Last year’s Caricom 10k runner-up Euleen Josiah-Tanner is accusing the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) of favouritism and is questioning the criteria used to select Alika Morgan to compete in the recently concluded Caricom 10k held in Trinidad and Tobago.
US-based Josiah-Tanner is currently the undisputed best senior distance athlete. In an interview with Stabroek Sport, the 38-year-old said she believes that the AAG was biased in its selection of Morgan who placed fourth last year in the same race which was held in St Kitts and Nevis.
Josiah-Tanner who is registered under the Police Progressive Youth Club, clocked 36:57.92 seconds (2012) for a second place spot behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Tonya Nero who successfully retained her title in 37:22 seconds this year. Morgan came second to Nero, recording a time of 41:46 seconds. To date Josiah-Tanner is the only Guyanese to have run under 37 minutes in a 10k.
In his acceptance speech at the AGM and Elections held on January 20, President of the Running Brave Athletics Club and the AAG Aubrey Hutson had said that athletes will only be selected to represent Guyana based on merit. Hutson defeated Deputy Superintendent of the Guyana Police Force Colin Boyce for the presidency. Boyce had held the post for four years.
When this newspaper raised the charges with Hutson, he said he was unaware of Josiah-Tanner’s previous performance and that could have led to her being bypassed. According to Hutson, there was no trial for the selection of the Caricom 10k and most members of the Council voted for Morgan to represent Guyana. While the Association will seek to depend on the ‘Coaches Structure’ in the future to make recommendations on athletes, the Council ultimately will make the decision to select athletes to represent Guyana he said. Hutson also disclosed that the AAG will be using a ‘Meet Management Software’ which allows input of athletes’ performance from past to present which will aid the selection process.
When Stabroek Sport contacted Boyce for his view on the issue he said that selection for the Caricom 10k under his purview saw the Council evaluating all of the athletes’ 10k performances.
“We looked at all the athletes 10k performances prior to the Caricom road race. Then we looked at which athlete was persistent in their times and chose the athlete with the best performance,” he said.
When it comes to trials, Boyce who was also a national athlete, said standards were set and if they were not met the best athlete was selected.
Perception
of favouritism
Josiah-Tanner said she is concerned about the perception of favouritism in the AAG as this impacts the future of local athletes. “I do not know how they expect athletics in Guyana to prosper if they continue to do these sorts of … things,” she said.
She maintains that Morgan’s selection was improper and pointed out that she defeated her on several occasions despite facing one defeat at the Ainlim 10k after suffering from muscle cramps. The Courts 10k champion said: “Whatever criteria used was not appropriate because … either way they look at it, I am the better athlete….I defeated her several times and my performances are better,” she explained.
Further, Josiah-Tanner said she had indicated her interest in competing in the Caricom race to Vice President Garvin Hope after the Independence Half Marathon and was informed that the selection committee would have chosen two athletes for the annual event. She won both the 2012 and 2013 Half Marathon.
Josiah-Tanner also ran undefeated in most of her races in the US but said that the Caricom race is one of her major events and she had prepared to compete this year after finishing second to Nero last year. She contends that her performances should have been taken into consideration.
The athlete who is a mother of two has countless victories under her belt though the 2012 Caricom 10k was her best performance. She recorded 37:25 seconds (Silver Comet) and 37:21 (Possum Trot) in other 10ks in the US.
Josiah-Tanner also recorded 17:25 seconds and 17:40.2 seconds in the Hunger Walk 5k and War of Wellness 5k in Atlanta, Georgia. Her best performance in the 15k stands at 58:00.00 seconds, the time was recorded at the Peach Tree City Classic.
In Half Marathons, she recorded 1:26:00 seconds in the Atlanta Half Marathon and 3:06:00 seconds in the Nashville Tennessee Marathon.
