Long-distance athlete Winston Missingher had a commanding run at the Independence Fitness and Health 5K walk and marathon on Sunday despite dreary weather conditions to retain his title ahead of rival Cleveland Thomas.
The race started off at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and the forerunners quickly established a lead group as the first kilometre went by down Homestretch Avenue; Missingher kept pace with the lead pack and then made his move to go shoulder to shoulder with Thomas when the race turned into Vlissengen Road.
The duo then distanced themselves from the group as they made their way from Vlissengen Road into Hadfield Street, by then it was clear who would be the top contenders.
With the race progressing from Hadfield Street onto Mandela Avenue for the final kilometre, Missingher made his move and established a sizable gap, never to be erased.
Missingher and Thomas are neck to neck during their battle in the 5K
Missingher, who lost out to Thomas in Suriname at the Telesur 10K road race earlier this month, showed immense stamina to sprint the last meters of the race, clocking a time of 11 minutes and six seconds (11m: 6s) while Thomas recorded 11 minutes and 24 seconds (11m: 24s).
Speaking to Guyana Times Sport after the superb run, Missingher revealed that it was his plan all along to sit back in the first part of the race as he needed to “get warm”; that as well as the slipperiness of the road was a major factor.
He noted that he came to the race with the expectation of getting tight competition, but expressed disappointment, as “it was no competition for me at all, probably if Cleveland Forde was in the race…”
The now two-time winner also pointed out that the race was all about “revenge” as he came prepared to run hard and win ahead of Thomas.
Meanwhile, Thomas said that “the race wasn’t that bad, but it was short”. He noted that he came out prepared to run at least 15 minutes over a greater distance.
Thomas maintained that he did his best and it was a good race, pointing out that the route was great as they had a police outrider to keep the way clear.
The event was organised by Rising Star Athletics Club Coach Leslie Black, and supported by the President’s office and the Guyana Community of Service.
