a time of 2:05.33 in the 800m run. Her win continue a streak of winning
at least one title for each year running collegiate track and field. This title adds to her pervious two titles at Essex Junior
College and certified her as the best collegiate 800m-meter runner in the college. Her win assisted LSU win the team title
and earned her All-American honors. Burnett was also led off the 3rd place 4x400m team for LSU.
Burnett qualifies number one.
LSU Junior Marian Burnett
claimed the number one spot going into the 800m finals with a personal best 2:05.16. She is looking to win her first NCAA
Division One title after accomplishing that feat each of her two years at the Junior College Level.
Burnett's nearest competitor is almost
two seconds behind during the qualification round. Burnett is looking to add this title to her current SEC championship.
In other championships
Senior Patrick Harding of Pittsburgh
University was the runner up in the Shot Put competition at the recently concluded IC4A. His throw of 56ft 01.75in (17.11m)
earned him All-Eastern Honors. Harding's second placed finish (56ft 11.25in) added to his All-Big East runner up trophy at
the Big East Conference Championship. Senior Onica Fraser of Ohio State placed a narrow third in the Big 10 Conference 400m championships. Her time of 54.91
seconds was her seasonal best.
Burnett burn the track up in New York
------Automatically qualifies for NCAA.
Armory Track & Field Center, New York City:
Two time Guyana Female
Athlete of the Year and LSU Junior Marian Burnett out ran the competition at the second annual New York Road Runners Collegiate
Invitational to win the 800m. Her personal best time of 2:06.07 set a new meet record and automatically qualified her for
the NCAA Division One Championships. Ms. Burnett is in her first year at LSU, after transferring from Essex Junior College
where she was the Junior College National 800m Champion last year. She seems to have made a very smooth Division One transition.
Also, competing was 2001 Big Ten Outdoor Champion Onica Fraser who ran a seasonal best, 56.65.
Ramdial avenge county championship loss.
Bowie High School (Maryland) Peter Ramdial avenge last week's loss at the Prince George's County Cross Country Championship
to Eleanor Roosevelt John Witter by defeat his main rival by over ten seconds at the Maryland 4A South Regional Championships.
His time of 17 minutes and 47 seconds would have carried him to victory last week compare to this time of over 18 minutes.
Ramdial showed why he is considered one of Maryland's best by defeat the field to qualify for his third consecutive Maryland
States Championship. States is set for Nov. 10, 2001 at Hereford High School.
Ramdial win one and lose one.
--Payne takes fourth in 800m finals.
Cross Country
Bowie High Junior Peter Ramdial continued his wonderful cross-country season by wining the Mustang
Invitational and placing third in the Prince Georges County Championship. Ramdial picked up where he left off last season
by out sprinting La Plata teammates Chris Baumler and Ed May to win in 17 minutes and 38 seconds. His first placed finished
enable his team to finish a respectable 4th in the team championship with 78 points.
A week later, Ramdial was
the favorite to win the county title with the departure of the two seniors who defeated him last year. However, he had to
settle for third again, when E. Roosevelt John Witter and Central Chris Schaffer out dueled him to the finish line on the
always, difficult Fort Washington Course. His time of 18 minutes and 28 seconds was well below his third place time last
year. Ramdial will compete next at the 3A-4A Maryland Regional Championship.
Track and Field
Junior
half miler champion Tai Payne placed 4th in him 800m finals at the Junior Pan American Championships. His time of 1:53.09
was well below his personal best of 1:52.54. The race was won by Silvera Simoncito (Ven.) in 1:50.95 .....Junior Sprinter
Keith Roberts took 6th in his 200m heat in 22.44 seconds and did not qualify for the finals.
Payne qualifies for 800m Finals
Junior Middle Distance Runner Tai Payne qualified for the Finals of the Pan American Games with his time of 1:53.83. He
was the last qualifier for the finals as he finished 5th in the three section semi-finals. The fastest qualifier was Silvera
Simoncito of Venezuela with a time of 1:52.81. Payne has a seasonal best time of 1:52.54, which he ran earlier at the Whitsuntide
Games. Therefore, he has a great chance of winning Guyanas first gold medal in this event.
Teammate Keith Roberts
compete in the 100m semi-finals and placed fourth in his heat with a time of 11.04 seconds. It was not good enough to qualify
for the Finals. However, Roberts will have another chance to make a final in the 200m dash.
Good Luck
100 METROS
(1) BURNS MARC 1983 TRI 10.54
(2) ALVES CAMPOS BRUNO TIAGO 1982 BRA 10.80
(3) REID ORLANDO
1982 JAM 10.84
(4) ROBERTS KEITH 1983 GUY 11.04
(5) GALLARDI MATIAS 1982 ARG 11.07
(6) FRASER CURTIS 1982
CAN 11.12
800 METROS
(1) SIMONCITO SILVERA 1982 VEN 1.52.81
(2) SMITH SHUAN 1983 JAM 1.53.44
(3) CEDAZO YAIR 1982 MEX 1.53.58
(4) RODRIGUEZ DANIEL 1982 ARG 1.53.59
(5) PAYNE TAI 1983 GUY 1.53.83
(6) FLORES JULIO 1982 PER 1.54.08
(7) PEREIRA CHYAROMONT THIAGO *Aban* 1984 BRA
800 METROS FINALS
(Athletes Schedule to compete)
SIMONCITO SILVERA 1982 VEN
ALMONTE ODALIS 1983 DOM
SMITH SHUAN 1983
JAM
BARRIOS LUIS JUAN 1982 MEX
CEDAZO YAIR 1982 MEX
OTUNELA ZAMORA KENNETH 1982 CRC
RODRIGUEZ DANIEL
1982 ARG
PAYNE TAI 1983 GUY
Payne takes 6th in 800m Finals
October 13, 2001 (Santa Fe, Arg.) Promising Guyanese Junior 800m runner Tai Payne finished a respectable 6th in the recently
concluded South American Junior Championship in Santa Fe, Argentina. His time of 1:52.78 was propelled was a four seconds
behind the Simoncito Silvera (Ven.) winning time of 1:48.53.
Paynes teammate Keith Roberts was slated to compete
in the 100 and 200 meters dash, however he only made the start list for the 200m. Roberts finished fourth in the first heat
of the 200m semi-finals with a personal best time of 22.50. He did not advance to the finals.
Both Payne and
Roberts will remain in Santa Fe to compete in the Junior Pan American Championship on Oct. 18 20, 2001.
Good
Luck.
Results.
800 METROS
FINAL
(1)SIMONCITO SILVERA *NRC* 1982 VEN 1.48.53
(2)FABIANO PECANHA 1982
BRA 1.48.90
(3)THIAGO PEREIRA CHYAROMONT 1984 BRA 1.50.27
(4)OLWIO GRANADOS 1984 VEN 1.51.64
(5)DELGADO ISRAEL
1984 PER 1.52.67
(6)TAI PAYNE 1983 GUY 1.52.78
(7)RODRIGUEZ DANIEL 1982 ARG 1.53.21
(8)MATUTE CRISTIAN 1983
ECU 1.53.69
(9)FLORES JULIO 1982 PER 1.53.79
(10)SILVA ANDRES 1986 URU 1.54.28
(11)MEDINA DAVID 1982 CHI 1.54.80
(12)REDDES OSCAR 1983 PAR 1.58.19
(13)DI LEVA MATIAS 1982 ARG 1.58.52
(14)CORNELIS SIEBE 1983 SUR 2.05.34
200 METROS
Semi-Finals Heat One
(1)VALOYES JHON 1984 COL 21.58
(2)BRUNO NASCIMENTO
PACHECO 1983 BRA 21.96
(3)ACEVEDO JOSE 1986 VEN 22.11
(4)ROBERTS KEITH 1982 GUY 22.50
(5)JALON ALFREDO 1982
CHI 22.84
(6)FERREIRA NESTOR 1982 URU 23.00
(7)MALDONADO WILLIAM 1983 PAR 23.90
AAA thanks NSC and MPS
In photo, Tai Payne (second left) accepts the sponsorship cheque from Director of Mings Products and Services, Colin Ming,
while Payne's coach Foster Sampson look on approvingly
The Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAA) would like to thank the National Sports Commission and Mings Products and
Services for sponsoring two of its athletes to the South American and Junior Pan American Track and Field Championships which
gets underway in Argentina over the weekend.
According to a press release from the AAA, the presence of Tai Payne and
Keith Roberts at the two meets were made possible by the NSC who gave the association a grant and MPS who made a monetary
donation to Payne's trip.
The cost of one airline ticket to Argentina is $207,346.
Payne and Roberts will contest
both meets slated for the Regional Development Centre, Santa Fe, Argentina.
The South American Championships is billed
for tomorrow and Saturday, while the Junior Pan Am Championships is scheduled for October 18-20.
Payne would contest
the 800-metre while Roberts would be competing in the 100 and 200-metre events.
Payne upset, 100m ends in dead heat
-Inter Club athletics
By Michael DaSilva
Atoms' Keith Roberts (left), Royal Youth Movement's Rawle Green (center), dip their heads at the finish line in mens 100 metres
final. Brennon Thompson is at right.
Whitsuntide Games 800 metres gold medallist Tai Payne suffered a surprising loss while the men's 100 metres final ended in
a dead heat at the Inter Club championships of the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) on Sunday at the McKenzie Sports Club
ground.
Payne, who grew from strength to strength this year after winning silver at the Junior Carifta Games, waited until
the final 150 metres to produce his kick, after staying with the bunch almost the entire race but it was not enough to catch
Upper Demerara's Roberto Innis who romped to victory in two minutes seven seconds. Eighteen-year-old Payne of Atoms was second
in 2:01.0 while Police's Selwyn Mayers was third.
The win was the second big victory for Innis who won the Golden Mile
road race last year.
The eagerly anticipated men's and women's 100 metres races brought supporters and club members
from the RYM and Atoms out of the stands and too close to the track and the timekeepers' stand. This resulted in the men's
race being held up for close to five minutes.
So intense was the battle in the men's event, that the judges could not
separate Royal Youth Movement's (RYM) Rawle Green and Atoms' Keith Roberts who were adjudged to cross the finish line together
while Police's Brennon Thompson finished third and Barbados' Jesse King fourth.
The times for the first two finishers
were 10.7 and 10.8 seconds, but up to press time no official decision was made on the winner.
Roberts, who placed fourth
at last year's World Youth Championships, however had things his own way in the 200m as he clocked 22 seconds flat to finish
ahead of Police's Courtney Lewis (22.8) and Renaldo McRace respectively. Cougars' Martin Jingorie could do nothing better
than fourth, a position the latter occupied in the men's 800-metre as well.
Mayers placed second to RYM's Lionel D'Andrade
(4:30.6) in the men's 1500-metre, while UDS' Shawn Sandiford placed third.Carmella James won the women's 100-metre in 13.2
seconds, while Barbados' Scidre Forde who appeared to have been leading 20 metres from the line, slowed up a bit and had to
settle for second. RYM's Cadejah St. Hill placed third.
Police's Stacy Smith (27.0) took the 200m title another Police
athlete, Dione Munroe was second and St Hill took third place. There were only three entries for this event.
Rising Stars'
Kelvin Johnson was an easy winner in the men's 5000 metres in 16:36.7 seconds. His club mate Clevland Forde ran a well judged
race to finish second while Colin Mercurius placed third.
Cougars' Amlest Kidane who along with her club mate Jingorie
is seeking a place on Guyana's team for next year's Junior Carifta Games scheduled for the Bahamas, captured the women's 1500
and 3000-metre events. She clocked six minutes 10.3 seconds for the 1500-metre which she won with 200-metres in hand, and
12 minutes 12.3 seconds in a one sided 3000-metre race which attracted a mere three competitors. In the process of winning
the 3000-metre event, Kidane who was never challenged, passed her two rivals twice during the course of the race.
Defending
track and field Inter-Club champions Royal Youth Movement (RYM) were dethroned by the Guyana Police Forcein the final team
pionts tally.
Guyana's Trishel Thompson was crowned `Champion Female Athlete' while Barbados' Wesley Brown captured the
male version. Both athletes won their respective shot-put, javelin and discus events.
Police came out on top with a massive
210 points, 98 more than RYM who placed second.
Barbados' BC Striders Athletic Club finished third with 88 points, mainly
due to the performances of their field athletes, especially Brown.
Upper Demerara Schools ended in the fourth position
with 41 points while the two-member Cougars team (United States based Guyanese) placed fifth (26), Rising Stars sixth (24)
and Atoms, a disappointing seventh (20).
Thompson threw the discus 33.92 metres, the shot-put 12.29 metres and the javelin
38.10 metres, while Browne captured the men's shot-put with a throw of 14.15 metres, the javelin event with a 50.9 metres
throw and the discus event with a throw of 43.90 metres. events.
Police's Joann VanSertima captured the women's 400m in
1:03.4 while Carlotta Fraser who held a healthy lead for the first 200 metres settled for a distant second while Latoya Barker
placed third.
The men's 400m was won by Atoms' Christopher Joseph (52.8 seconds) while Police's Keen Abel and Derwin Eastman
placed second and third respectively.
Lisa Barrow (RYM) was second (13:25.4) in the 3000m and Police's Kendra Squires
(13:41.0) third, while in the 1500m, Melissa Bookie was second and Barrow third. Bookie, however, won the women's 800m (2:52.0)
from VanSertima and La Toya Hamilton respectively.
Police won the women's 4X100-metre relay (53.4 seconds) while RYM
captured the men's 4X400-metre in three minutes 37.7 seconds.
The day's activity which was scheduled for a 11 a.m start,
never got underway until 1.15 p.m. due to the non marking of the ground. However, had the championships started at the scheduled
11 a.m, it would have meant that only Police, BC Striders Cougars would have been able to contest the meet, since participants
from the Royal Youth Movement and Atoms strolled into the MSC venue after 11 a.m.
STAGE SET FOR INTER CLUB ATHLETICS MEET
REPORT FROM THE STABROEK NEWS
The Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana's (AAA) Inter-Club Championships, slated
for the Mackenzie Sports Club ground, tomorrow, will take on an international flavour with the presence of a team of athletes
from the B.C. Striders Athletic Club of Barbados and the expected arrival of a team of junior Guyanese athletes from the United
States of America.
According to a press release from the AAA, the athletes from Barbados arrived in the country on Wednesday,
while those from US were expected in Guyana last evening.
The meet which is the final one for the AAA's 2001 season,
will get underway from 11 a.m.
Local athletes, especially the juniors who would be vying for selection to the South American
and Pan American Junior championships to be held in Argentina next month, are expected to be severely tested.
The U.S.
based Guyanese athletes who are coming through the Guyana Overseas Sports Association of New York Inc would be using this
meet to highlight their performance with a view to being shortlisted for Guyana's team to next year's Carifta Games in the
Bahamas.
Guyana's 2000 Carifta Games medalist Tai Payne is listed to take on the seniors in the 800-metre race and is
expected to come up against last year's Golden Mile winner, Roberto Inniss of Upper Demerara Schools.
No difference
is expected in the sprints where juniors, Keith Roberts and Oliver Phillips would be going all out for national champion Rawle
Green and Lee Prowell who has just returned from World University Games in China.
GOA seeks government's help for athlete
Stabroek News Report (9/08/01)
The Guyana Olympics Association (GOA) is seeking financial help from government to
assist Guyana's world ranked athlete Aliann Pompey develop her career.
At a press briefing yesterday GOA president K.
Juman- Yassin said the association has written a letter to government and are awaiting a reply. He said they are asking for
monthly training expense allowance for the United States-based 400 metres runner.
According to Juman-Yassin, the Bee
Hive East Coast Demerara-born Pompey has been doing a lot on her own and has shown improvement steadily since she took up
the sport full time.
The 23-year-old Pompey achieved her best performance ever at the World Athletics Championships where
reached the semifinals in the 400 in Canada last month and posted her personal best time in the process.
Yassin added
that Pompey has done everything so far in her career by herself and she now needs assistance to go further.
"She
went to the United States all by herself attended and completed college and is now running on the international Grand Prix
circuit," Yassin explained.
Pompey, who also reached the second round at last year's Sydney Olympics was one of two
Guyanese who competed at the World Championships.
Amateur Athletics Association president Claude Blackmore who accompanied
the two athletes, said marathoner Elson Williams encountered problems with the heat and dropped out of the 26.2-mile event.
Blackmore who also represented Guyana at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) congress in Canada,
said a number of rule changes were made for the sport with the one false start per athlete per race change being the most
significant.
The world body also ratified the change to its title from the International Amateur Athletics Federation.
Yassin also disclosed that three GOA officials attended meetings for upcoming international competitions to which Guyana
will compete.
Garfield Wiltshire attended the 2001 Commonwealth Games briefing in Manchester England, Yassin went to the
Dominican Republic for the 2001 Pan Am Games officials meeting and Joseph Leelam attended the Central American and Caribbean
Games briefing in El Salvador.
While in the Dominican Republic, Yassin said he negotiated coaching for national squash
champion Nicolette Fernandes and others with a top ranking official of squash's world body who saw the Guyanese perform at
the world junior championships earlier this year in Malaysia.
Pompey get back on winning track
to close out her season.
Aliann Pompey avenged her only lost on the Folksam Grand Prix Series with a outstanding performance on the fifth and final
leg at Gtagalan, Sweden. Forced to take her only second on the five meet series last week in Malm AI Galan by Karen Shinkins
of Ireland, Pompey make sure they was no doubt who owned the 400m by defeat her opponent by near half a second.
Her
time of 52.78 closed out a wonderful season of running for Pompey which included four wins in Europe, two wins in United States
and a personal best semi-final performance at the Outdoor World Championships.
Pompey's win at Gtagalan ensured
she finished Number One in 400m standings for the Folksam Series and which carried a 20,000 SEK ($2,100.00 US) prize.
Note:
Lee Powell completed his first International track and field appearance at the World University Games in China
with a 4th place in Men's 200m Dash. His time of 22.66 did not advance his to the second round.
Friends of Guyana
Athletics would like to congratulate Miss Aliann Pompey on a wonderful season and Mr. Powell on a wonderful performance on
his first International representation of his country.
Aliann Pompey (fifth from the left) receiving her prize.
Lee Powell advance in 100m
University of Guyana 's student, Lee Powell advance to the quarterfinals of 100m dash at the World University Games. Competing
in his first international competition, Powell placed third in his heat with a time of 10.79.
His time of 11.06 in
the quarterfinal was not good enough to advance him to the Semi-finals.
He will next compete in the 200m dash on
Thursday.
Good Luck from Friends of Guyana Athletics.
Pompey suffers first Folksam Grand Prix lost.
Takes second in the 400m Finals.
2001 World Championships Semi-finalist Aliann Pompey suffered her first lost in the 400m dash on the Folksam Grand Prix Series
to Karen Shinkins of Ireland. Running in her first meet since the World Championships, Pompey would have required a personal
best to win as she lost 51.93 to 52.04.
Despite her lost, Pompey continues to lead the 400m Folksam Grand Prix
standings for the season.
Johnson running impressively in U.S. debut
Report from the Stabroek News (8-24-01)
Leading distance athlete Kelvin Johnson is making an impressive debut on the road in New York City.
On a three-week stay
in the Big Apple, Johnson has so far capitalised on his short visit by chalking up one victory and a second place in two five-kilometre
races there.
Johnson first took to the road last Wednesday and won the Prospect Park 10K clocking 16 minutes seven seconds
while in the process of adjusting to the muggy humid conditions there.
The 20-year-old Rising Stars club member returned
on Wednesday to place second in the Grove Park 5k won by Mexican Daniel Pampos on a hilly course where the Guyanese recorded
16:13. Pampos returned 15:54.
The last race in the series is scheduled for next week Wednesday but before that Johnson
said he is contemplating going in another 5K on Sunday.
Johnson's stint in the U.S. was made possible through his manager
Leslie Black
Published in the Stabroek News (on Sept. 1, 2001).
Pompey wins 400 metres series title
Guyana's Olympian
Aliann Pompey ended a successful stint in the Folksam Grand Prix athletics series in Europe by recording her fourth victory
in the women's 400 metres competition last week to cart off the top prize.
The United States-based Pompey clocked 52.78
seconds at the final meet in Sweden to avenge her only loss in the series to Karem Simkins of Ireland.
Simkins had beaten
Pompey into the second place when they met previously in the series. For topping the points standings, Pompey received $US2,100.
She capped a fine season which included two wins in the United States and a semifinal finish at the World Athletics Championships
in Canada.
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Looking for housing for Prospective Students
A private high school in Washington, DC is offering us two scholarships for prospective student. The school is providing everything
except housing.
Therefore, we seeking assistance in locating housing and allow these students to extend their educational
experience.
Please contact me with any questions.
thanks,
Friends of Guyana Athletics
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Organization News
Deadline for US-based athletics to register with Guyana Amateur Athletics Associaton and be eligible to
compete for Guyana during Year 2004 is January 31, 2004.
Please email or contact this association for registration
forms and information.
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