Guyana’s Alika Morgan and Kelvin Johnson placed first and third in their respective categories when they competed in the annual Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer’s birthday 10K run in Antigua on Sunday.
Morgan, who successfully defended her 2007 title, stated yesterday that she was very satisfied with the win.
“I felt comfortable going into the race seeing that the only competitors there I had already defeated in previous races, ” she told Stabroek Sport adding that she feels that her training was paying off and that she was in peak form.
“I have been training Sundays to Fridays, mornings and afternoons so, hopefully, I will be present to compete next year to make it three in a row,” said Morgan, Guyana’s premier female middle and long distance athlete.
Morgan’s club mate Johnson placed third behind Guyanese Cleveland Forde and Antigua’s Zephrinus Joseph in the male Open category.
Johnson, like Morgan has been competing in 10K runs on week-ends for the past nine weeks but told Satbroek Sport that this was his first Prime Minister’s 10K run event.
Johnson, who returned to Guyana last Tuesday, said he had made a last-minute decision to participate in the event because he initially returned to Guyana to take a week of rest.
“During the race I suffered cramps in my calf that affected my rhythm and not long after, Forde and Joseph went ahead to claim the race,” Johnson stated.
He added that this race was being used as part of his preparation for the upcoming South American 10K.
The duo’s coach, Leslie Black told Stabroek Sport that Morgan had a lot of work to do since she came back a bit overweight from Beijing, China where she witnessed the Olympic Games while Johnson was in Trinidad competing alongside his Guyanese compatriot Lionel D’Andrade who is also expected to return for the South American 10K.
“With the training the athletes have been going through Guyana should have a strong team for this year’s South American 10K,” Black opined.
Meanwhile, Morgan said she was thankful for the support she received which enabled her to participate in this year’s event.
She was especially grateful to sponsors, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman Yassin and Director of Sport, Neil Kumar.
