Remarkable displays of speed, strength, stamina and leaping ability, enabled the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to retain the Inter Services Athletic and Swimming Championship (ISASC) trophy last night at the National Track and Field Centre.
The soldiers tallied 813 points to defeat their arch rivals, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) by 22 points (791) despite a sprint treble by 2012 Olympian and male champion athlete, Winston George.
The Guyana Prison Service (88 points) and the Guyana Fire Service (85 points) finished third and fourth respectively.
The City Constabulary finished in the cellar on 81 points.
Throughout the four-day championships, the victors who earned their fourth consecutive year of bragging rights, threw, leaped and ran away with most of the events while placing in the top five in many of the others.
Female champion athlete, Natrena Hooper, Cleveland ‘Little Kenyan’ Forde, Patrick King, Tyrone Hamid, Rupert Perry and others were instrumental in GDF’s success.
Here are a few highlights:
After cruising to victory in the men’s 5000m, the ‘Little Kenyan’ followed it up with another gold in the 1500m final.
In the men’s 200m, only Winston George’s first place finish could prevent a clean sweep of the medals for the soldiers.
George who also won the men’s 100m (9.9s) and the 400m (47.5s) , clocked 20.4s to win the half lap event. He led GDF’s Rupert Perry (also second in the men’s 100m) and Akeem Stewart across the tape. GDF’s Davin Fraser placed fourth in both the 100 and 200m finals.
Fraser however sent the crowd into an uproar after he anchored the GDF men’s 4x100m relay team to a photo finish victory after putting on a baton passing clinic to earn the top spot ahead of the policemen.
In front of the large vocal crowd, Hooper (24.1s) turned on the jets in the final 30m to take gold in the highly anticipated women’s 200m ahead of her teammate, Aniqua Powley (24.7s) and GPF’s Tiffany Carto (25.11s).
Hooper who won the triple and high jump events returned to anchor the army women gold medal winning 4x400m relay outfit.
King (winner of the men’s long jump) placed second in the 400m final and was also instrumental in the gold medal winning 4x100m and 4x400m teams.
Under the floodlights, GDF’s Tyrone Hamid shone the brightest in the men’s high jump. The former national basketball player bagged gold in the jump competition with an eye popping jump of 2 metres. His team mate Leslyn Baird snared silver with a jump of 1.93m.
Baird also won the men’s triple jump and javelin events.
GDF then literally pulled away on the points table by winning the tug of war events.
This year’s competition could be deemed a success sans the hiccups with the starter’s pistol and the microphones. The rivalry continues next year.
