GAPLF congratulate national athletes on academic achievements

National Powerlifter Demetri Chan, a Cuban-trained Guyanese student, has graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation from the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos, achieving a 4.7 GPA along with certifications deeming him the most well-rounded student, having excelled in both academia and athletics during his time in Cuba.
Prior to his training in Cuba, Mr. Chan was a student of the West Demerara Secondary School, and later of Queen’s College, where he learned to appreciate the duality of academic work and sport, having been a scholar-athlete who represented Guyana internationally at the Pan-American Powerlifting Championships, securing bronze and silver medals.
Earlier this year, Mr. Chan competed in the Annual Cuban Classic Powerlifting Championships, securing 1st in the 74kg division and etching his name in Cuban sports history as the first Guyanese to ever achieve a podium finish at this competition.

Graduating at the top of his class, Mr. Chan expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana and the Embassy of Guyana in Cuba, which continue to work tirelessly with students to facilitate their needs and achieve the feeling of a home away from home in Cuba.
Mr. Chan also thanked his family and his team, Hybrid Elites, for their support throughout the years he spent in the Province of Cienfuegos, and the power-lifting fraternity in Guyana (GAPLF) for their continued efforts to promote his talents locally and internationally.
The second Cuban-trained graduate, Ms. Phoolmattie Mangra, hails from the Essequibo Coast. She has completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Imaging and Medical Radiography at the University of Medical Sciences of the Province of Granma, graduating with Distinction (Titulo de Oro) with a 4.98 GPA.
Ms. Mangra is one of the four foreign students who have been recognized by Dr. Marcelino Guerra Rosabel, Delegate of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples in Granma (ICAP), for her participation and unconditional support of the activities held by ICAP.
Before arriving in Cuba in 2017, Ms. Mangra completed an Associate Degree in Chemistry at the University of Guyana.
Like Mr. Demetri Chan, Ms. Mangra has expressed gratitude to the Government of Guyana for the scholarship to study in Cuba, the Guyana Embassy in Cuba for their support while she was studying in Granma, and the Government of Cuba for the opportunity to train as a Health professional.
President of the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF), Franklin Wilson, its Executive Committee, athletes, and the entire fraternity wish to extend their heartiest congratulations to Mr. Chan for staying the course and excelling.
“Demetri, we know, has always exhibited a high level of discipline and commitment to the sport, as well as his studies, which have paid great dividends. His achievement further strengthens the fact that education and sport go hand in hand. We look forward to welcoming Demetri back into competition, but more importantly, being an asset to athletes across the board in his new area of expertise”, they have said.