The window of opportunity of Alika Morgan’s promising athletic career seemed to be closing at a faster pace after being once again disenfranchised by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) at the South American Under-23 Championship trials held a week ago.
In her final year of eligibility at the Under 23 level, Morgan presented herself on both days at the AAG’s trials to compete for a spot on Guyana’s team for the event which will be held in Brazil later this month. Morgan signed up for her pet event, the 5000m, but was not given an opportunity to run. The women’s 1500m was won by CARIFTA two-time gold medallist JevinaStraker in Morgan’s absence.
Morgan told this newspaper that she had originally registered for the 5000m and 1500m but later decided just compete in her pet event the 5000m so that she would be able to run a better time and impress selectors. The five-time CARIFTA medallist warmed up, stretched and was ready to run, but was not allowed the opportunity 5000m.
Technical delegate for the meet Mark Scott said that there were no other competitors registered for the women’s 5000m during the trials. According to Scott it is against the IAAF rules, at least three athletes must at least start the race.
Morgan, who recently returned from the US where she won three races of the same distance, said that she was in top form and had been eager to compete. Morgan’s coach Leslie Black felt that it was a vindictive act by the AAG to sabotage his athlete once again. Black said in other cases the AAG has facilitated the cause of other athlete to ensure that they have a chance to qualify but this was not done in the case of Morgan.
Scott claimed said that he appealed to a few other long distance athletes to at least start the race so that Morgan would get a chance to run but all declined. Black said that he had in the past seen officials run the male race along with the female race in similar situation but on this occasion he saw no effort on the part of the AAG to facilitate his athlete. In the 400m for instance, Stephon James was allowed to compete with Olympian Winston George, so as to give him the push to run the qualifying standard.
Black further stated that the main purpose of the trials was to give your best athletes a chance to compete for a spot on the team. “What message are you sending to the athletes if you have athletes training all year round, winning races in the US an all over and you won’t even give them a chance at your trials? It’s like they knew who they wanted to pick all the time.” Black said.
Black reminded this newspaper that this is not the first time that Morgan has been disenfranchised at the hands of the governing body in track and field. Morgan was prevented from competing at the 2006 CARIFTA Games because the AAG would not send a female official to accompany her, then again in 2007 and administrative blunder kept her from competing at the IAAF World Youth Championship in Czech Republic. Morgan’s misfortune continued when the AAG selected virtual unknown OslynCollins ahead of her to compete at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Poland in 2008 because it was the cheaper alternative. Morgan was later publicly accused by AAG president Colin Boyce of competing while injured in 2010 when her times were not up to scratch.
