By Timothy Jaikarran
Fireworks are expected when the country’s top athletes clash in the Athletics Association of Guyana-sponsored National Senior Championships, to be held on the weekend of June 29-30 at the Leonora Track and Field Centre on the West Coast of Demerara. The action starts at 10:00hrs each day.
At a simple ceremony held at the offices of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), incumbent president of that body, Aubrey Hutson, declared: “The National Senior Championships are one of the most-looked-forward-to events in Guyana. There are many athletes, overseas and local, (who) are trying to gain the time and attention of the AAG to (be facilitated to) go to the World Championships this year.
“But on the local scene, I look forward to great competition, especially the rivalry that has been going on for the last couple of years. We know (that) Akeem Stewart and Davin Fraser will have their battle when they meet, as Fraser had defeated him. But, this time around, we have a great push taking place by Akeem, because he would have run one of the fastest times as a Guyanese athlete in the 100m, which is 10.29secs”, he said.
“So we look forward to the competition, among others, but again we leave it to the athletes, as we have in excess of 150 registered for this event; and that number is still growing, as we have received information from athletes in the diaspora who want to go to the Olympics in 2020. So, hence they are indicating to us that they want to be a registered Guyanese athlete.”
Hutson also relayed that while the event is not far off, the condition of the track is definitely a concern for the AAG, whom he noted has been working tirelessly with the management of the Track and Field Centre to see if any repairs or remedial work can be done to have the facility ready for the upcoming meet in a timely manner.
Hutson has said he expects to see the highest level of performances from athletes competing at the meet. He explained that the AAG must put measures in place to have athletes compete at the senior level because, nine out of ten times, juniors register very strong performances in their respective categories of sport, but their performances deteriorate when they start competing at the senior level, and they eventually cease to compete.
“If athletes such as Alicia Fortune, Rupert Perry etc. continue to stay in their category, it would become a challenge to the Junior athletes; as they (juniors) would want to rise to the occasion and show that they are the dominant forces in track and field in Guyana,” Hutson reasoned.
He said that athletes such as O’Neil Marks, Rupert Perry, Davin Fraser and Akeem Stewart epitomise the senior category athletes, as they have shown that drive and passion which causes them to continue shining in their respective events, and this encourages the juniors to compete against them.
The AAG will simultaneously be holding a fundraising barbecue along with the meet. Any patron purchasing a barbecue ticket for $1200 will be afforded entry to the event, while regular tickets to the event would cost $300.
The AAG anticipates that a large turnout of spectators would be on hand to witness the event.
