49 athletes to represent Guyana at South American Youth Championship

By Michelangelo Jacobus

Some 49 athletes will be representing Guyana at the upcoming South American Youth Championship on June 3-4.
This was revealed by the Guyana Team Manager, Cornell Rose at a press briefing on Tuesday morning at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) headquarters.
The initial number was 50; however, it was later disclosed that high jumper Natrena Hooper, who recently won bronze in the women’s high jump at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan,  was injured during training forcing her to pull out of the South American Games.
Of the 49 athletes, 27 are male and 22 female; CARIFTA medallists Compton Caesar, Anfernee Headecker and Claudrice McKoy are among those representing the host nation.
Athletics Association Guyana (AAG) President Aubrey Hutson at the briefing told media operatives that preparations for the hosting of the Games were “on-stream”, noting that all participating countries have submitted their lists of athletes with the exception of Chile and Panama who have asked for an extension of time to submit their lists. This delay, he noted, is on account of ongoing events in the two countries.
Guyana’s athletes will be participating in all events except non-traditional ones such as the decathlon, heptathlon, pole vault, hurdles (except the 400m hurdles), and the hammer throw. As the Games are fast approaching, the athletes will get some much-needed time on the track this weekend as they compete in the Independence Track and Field Meet on May 27 and 28.

Rose noted that the team were looking good and the chances of Guyana being hugely successful at the Games were “99 per cent”.
Since Guyana has never hosted events such as the pole vault and hammer-throw, the AAG sought to have the pole vault pits and hammer-throw cages locally manufactured to the specifications of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Local manufacturer Kissoon is responsible for the production of the pole vault pits, while engineering firm INFAB gained the contract to manufacture the cage. This is owing to the “huge costs” of importing the latter, according to AAG President Hutson.
Tickets have already been printed and cost $500; tickets give fans access to the stands in either the morning or afternoon periods. The cost of the tickets is “very reasonable”, Hutson pointed out, highlighting that this was after all an international event, the first of its kind in Guyana.
Tickets may be purchased from the Leonora synthetic track, the AAG head office on Light Street and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) head office.
The event will feature more than 350 international athletes and is expected to attract many overseas visitors.