Seven athletes named for Bermuda games, three confirmed
Three qualify for Trinidad meet
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
March 25, 2004
Seven athletes have been named for this year's Junior Carifta games slated for Hamilton, Bermuda from April 7 to 12 and three have qualified for the Southern Games billed for Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday and Sunday.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport by telephone yesterday, Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAA) President Claude Blackmoore said defending under-20 boys' 5000m gold medallist Cleveland Forde and United States-based college student Dax Danns were confirmed as the AAA's priority to attend the Junior Carifta Games. Forde, Trevor Scotland and Rawle Green have qualified for the Southern Games slated for the Guaracarra Park, South Trinidad on Saturday and Sunday.
Forde will defend his under-20 boys' 5000m title and also compete in the under-20 boys' 1500m. Danns, son of Professor Ken Danns of the University of Guyana, will compete the under-17 boys' 100 and 200m races.
Blackmoore said five other athletes have been identified for the Junior Carifta Games, but their participation depended on the availability of funds. He would not disclose the names of the five.
According to Blackmoore, the Southern Games' organising committee sent an invitation to the AAA for one athlete each for the men's 5000, 880 and 100-metre events. By virtue of Forde, Scotland and Green winning their respective events at the AAA's Southern Games trials last week, they have automatically qualified.
At last week's trials held at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary, Forde returned 17:40.6 in the men's 5000-metre race. Scotland clocked 1:57.8 for the 800m. Green returned 10.5 seconds for the 100m, but persons who witnessed the event, including Stabroek Sport, felt Green had `jumped the starter's gun'. Green had also clocked 10.5 seconds to win heat one of two on the same day.
When the starter's gun sounded the start of the 100m event last week, at least two other finalists - Andre Blackman and Brennon Thompson - realised that Green had false-started and checked. But they continued to the finish line after neither the starter (Dennis Smith) nor the call-back official (Amanda Hermanstine) recalled the athletes. The small crowd had voiced a protest but it fell on deaf ears.
Thompson and Blackman had also placed second and third respectively to Green in heat one.
And two weeks ago, Green won the men's 100-metre race when the AAA staged its 'Keep Fit' meet at the Wales Community Centre. Blackman had placed second and Thompson third.