Cricket is our national sport and as such cricketers emerge from all parts of the country where the sport is played competitively. This is a continual process due to facilities and the desire to do well.
Revlon Lake (extreme right in front row) with happy members of the Wakenaam Boxing Gym
Guyana Light weight boxer, Revlon Lake is fuelling the desire of talented boxers with the provision of a boxing gym not in the centralized Georgetown but on the large Essequibo Island of Wakenaam.
The island boasts a long history of outstanding athletes in various disciplines including Lake who was forced to ply his trade in the city due to lack of facilities.
Having recognized that sport play a major role in the development of society and it’s a fact that some of the more talented athletes hail from rural areas, Lake has decided to open the gym at Maria Johanna on the island.
With the help of the National Sports Commission and the Wakenaam Neighbourhood Democratic Council, the gym became a reality and was officially commissioned on Tuesday in Lake’s home village.
Already the gym has attracted a number of youths both male and female and the 37 -year old Lake said that he is confident they can develop into excellent boxers. “I am impressed with the talent of the youths here; they have shown a special interest in the sport and my aim is to give them an opportunity to hone their skills,” he said.
Lake who attended the Essequibo Islands Secondary School in Wakenaam, started his professional career in April 2005 at the Guyana Defence Force gym.
He has a record of 26 fights, 15 losses, nine wins one knock out and two draws. His last victory on local soil came against Miguel Antoine of Barbados in February at Giftland Mall while his last success came against Anthony Woods of the Bahamas in March in Jamaica.
Lake stated that while he will register the gym with the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association, he will look at the possibility of having coaches conducting training sessions on the island adding that the response from the public has been good. “One of our objectives is to compete in national junior tournaments and with the help of the boxing fraternity I am hoping to do so as early as possible,” he posited.
Lake pointed out that a number of residents of Wakenaam have engaged him in staging a card there and he is hoping that they can pull it off in the near future.
Lake expressed gratitude to Director of Sport, Christopher Jones and the Wakenaam NDC for their support and is looking forward to their continued backing as well as support from the business community.
Overseas based Guyanese Molly Lee who also hails from the island said she is happy to see Lake giving back to the community. “This is a wonderful initiative; it will keep the youths meaningfully occupied which will help them to become rounded individuals,” she related.
Councilor Eric Lake who is also a member of the gym stated that this initiative will be of tremendous benefit to the community. “The youths here are excited about the initiative and once we get the cooperation from the boxing fraternity, I am confident they will do us proud,” he said.
Among the sports persons that hail from the island are former track stars Yuvraj and Yougeshwar Jaichand, power lifter Mark Richard Seymour, current national sprint queen Alita Moore, Nkosi Dezzell who currently holds the national schools record for the U12 200m and 400m, National Schools U14 (cycle) champion girl Cyanna Retemiah, former national schools javelin and shot-put champion Kleon Spellen, former test cricketer Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ricardo Adams, West Indies U19 world cup winning vice captain Keemo Paul and former Karate champion Freddy Coates.
