By Marlon Munroe
The sudden passing of junior sprint queen Roxana Rigby plunged the athletics fraternity in deep shock and mourning yesterday.

The talented 18-year-old, who was born on April 21, 1991, died on her way to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Thursday night after experiencing bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea that started last Saturday night.

Stabroek Sport understands from her mother Avril Rigby that her daughter was taken to the Mahaicony Hospital on Monday morning and was given medication that eased the vomiting and partly stopped the diarrhoea.

However, on Wednesday at the family’s home at 161 Public Road, Rosignol, the mother noticed that her daughter’s right leg was swollen and asked her whether she had hit her leg to which shereplied no.

She was then taken by her mother to the Fort Wellington Hospital where she received saline as she was not eating and the operating doctor found that there was an abscess that had burst.

The distraught mother also stated that she could not remember the exact cause of death and that Roxana’s father Ovid was in receipt of the death certificate.

When the mother was asked how she would best remember her daughter she sighed and paused before saying, “She was loving, joyful and free-handed.”  The mother said that she was still in shock and at a loss for words since Roxana was her eldest child.

Apart from her parents, Roxana leaves to mourn her 13-year-old brother and a 21-year old sister, who currently resides in Antigua, along with numerous friends, fans and family.
Shocked
Meanwhile, when Stabroek Sport contacted president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Colin Boyce, he expressed the association’s shock and regret at the athlete’s demise.

Moreover, he noted that this year the association “had so many things in store for the once dominant junior female athlete in the 100 and 200 metre races.”

Boyce said that she headed the list, especially since she was Inter-Guiana games champion in 2008 and last year and also was a member of the volleyball team for the Junior Carifta Games, the World Youth Olympics in Singapore and the South American Under-23 Youth Games in Brazil later in the year.

He said the fraternity would take a long time to recover from her loss since she was loaded with potential. Boyce, who was also a national athlete, said that his administration will have to sit down and consider naming an athletics meet in her honour.

The athlete, who also excelled academically at her alma mater, Berbice High School (BHS), will be remembered by her coach Robert Chisholm as a potentially great athlete. He said that he was expecting great things from his athlete this year and her loss would not only be felt in the fraternity but the country would have also lost a model athlete.

When her school was contacted Ms. Heyliger, one of the teachers, said that the school and especially the teachers and friends who knew her were saddened by her death.

Heyliger, who taught Rigby in forms three, four and five, remembers her for blending academics and sports admirably while being an extremely friendly person.
Overseas

scholarship
Regional Vice President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) – Berbice and Headmaster of the Port Mourant Secondary School, Colin Bynoe, remembers her as a talented athlete with an inclination for higher learning since she had been nominated by the organizers of the Linwest Games for an overseas scholarship.
He said he heard she was sick when she was present at the AAG Awards Presentation two weeks ago but was shocked when he heard of her untimely passing.

He also believes that Guyana has lost a good athlete who was matched by few in the country. Her biggest rivals were Neisa Allen, another junior athlete, and Alicia Fortune, Guyana’s senior sprint champ.

One time coach Lyndon Wilson said her passing left him speechless. He remembers, however, her dedicated work ethics and the fact that she always strived for improvement as she plied her trade. He said one of her strong points was that she was a good listener and he admired her for that and she was also multi-talented.

Director of Sport Neil Kumar said that it was a big loss for Guyana and more especially for the Inter-Guiana Games. The first leg (Track & Field) of the Inter-Guiana Games will be held in March in French Guiana where Rigby would have been defending her title.

Kumar reported that the Inter-Guiana Games committee met yesterday morning and the members were shocked to hear of Rigby’s death. Further, he said that she will be missed not only in the field of athletics but also in volleyball and football.

He expressed sincerest condolences on behalf of the National Sports Commission to the family in this their time of bereavement.

Stabroek Sport also expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Rigby, whose short time on this earth and her exploits on the track touched so many.