Akeem Arthur and his Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani teammates defied the odds to sweep the podium in the male 40km cycling event when this year’s National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Champion-ships got under way yesterday.
The junior star rider led Silvio Innis and Shaquel Agard across the line to earn the gold medal for the event which started at Ocean View Hotel, proceeded to Belfield and returned to the point of origin for the finish.
Arthur showed tenacity and grit throughout the windy trek to take pole position in a respectable one hour, four minutes and two seconds.
For the females, Corentyne’s Whitney Poyer won the 25 km event from Ocean View to Strathspey and back in 56 minutes and 48 seconds.
Poyer led the Upper Demerara/ Kwakwani duo, Naomi Alsop and Olesa McPherson on to the podium.
Elsewhere, four records tumbled yesterday in the jumping pit at the YMCA ground.
South American Youth silver medalist Natricia Hooper of East Georgetown (District 12) broke her own record in the girl’s under-18 triple jump with a leap of 12.05 metres. Her previous mark done in 2014 was 11.95 metres.
Hooper noted that she was definitely happy with the feat and aims to replicate her jumping performance on the track.
Upper Demerara/Kwakwani’s (District 10) jumping queen Shantoba Bright also flew through the air to break a record in the girl’s under-16 long jump.
Bright’s jump of 5.40 metres eclipsed that of the late Roxanna Rigby of New Amsterdam (District 15) who held the record since 2006 with a mark of 5.36 metres.
North Georgetown’s (District 11) Deron Roberts broke the boy’s under-14 long jump record with a leap of 5.60 metres. The previous mark was held by Jason Bury of Bartica (District 7) with a mark of 5.54 metres.
The female under-18 long jump was won by Avon Samuels of North Georgetown who recorded a leap of 4.86 metres to win the event.
The male and female 10km events along with swimming were also staged yesterday. The championship will continue today at the National Stadium from 09:30hrs. (Emmerson Campbell)
