-along with Aliann Pompey and Marian Burnett
Chef de Mission Noel Adonis announced yesterday that Guyana Amateur Swimming Association’s (GASA) most outstanding junior swimmer Niall Roberts will be heading to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, along with overseas-based track athletes Aliann Pompey and Marian Burnett.
Adonis confirmed yesterday after being engaged in a teleconference on Thursday with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that of the athletes submitted by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), those three have been approved to participate.
Adonis said that 400m runner Pompey and 800m runner Burnett were the only athletes who had qualified, while Roberts was fortunate enough to gain selection by the International Swimming Federation (FINA)on the basis of his performance at the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Secretary of the GASA Dr Karen Pilgrim explained Roberts’s selection saying, “FINA, the international body in charge of selection of swimmers for the Olympics has always sets qualifying standards for athletes to make.
“Guyana in my recollection has never been able to make these standards so what they do is select athletes based on their performance at the World Championships which happen a year before the Olympics and choose an unqualified male and female in these circumstances providing that they qualify on their points system,” she added.
Roberts has become the only Guyanese athlete who resides and trains in Guyana, who is participating this year’s olympic games.
The best thing in the world for me!!!
When Stabroek Sport caught up with the 17 year-old School of the Nations student yesterday, his head was still in the clouds although he had been informed over a month ago by the IOC via email.
“In about April, I got an email saying that I would be going to the Olympics but it was like I really didn’t believe or fully understand until time went by and I saw all the advertisements and so on and I said to myself, I’ll be there!”
The fifth form student who will be sitting the last of his General Certificate of Education Ordinary-Level (GCE) exams on Monday told Stabroek Sport, “ At 17, going to the Olympics with best swimmers in the world, this is the best thing in the world and it is all that I think about, night and day, 24 hours.”
I deserve to be there, and I will prove it!!!
Roberts said that although he is overwhelmed by the privilege of attending the games, he made it his paramount goal to prove to himself and everyone looking on that he indeed deserves to be there.
“I know that it is too late now to qualify, but since I am already going, I am training hard to swim the qualifying time at the Olympics so that I can prove that I deserve to be there and that I am not just benefiting from an invitation.
Niall said that he will be going all-out with his training sessions under the supervision of national coach Seon Baksh after completing his final exam on Monday.
For Roberts to accomplish his goal, he will have to surpass his personal best of 25.37s and get down to 22.35s for the A or 23.13s the B qualifying standard.
Meanwhile, Adonis said that it is not likely that Guyana will have any boxers at this year’s Olympics and that the Taekwondo team unfortunately did not benefit from the wild card draw.
He mentioned that at this late stage, they are mainly waiting on a few other track and field athletes to make a final try at the qualifying standards.
