By Treiston Joseph
Once a budding star in Guyana at the tender age of 13, Kadecia Baird returned to her homeland three years after migrating to the United States of America (USA) where she now resides in New York (NY), with her mother Natasha Baird.
Baird, a former member of the Royal Youth Movement Athletics and Sports Club (RYM), made an impression on the coach of the club, Anson Ambrose in 2006 when she competed at the North Zone Champion of Champions Schools track event.
The following year Baird rose to prominence when she finished second in a 400 metres at the Carifta Trials held at the Enmore Community Centre Ground, clocking 59s at age 12.
She then migrated on April 14, 2008 where she instantly made an impression on the coaching staff of Huddie Junior High School in New York when she ran her first 200 metres and won in a time of 28s following a couple weeks of training under cold conditions to which she was unaccustomed.
Baird was then recruited by Medgar Evers College Preparatory School where she now trains under Nicola Martial and Shaun Dietz.
The talented sprinter who was called “skinny” and “fragile” when Martial first saw her has since developed into a sprinting sensation and has turned in personal best times of 11.9s wind aided in the 100 metres, 24.4s in the 200 metres and 56s in the 400 metres which would seemingly rank her on the same level with Alisha Fortune as the top female sprinter in Guyana at the age of 16.
In a college where the girls track team is ranked as no.1 in NY according to Baird, she has participated in major events such as the 2010 Penn Relays, the New Balance Indoor Collegiate track event, Taco Bell Relays, in South Carolina, Melrose Games, High School Nationals and Simplot in Idaho.
“I did not have a hard time adapting to the training and conditions but the coaching over there is the same thing, the coaches are harder on you over there and the difference is that they provide me with vitamins and have me doing a lot of weight lifting,” Baird told Stabroek Sport in an interview yesterday.
When asked to compare Guyanese athletics with USA athletics, Baird stated:“The level of competition over there is higher but I think Guyanese athletes are more disciplined than Americans.”
While Baird will now be registered with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Stabroek Sport questioned her on her thoughts of representing the land of her birth.
“Of course I’m looking forward to representing my country after all it’s the land of my birth, even though it will be hard because my coach doesn’t want me away because our season starts from November through to June. I’m still looking forward for the opportunity.
“My aim is making the 2016 Olympics for my country because in America it’s hard to make the team,” she added.
Stabroek Sport also got the views of Ambrose, her former coach, on what he thought of her success.
“Well when she left I told her she has the talent to make Guyana proud and following her I communicated some of the time with the club’s (RYM) president and he was impressed as well.
“As her former coach I’m proud of her and her success and hope she continues to do well,” Ambrose stated.
Meanwhile, Baird will be heading back to NY today at 02:00hrs to continue her training in the hope of becoming better than her role model who is Alison Felix.
Once a budding star in Guyana at the tender age of 13, Kadecia Baird returned to her homeland three years after migrating to the United States of America (USA) where she now resides in New York (NY), with her mother Natasha Baird.
Baird, a former member of the Royal Youth Movement Athletics and Sports Club (RYM), made an impression on the coach of the club, Anson Ambrose in 2006 when she competed at the North Zone Champion of Champions Schools track event.
The following year Baird rose to prominence when she finished second in a 400 metres at the Carifta Trials held at the Enmore Community Centre Ground, clocking 59s at age 12.
She then migrated on April 14, 2008 where she instantly made an impression on the coaching staff of Huddie Junior High School in New York when she ran her first 200 metres and won in a time of 28s following a couple weeks of training under cold conditions to which she was unaccustomed.
Baird was then recruited by Medgar Evers College Preparatory School where she now trains under Nicola Martial and Shaun Dietz.
The talented sprinter who was called “skinny” and “fragile” when Martial first saw her has since developed into a sprinting sensation and has turned in personal best times of 11.9s wind aided in the 100 metres, 24.4s in the 200 metres and 56s in the 400 metres which would seemingly rank her on the same level with Alisha Fortune as the top female sprinter in Guyana at the age of 16.
In a college where the girls track team is ranked as no.1 in NY according to Baird, she has participated in major events such as the 2010 Penn Relays, the New Balance Indoor Collegiate track event, Taco Bell Relays, in South Carolina, Melrose Games, High School Nationals and Simplot in Idaho.
“I did not have a hard time adapting to the training and conditions but the coaching over there is the same thing, the coaches are harder on you over there and the difference is that they provide me with vitamins and have me doing a lot of weight lifting,” Baird told Stabroek Sport in an interview yesterday.
When asked to compare Guyanese athletics with USA athletics, Baird stated:“The level of competition over there is higher but I think Guyanese athletes are more disciplined than Americans.”
While Baird will now be registered with the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Stabroek Sport questioned her on her thoughts of representing the land of her birth.
“Of course I’m looking forward to representing my country after all it’s the land of my birth, even though it will be hard because my coach doesn’t want me away because our season starts from November through to June. I’m still looking forward for the opportunity.
“My aim is making the 2016 Olympics for my country because in America it’s hard to make the team,” she added.
Stabroek Sport also got the views of Ambrose, her former coach, on what he thought of her success.
“Well when she left I told her she has the talent to make Guyana proud and following her I communicated some of the time with the club’s (RYM) president and he was impressed as well.
“As her former coach I’m proud of her and her success and hope she continues to do well,” Ambrose stated.
Meanwhile, Baird will be heading back to NY today at 02:00hrs to continue her training in the hope of becoming better than her role model who is Alison Felix.
