Scores of Guyana’s top student athletes will from today compete for honours at the 54th edition of the National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships.
The National Aquatic Centre and the open roads will be buzzing with activities since swimming, the 10km road race and the 25km and 40km cycling events will take centre stage.
The 10km road race will kick start the day’s proceedings at 06:00hrs. Action then swings to Liliendaal for the swimming segment of the championships three hours later. At 10:00hrs, the female 25km and male 40km cycling road race will roll off from Ocean View Hotel.
According to Competition Director, Seon Bristol, the 10km event will run off from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph station on Carifesta Avenue, proceed to UG road and return to the National Park for the finish.
Matthew MacKenzie from District 11 and Semona Lawrence from Rupununi will start as the favourites for the event.
In cycling, the male wheelsmen will proceed to Belfield on the East Coast and return to Ocean View while the females will turn back from Strathspey.
Caribbean Junior bronze medalist, Alonzo Ambrose along with Hamzah Eastman, Stephano Husbands, Jamal John, Kravitz Jeffrey, Shaquel Agard, Raul Leal and Akeem Arthur are some big names that will mount their saddles.
This year’s championships which will see 1500 student athletes and teachers from the 15 districts battling for medals and one year’s bragging rights, will officially be declared open tomorrow at the GDF Ground Base Camp Ayanaganna at 09:00hrs. This will be followed by the track and field and cycling events. During the official launch of the event on Friday at the Ministry of Education (MOE), President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mark Lyte said all the districts were ready to compete.
“I wish to say that we have been able to work along with the ministry to ensure that we conduct events at all the levels before like the Inter Zones, so all the districts are ready to compete in the National Championships,” said Lyte. (Emmerson Campbell)
