In one week’s time, pistols will fire off for the commencement of the track and field event which has produced several sensational, under the radar senior athletes.
The event, theG uyana Defence Force (GDF) Inter Unit Track and Field Championships, will be held at the GDF ground Camp Ayanganna.
The long awaited event is now scheduled to take place from September 11-14, with the customary rest day on Thursday 13 so that athletes can recharge and give their utmost for the final day of the competition.
The event was won by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) last year but with new recruits in different divisions, the event may be much more competitive this time around. DHQ’s high profile athlete, national 1500m and 5000m champion Cleveland Forde has indicated his eagerness to compete in this year’s event.
Forde, who is looking forward to closing out his season with quite a few road races, told Stabroek Sport that the GDF Inter Unit is a very important meet for him as he looks to tune up for the upcoming events. Forde, the former South American U23 champion, is also the reigning Inter Services Athletics Championship (ISAC) 1500m, 800m and 5000m champion and will be looking to retain those titles this year after advancing from the Inter Unit level.
GDF coach Robert Chisholm said that he was looking forward to this year’s Inter Unit championships so that he can have a first-hand look at the of the talent of the servicemen and women. Chisholm said that the selection of the GDF team will be interesting this time around since athletes who are stationed in the various divisions throughout the country are eager to empress for a chance to compete on the GDF team for ISAC.
Some of the top athletes who emerged from GDF’s Inter Unit championships to excel at the national level include long distance athlete Wilbert Mingo, sprinters Quinse Clarke and Rupert Perry, as well as javelin thrower/sprinter Leslain Baird. The GDF has also attracted several junior national athletes to the service including former junior middle distance national runners Asanti Scott (DHQ), Tyshon Bentick and Carlon Halley as well as sprinters Patrick King (DHQ) and Tiffany Smith of Base Camp Ayanganna.
Perry, who is the 2011 National 100m and 200m, trained at the High Performance Centre in Jamaica along with Olympian Winston George and Clarke earlier this year. Perry had been out of competition for the past few months due to injury but is expected to compete at the Inter Unit Championships.
According to Chisholm, Perry is now beginning to get back in shape and will be competing in just one eventat the Inter Unit championships, the 200m.
Clarke on the other hand may still need some time to fully recover from his injuries according to Chisholm and may not be in competition. GDF won the Inter Services Athletic championships with an emphatic come from behind win to dethrone the Guyana Police Force last year on their home field.
