Nineteen year-old national junior 200m champion Elton Bollers has confirmed his participation in the University of Guyana’s (UG) Track and Field Championships will be held this Thursday and Friday on campus at the UG ball field. Bollers won the 200m at last year’s event with a stunning victory against former national junior champion and School Nationals record holder Carlwyn Collins. Collins did return to avenge his lost in the 400m, but Bollers had already done the damage.
This year, Bollers intends to successfully defend his title in the 200m, to prove among other things that last year’s win was no fluke. Speaking with Stabroek Sport exclusively yesterday, Bollers said that although he was not fully recuperated from a groin injury which he sustained close to three months ago, he will be hitting the track later this week. Bollers said that his decision to compete was based on three main reasons.
Firstly, Bollers said that he was informed by organisers that performances will be recorded and used as records for the first time this year. Bollers said that he was motivated by the prospect of having a winning time serve as a record for the institution.
Secondly, Bollers is in his final year of study in the Faculty of Social Sciences reading for a degree in Economics and wants to finish up on a successful note. Last but obviously not least, Bollers said that he was aware of the fact the University Games will be held in Russia next year and UG track and field championships is likely to be used to select athletes to compete at that event.
The former Royal Youth Movement athlete, who now trains with the Running Brave Track club in the National Park was the favourite to dominate the sprint events at this year’s event prior to his injury. Earlier this year, Bollers shocked a start studded field to become the 2012 National Junior 200m champion at the Police Sport Club ground Eve Leary. At that meet,Bollers raced off the bend faster than the entire field and held on to beat both South American bronze medallists Chavez Ageday and Stephon James.Bollers was the runner up to James in the 400m at the national championships and had also helped UG’s relay team to a silver medal performance in the 2600 medley relay at the Barbados relay fair in in February of this year.
Bollers then continue to impress and took his talents to Trinidad and Tobago where he captured a sprint double in the 100m and 200m Under 20 races at the Morvant Jets Games. There, he recorded his electronically timed personal record of 10.88 seconds in the 100m and 21.5 in the 200m. The very next week, Bollers also recorded his personal record in the 400m at the Trinidad National senior championships of 48.8, but barely missed the finals.
Bollers’ injury kept him out of competition for the past two months, making him miss out on a chance to compete at the South American Under 23 Games which were held in Brazil last month. Ageday and James both secured bronze medals in their pet events (100m and 200m) but failed to medal in Bollers’ pet event the 200m. While Bollers confirmed his participation in the 200m, he said that he was unsure whether he will compete in the 100m, or the 400m as a second track event. Up to yesterday he was still trying to decide on which second event to compete in since he does not want to aggravate the injury. Nevertheless, Bollers did mention that he will be competing in the long jump.
