Local athletes seek to establish qualifying times
Stabroek News
April 28, 2004
With the Olympic Games just months away in Athens, Greece, several local athletes are seeking to establish the required qualifying times by competing in events overseas.
One such event is the Hampton International Games in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend at the Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, which will feature races for both junior and senior athletes from the Caribbean and farther afield.
Some juniors who missed out on a chance to represent Guyana at the recently held Junior Carifta Games will be looking to make their mark against top-class competitors.
The Bedford All Stars Track Club will be sending five athletes and one official to the twin-island republic with top local sprinter Rawle Green set to lead the Guyanese assault.
Green will compete in the men's open 100 and 200- metre events, Tai Payne will battle in the 400 and 800 metres, Carwin Bagot and Kester Abrams will be involved in the long jump and triple jump with Abrams also contesting the shot putt event.
Jamel Fields will be vying for top honours in the Boys' Under-20 sprint double events.
The athletes who are due to depart Guyana tomorrow will be accompanied by Wayne Walcott who will perform the duties of manager/ coach.
Walcott is optimistic that his charges will give a good account of themselves against a top-class field despite the latter part of the team's preparation being hampered by recent rain, which left the athletic track at the National Park under water.
He said that Green who represented Guyana at last year's South American Seniors in Brazil and the Whitsuntide in Grenada is in excellent form and will be looking to establish at least a 'B' standard time leading up to the Olympics.
Green also has his eyes set on participating at the Whitsuntide Games in St George's at the end of next month.
Payne, a Junior Carifta Games silver medallist and World Juniors' representative is a regular campaigner in the twin-island republic and is hoping to medal this weekend.
Bagot won a bronze medal at last year's Games while Fields recently returned from Tobago where he won a bronze at the Falcon Games in Tobago. Abrams is a relative newcomer to that level of competition.
Royal Youth Movement (RYM) is also sending a team to Trinidad for the Games.