Gold rush for Guyanese pugilists at OECS Championship
Team Guyana stamped their authority at the recently-concluded Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Boxing Championship in St Lucia, as the seven-member team are set to return home with a whopping five gold medals.
Though the boxing action punched off on Friday last (August 1), it was only until the second night of the proceedings that Guyana were able to prove themselves in the squared circle.
Guyana’s gold medal winners take a photo opportunity with National Coaches following the championship
Coming up against St Lucia’s Kirt Kirton in the Youth 60-65kg final, Ken Harvey copped Guyana’s first gold following a unanimous decision victory.
Akeelah Vancooten continued the domination in the female 57-60kg final against Jada Emmanuel. Vancooten’s prowess forced the referee to stop their contest in just the first round of the bout.
Emmanuel Pompey sports his gold medal
Another RSC decision went Guyana’s way when Ryan Rogers battled Chris Cooper in the Schoolboys’ 60-63kg final. That contest was stopped in the second round, bringing Guyana’s medal tally to three golds on the second night.
The following evening, Emmanuel Pompey brought up a win on points in the 92+kg final against Antigua and Barbuda’s Yakita Asaka to bag Guyana’s fourth gold. The fifth was also a special one as Terrible Wintz copped gold on his way to the Best Youth Boxer prize. Wintz defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s Dornel Philip in their youth final to secure the accolades.
However, the individual accolades did not stop there for the Guyanese contingent, whose female pugilist Akeelah Vancooten was adjudged the best Female Boxer in the competition.
Unfortunately, her female teammate and team captain in Abiola Jackman was unable to get her time in the ring, with her opponent failing to show up. Joel Williamson was also met with the same fate.
As such, Guyana had to settle for third-place overall in the competition, accumulating 15 points from their five gold-medal performances. Trinidad and Tobago edged the Guyanese for second place with 16 points while hosts St Lucia took the top spot with 24 points. Antigua and Barbuda and Martinique completed the competition’s top five, both garnering eight points.
The Guyanese contingent was slated to return home on Monday.
