The disappointing performances from Guyanese sprinters continued yesterday morning when Carifta Games bronze medallist, Tirana Mitchell was eliminated in the preliminary round in the Women’s 200m at the IAAF World Youth Championships in the Ukraine. The local sprint track star who attends East Ruimveldt Secondary School finished seventh in heat one of the preliminary round and got home in a slow 25.69 seconds.
Hannah Cunliffe of the USA won the heat in 23.80 seconds while Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith and Nigeria’s Oluwatobi Amusan trailed in 24.30 seconds and 24.50 seconds respectively.
The Mercury Fast Laner athlete was unable to live up to the expectations of her Coach Christopher Gaskin who had expressed confidence in her chances of medalling in the event. Mitchell ran a +2.1wind aided 24.05 seconds three months ago at the Carifta Games at the Thomas Robinson National Stadium in Bermuda, snapping up a bronze medal in the Girls 200m U-17 finals. One month later, she clocked a legal 24.61 seconds (+2.0) with a first place finish at the Hampton International Games at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago. She also won the U-17 Girls 100m finals in 12.06 seconds. In an interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday morning, Gaskin said Mitchell made an effort and that the competition was at a higher level than the Carifta Games. “She met better athletes than herself and it is a learning experience for her,” he said. He also said he was confident that Mitchell could repeat an outstanding performance, pointing out that both she and Jason Yaw, who also failed to qualify in the Men’s 400m finals, were having difficulties dealing with the higher altitude of Donetsk, Ukraine.
“Other athletes who competed at this International meet were training at a high altitude for preparation for the Championship but it is something that coaches will look into,” he revealed, adding that financial constraints have been an ongoing issue in local athletics. Gaskin also said that the local warm-up competitions should have been held prior to the IAAF World Youth Championship but indicated that the Leonora all-weather track is not completed.
He also said that for four months no competition was hosted by the Athletics Association of Guyana.
“The competition level should have been [high] all the time,” he explained. Gaskin also noted that the school structure does not accommodate sports for junior athletes,
“The extra school activities (lessons) infringes on the training time of athletes. Athletes are required to cover a certain amount of hours in their sessions,” he said.
