Remarkable displays of speed, strength, stamina and leaping ability, enabled the Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC) to be crowned the Boyce/Jefford Classic V champions last night at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground.
With the absence of last year’s champions, Running Brave Athletic Club, PPYC tallied 455 points to defeat the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) track and field team by 265 points.
Mercury Fast Laners (114 points) and Christianburg Wismar (102 points)
finished third and fourth respectively to be among the money.
Throughout the two-day championships the victors who earned the $600,000 first prize, threw, leapt and ran away with most of the events while placing in the top five in many of the others.
The sum of $400,000, $250,000 and $150,000 went to the three runners up clubs.
Winston George, Kevin Bayley, US based Alita Moore and Janella Jonas were instrumental in PPYC’s success.
Here are a few highlights:
George who has represented Guyana numerous times on the world stage showed his class by recording a sprint triple.
Men’s 100m, 200m, 400m
The 2012 Olympian won all of the marquee track events (100m, 200m and 400m) with just the wind and the sand patched track providing the most opposition.
Women’s 400m, 4x100m
PPYC swept the quarter mile event with Moore taking the gold (1m: 40s). Tiffany Carto won the silver and Onika Eastman snared the bronze.
Moore also placed second in the 200m race to provide valuable points to her club.
She also anchored the PPYC women’s 4x100m team to victory.
Men’s 800m
Bayley (1m:57.0s) sent the large crowd into a frenzy by upsetting race favourite, Trinidad and Tobago’s Mark London (1:59.50) after turning on the jets in the final 100m to kick clear ahead of the two-time CARIFTA Games gold medalist and GDF’s Ornesto Thomas (2:00.20).
Women’s 800m
Jonas won the half mile event ahead of club mate Shion Boyer and Mercury Fast Laner’s Shaunsel Adams.
Trinidad’s Tonya Nero (women’s 1500m), GDF’s Cleveland Ford (men’s 1500m) and US based Brenessa Thompson (100m and 200m) were also winners yesterday.
Major sponsors for the premier track and field event included Digicel, Wartsila, K&B Mining, White Castle Fish Shop and Ansa McAL.
In excess of $2M was shared out to the top four clubs and athletes competing in the international events.
