All is reportedly going well with the four Guyanese boxers who are going through rigorous training in Cuba in preparation for the 2020 Olympic Qualifiers in March.
Dennis Thomas goes through a training session
The quad, comprised of Colin Lewis, Keevin Allicock, Dennis Thomas and Desmond Amsterdam, left Guyana with two coaches, Terrence Poole and Sebert Blake, just over a week ago; and have wasted no time in commencing the various training activities which should give them a better chance at securing a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics in Japan later this year.
Moreover, Cuban Coach Roland Francisco is assisting in preparing this Guyanese team.
Speaking exclusively with Guyana Times Sport, the boxers disclosed that their tight training schedule includes such aspects as strength and conditioning, six rounds of school boxing and shadow boxing respectively, and a mandatory 2-mile run each morning.
Team Captain Colin Lewis is being instructed by Cuban Coach Roland Francisco
According to Dennis Thomas, the team is in no rush to get accustomed to the climate, but each boxer has been making good progress since touching down in the Spanish-speaking island. The most important factor, he said, is that team members have been supporting each other.
“We have a long time (here), so our (bodies are) going to acclimatize very soon, (be)cause the intensity of the training is very high right now. So, we’re going to be okay, because we’re supporting each other,” Thomas explained.
The pugilist also disclosed that while they have not begun sparring as yet (which they are expected to work on extensively), each member of the team is completely fit.
“I believe everyone is underweight because of the pace that we’re going (at), and we just got here. The team is in a fit condition,” he declared.
Thomas noted that since members began training in Cuba, the Guyanese team has been exposed to sessions with two Olympic 2012 medallists and Junior World Champions who have imparted knowledge and insight into the sport that has been very instrumental in the way they would now approach a fight.
Further, the team has now acquired a fuller realization of the importance of the three-month training stint, since each member has been exposed to various formats of the sport that none of them would have discovered at home.
“Just the technical parts we have to work on…so we’re seeing a lot of boxing that we’ve never seen before,” Thomas explained to Guyana Times Sport.
The three-month training stint was made possible because the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) contributed a whopping US$15,000 and the National Sports Commission (NSC) gave Gy$1 million (approximately US$5000). The NSC has also promised to make another contribution to the boxers’ three-month stay in Cuba, while the GOA has already pledged an additional Gy$1 million to enable the team to participate in the Olympic Qualifiers.
The highly anticipated Olympic Qualifiers will be hosted in Argentina from March 26 to April 3.
