Winning is what all competitors train for.
Winning fuels athletes to excel and encourages them to remain competing. Losing does somewhat the same.
Cleveland Thomas, perennial runner up to Cleveland Forde in local races knows all too well about losing.
On Sunday that was not the case however as the Running Brave Athletic Club standout was the first to the tape in the fourth Courts 10km race.
Thomas was finally able to stand atop the podium and bask in the sunlight while pocketing the $100,000.
Forde was unable to don his running gear, sidelined due to chikungunya symptoms and witnessed the end of the race in street clothes as Thomas recorded the fastest 10km for the year (32:56). Just like losing, winning becomes habitual and Thomas will be hungry to taste success again whenever the two Clevelands start their watches at the next 10km event.
Sunday’s victory was no doubt a confidence booster for Thomas who credited his work ethic and coaching for his success.
“I must say it’s an honor to win my first big 10k in Guyana. “My execution was what I wanted it to be. I just went out there and run my race, Forde wasn’t a part of it today but nevertheless I still came to run so whether he was in or not I was ready to compete and put my best foot forward.
Thomas boasted that Sunday was a “stepping stone to the next big race” adding that “if I execute the same plan in the next race I should be able to come out victorious. Like I was saying earlier in the week I did some work for the last two kms of the race with my coaches and it paid off.”
Could his confidence and hunger propel him to out run Forde in their next outing or was Thomas’ 15 minutes of fame a mere result of Forde’s absence? Only time will tell. (Emmerson Campbell)
