It was an afternoon of firsts for Winston Missigher and Sheama Tyrell as they crossed the line first in the male and female categories respectively at the Athletics Association of Guyana’s annual South American 10K road race.
And they’re off! (Jemima Holmes Photo)
The AAG opted to forsake its usual Carifesta Avenue to National Park route, and the race was hosted for the first time on the West Coast of Demerara, cashing in on the ambience of the Region Three Public Road starting at Mary and ending at the National Track and Field facility at Leonora.
The three PPYC athletes branched off in a group of their own
Devoid of international competition and the mastery of Cleveland Forde, the competition was wide open for the likes of Missigher and Cleveland Thomas.
After languishing behind for a few metres, Missigher made his way to the leading pack of which Thomas had control. The likes of Anfernee Headecker and Jonathan Fagundes could not keep up with the pace of the frontrunners, creating a second pack.
The Tyrell sisters took first and third place
Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC) athletes Thomas, Missigher and Sir Kennard Harding commanded the race from the 4K to 8K point.
The senior men eventually fell behind later in the race, as the youngster paced himself well, maintaining the third position for much of the race.
Winston Missigher takes the lead as they approach the track and field facility
As 10K races go, one leading athlete had to make the decision to get going and, in this case, Missigher took advantage of Thomas’s sloth and pulled away from his stiffest competitor. There, at the entrance of the synthetic track facility, the race was all over and Missigher led all the way from the tar to the one lap on the track until the finish line.
Winston Missigher celebrates
Missigher’s time was 34:22:34, while Thomas clocked 34:53:20. Third-place finisher Harding clocked 36:06:84 while Rosmond Harvey (36:23:40) and Fagundes (37:19:25) made up the top five.
In the female category, the ladies fought hard and while their times were not as good as their male counterparts, the race had thrills of its own. Tyrell bided her time behind the experienced Claudrice McKoy, perfecting her plan to take her closest rival down.
Sheama Tyrell
It was on the red track that she executed her master stroke, moving with long strides past McKoy, who was visibly tired by this point.
Nonetheless, McKoy finished second behind Tyrell’s first-place time of 43:00:87. Tyrell’s younger sister Shaqua completed the podium, clocking a time of 45:27:47. Aaliyah Headley (49:56:68) and Kissanna Glen (54:29:08) completed the top five.
Honourable mention in the Sunday afternoon race goes to 16-year-old Odida Parkinson, who romped smartly with the big dogs and maintained a position in the top 10. The youngster clocked 39:45:48 in what was his first-ever 10K outing.
The first-place finishers in both categories received $150,000, second place $125,000, while third place collected $100,000. The fourth- and fifth-place finishers pocketed $75,000 and $50,000 respectively.
