Track and Field star Alika Morgan yesterday slammed the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) over its handling of certain issues with respect to the team’s participation at the just concluded Carifta Games in St Kitts.
The middle and long distance star, who won Guyana’s only two medals at last weekend’s games (a silver and a bronze medal), pointed out that the AAG came up short in a few areas namely the uniforms provided for the athletes and naming a manager who she said knew little about athletics.
She also blamed the AAG for not sending a larger contingent to the games.
“The uniforms that they gave us to run with were uncomfortable for all the athletes and the team manager said we had to wear them.
“You could have even seen that the boy who ran the 100m (Timothy Doris), pants were too big when he was next to the other runners.
“My pants felt like a football trunks and it didn’t feel like clothes that I normally run in,” she added.
Morgan also faulted the AAG for naming Wendy Hermonstine as team manager, pointing out that the AAG should have selected someone more knowledgeable about athletics to accompany the team.
“I also think that the AAG should send a team manager that knows more about athletics like a coach or somebody who has been about athletics for a long time,” she declared.
Asked to respond to Morgan’s comments, president of the AAG, Claude Blackmore, said that the uniforms were donated by a reputable company that has made uniforms for the association before.
Though admitting that the AAG erred in not sending a more knowledgeable individual, Blackmore was at pains to point out that the AAG could not send a coach or someone more knowledgeable about athletics because no one else was available at the moment.
“The uniforms were donated by a reputable company that has made uniforms for many clubs and schools before and I think they even export those uniforms to parts of the Caribbean.
“It is, however, our fault for not sending someone more qualified in athletics, but we needed to send a female and no one else was available,” he said.
Morgan also said that the AAG should send more than one participant to take part in distance events as a tactical move much like the Jamaicans did in nearly every event at the Carifta Games.
She noted that especially in the events that she took part in, countries had pairs of athletes running strategically and claimed that if she had a running mate like Janella Jonas, who had been shortlisted, but was left behind because of funding, she would have been able to win both of her events.
Morgan placed third in the girls’ Under-20 1500m and second in the girls’ 3000m in a repeat of her last year’s performance.
Though her performance in the two events is considered exceptional by many, Morgan said she was somewhat disappointed that she was not able to bring home a gold medal for her country.
In the 3000m Morgan said that she led for most of the race but lost her form in the final 100m and was edged at the line.
“I did not really get to train much for this event because of the rain which kept me inactive for a while. I think that I ran better last year, and now that we have better weather, I will get back to my training to move on to bigger things,” she said.
