Fireworks expected in both 400m events at AP Invitational

The 400m events for both male and female athletes at this year’s Aliann Pompey Invitational, set for June 22 at the National Track and Field Centre at Edinburgh, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, each promise to be a humdinger because of the announcement of a stellar line-up of Guyana’s future track and field stars alongside some of the best athletes in the region.
The women’s event will feature Guyana’s national record holder, the Olympian Aliyah Abrams, as well as Youth Commonwealth Games champion Tianna Springer.
Abrams’s time of 50.20 seconds at the NACAC New Life Invitational not only secured her the win, but also broke Aliann Pompey’s previous national record of 50.71 seconds, set at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany in 2009.

But although Abrams’s record-breaking performance was remarkable, she would need to replicate or improve it during the Olympic qualification period (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024) in order to book her spot at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The Olympic qualifying time for the women’s 400m event is 50.95 seconds, and her season’s best currently stands at 51.93 seconds.
Although Springer is not yet close to qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games, pundits are eager to see the double gold medallist from the CARIFTA Games face tougher competition, especially since she remains undefeated in the 400m at local, regional, and international championships.
Springer ended 2023 with the seventh-fastest time by an under-18 athlete in the world, while her 52.31 seconds at this year’s CARIFTA Games is currently the second-fastest under-18 time globally.
The 17-year-old had a stellar 2023, winning the 400m at the CARIFTA Games and the South American U20 Championship in Athletics, where she also broke the event’s record.
Additionally, she swept the Youth Commonwealth Games, winning Guyana’s first individual gold medal in the history of this event.
Colombia’s Melany Balono, Thailand’s Chinenye Onuorah, and the Dominican Republic’s Milagros Duran are the overseas athletes who would be participating in the 400- metre event, while Deshana Skeete, Kenisha Phillips, and Narissa McPherson are the other Guyanese competitors in the line-up.
In the men’s event, the competition features Arinze Chance, CARIFTA Games U20 400m Champion Malachi Austin, and the Dominican Republic’s Lidio Feliz.
Known for his 400m prowess during his collegiate career, Chance recorded a personal best of 46.01 seconds in 2019. His season’s best this year is 47.67 seconds, achieved in April.
Austin is one of Guyana’s promising prospects in the 400m. His 46.35 seconds which won him first place in the Men’s U20 event at the CARIFTA Games this year makes this 17-year-old the fourth-fastest U18 athlete in the world.
In the Tokyo Olympics 4x400m Mixed Relay, Feliz, along with Alexander Ogando, Marileidy Paulino and Anabel Medina, finished second with a time of 3:10.21, just behind Poland (3:09.87) and ahead of the USA (3:10.22).
Feliz again teamed up with Ogando, Paulino, and Fiordaliza Cofil to win the 4x400m mixed relay at the 2022 World Championships in a time of 3:09.82, beating the Netherlands (3:09.90) and the USA (3:10.16).
Feliz’s personal best is 44.26 seconds, set in 2022, while his season’s best is 46.25 seconds.
Renny Quow, the 400m bronze medallist at the 2009 World Championships, is also part of the line-up. Quow, now 36, has had a stellar career, but has never qualified for the Olympics.
The Dominican Republic’s Nefer Santana and Wilbert Encarnacion are the other athletes registered for the 400m in this year’s AP Invitational.