By Treiston Joseph
The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is set to continue their track season with the National Youth and Junior Trials this week-end at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary.
Despite the recent bad weather, the AAG will go ahead with the staging of this week-end’s Trials and, according to Colin Boyce, President of the AAG, the Trials will be used as a yardstick to select the team to participate at the 40th edition of the Carifta Games in Jamaica from April 23-25.
Vice President of the AAG, Branford Burke in a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday stated that.. “The weather has been bad to us in the fraternity but some amount of work has been done, and to that extent we anticipate a good showing on the part of the athletes.
“we would also be happy for lovers of athletics who find themselves glued to their televisions for international meets to come out and give our youths and juniors a boost via their support as we together strive to grow the sport here in Guyana,” Burke added.The trials will see the likes of double Carifta gold medalist Jevina Straker who last Sunday made a terrible start to her season dropping out of the girls’ junior 1500 metres in action.
However, Straker will compete with the hopes of retaining her title at the Carifta Games.
Efforts to reach both Straker and her Coach Leslie Black yesterday proved futile.
Junior Sportsman of the Year, Chavez Ageday, who earlier in the year made a terrific start to his season with a 10.1s run in the under 20 100 metres, will be a clear favorite in that event and should qualify for the Carifta Games.
Young sprinters, Marlon Moshette and Cortez Fraser, who turned in times of 11.0s and 11.2s respectively on a wet and soggy track in Linden last Sunday, will be looking to upset Ageday come race day.
“Training has been hard but I must make the Carifta team this year,” stated Fraser in a telephone interview with Stabroek Sport.
He added:”I know I can beat Ageday and I will make a go at him.”
Moshette was less optimistic.“I don’t fancy running the 100 metres but will surely make a good attempt of the 200 metres,” he said. Meanwhile, the upcoming Doretta Wilson who defeated Straker last year at the School’s National Championships is unsure of her participation in the games since she did not show up to meet her facilitator, Sonja Abraham, who spoke to Stabroek Sport via telephone yesterday.
The meet is set to display the best of Guyana’s youths and juniors and the AAG urges the public to come and support the youths.
