By Kiev Chesney
Regionally-renowned middle and long-distance athlete Alika Morgan overcame stiff regional competitors and a tricky course to claim her fourth consecutive win at the Caricom 10k race yesterday in Antigua and Barbuda.
Morgan clocked 39 minutes and seven seconds in the 10 kilometre course to finish ahead of Trinidad and Tobago runners Christine Regis (40 minutes, 19s) and Tonya Nero (42 minutes 28s) respectively.
In a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday Morgan said, “I feel real great running and winning my fourth consecutive Caricom 10k race here in Antigua.”
She added:” The course was real tricky, it had some very steep hills and turns but I still got out in front and went ahead of the pack.”
Morgan said that after she dropped her closest competitors early, she breezed through the remainder of the course until the last kilometre when she picked up the pace to make sure that she was not caught by the second place finisher who finished 69 seconds behind her.Morgan, who was selected by the Guyana Olympic Association to attend the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games Youth camp, said that she felt honoured by the crowd support in Antigua and added that she was well received by the some of the many Guyanese who live there.
Morgan’s training partner and two-time National Sports Commission triathlon winner Kelvin Johnson placed fourth in the time of 32 minutes and 51 seconds in the event which was won by top regional distance campaigner from St Vincent Pamenos Ballentyne in 31 minutes and 41 seconds.
Second and third places were once again occupied by Trinidadians, namely Richard James (31:54) and Curtis Cox (32:24) respectively.Morgan and Johnson will return home on Wednesday.
