Hooper wins Big Star Youth and Sports Club Emancipation Race

Former District Six national athlete Esan Hooper has taken the top spot in the Big Star Youth and Sports Club Emancipation 10k Road Race, run last Sunday from Number 35 Village to Ulverston Village on the Corentyne Coast in East Berbice.
Locals flocked the roadways in their numbers to see Hooper stop the clock at 43 minutes and two seconds to take the win from close to 30 highly competitive athletes who participated in the race.
Arvin Valenzuela won the 5K version of this race, while Princes Wong won in the female category of the 5K race, which started at Bush Lot Village. Lasandra Davis emerged as the winner in the female category of the 10k version of the race.
Hooper took the lead early, leaving Anton Wright in second and Assany McPhoy who finished third. Shaquail Smith came in fourth to round out the top finishers in the male 10k race.

With Valenzuela taking top honours in the 5k male race, Javier Henry had to settle for second, while Joseph Rahaman came in third. Amari Gibbs finished in fourth.
Leander Bennette, Princes Butcher and Torremica Dick were the other finishers in that order at the female 5k race.
Berty Rahaman took the brave step to run the over-50 category solo, and he finished in style. Veteran coach Patrick Gray, one of the founding fathers of the club, was presented a special award for his services over the years.
The race was successfully organized by Tyrone Smith and the Big Star Committee members, while sponsors came from A. Ally and Sons, Courts, Republic Bank, Banks DIH, Sparkle Supermarket, and Athletics Guyana. In addition to the companies, locals from the area supported the event financially.
Big Star Youth and Sports Club, founded in 1991, is known for producing cricketers, with Melroy Barkley being the club’s first national youth cricketer, while current Guyana Harpy Eagles selectee Sylus Tyndall started his career at the Ulverston-based club, Big Star.