By Treiston Joseph
The 51st edition of the National Schools Athletics, Swimming and Cycling Championships which will get underway today at the Guyana National Stadium will showcase the country’s talent pool in the heat of several rivalries.
Without a doubt the current junior rivalry between defending 100 metres champion at Nationals Chavez Ageday and defending 400 metres champion at Nationals Stephan James will be the highlight as the two will meet for the seventh time in the 200 metres which is always a favourite among the spectators.
Ageday, who will compete for East Coast as he hails from Bygeval Secondary School, will compete in the boy’s under-20 100 and 200 metres in the hopes of defending his title.
“Training was a little stiff rectifying some technical difficulties but I’m prepared to defend my title come race day,” Ageday told Stabroek Sport in an interview.
Ageday’s main challenge should come from James out of South Zone who will tread unfamiliar ground as he seeks to participate in the under-20 boys 100 metres along with his regular 200 and 400 metres races, but he told Stabroek Sport that his interest is in breaking all three records.
“I’m feeling alright, training has been good, I caught up on some speed work so I’m just waiting on the competition but my aim is to go out there and break all three records,” James declared.
Another rivalry is also set to be renewed right where it started… turning back the hands of time to the 2007 Schools Nationals at the National Stadium where youth athletes Tevin Garraway of South Georgetown and Arinze Chance of North Georgetown competed fiercely in the boys under-12 100 to 400 metres events. Chance won the 100 then while Garraway won the 200 and 400 metres.
Since then Chance gained admission to Bishops’ High while Garraway migrated for a while but both athletes who showed that they were in form during the Inter-Zone championships prior to Nationals will compete at the National Stadium this time in the under-16 category.
Garraway will be running for West Coast while Chance has remained a North Georgetown competitor in the 100 to 400 metres events.
Chance who has switched from being an explosive 100 metres sprinter to being a more graceful 200 and 400 metres athlete told Stabroek Sport yesterday: “Well I’m looking to put in the best effort I can, I was training hard so it’s left for me to go out and produce the goods. I know it’s going to be one heck of a run since I know Tevin and I won’t give up in anything.”
Garraway who seemed more inclined in his under-12 days to become a master of the 200 and 400 metres events, has switched to the 100 metres with a combination of power and explosiveness. “I feel well prepared; I have been training hard and running good times. So I’m quite confident going into the events with Arinze,” Garraway told Stabroek Sport. A new rivalry will also take shape in the under-18 boys sprints when Keon Lynch of East Coast, Curtis Fraser of New Amsterdam and Kareem Naughton of North Georgetown clash.
Lynch who was dominant in the early part of the year, suffered a hamstring injury in August which took a toll on his rising fame but he is keen on stamping his authority in these events.
“I feel confident, I only trained for a week for this because of hamstring and personal issues but I still think I could go out there and do what I did earlier in the year,” Lynch commented.
Returning to the track, under-15 national cricket all-rounder and former sprint youth champion Naughton will also be embedded in the under-18 battle. “Well I haven’t trained at all but I have experience and I still think I can come out and pull off an upset,” Naughton stated.
Defending champion in the 100 metres Curtis Fraser could not be reached for comment.
