Usual suspects, Rupert Perry, Natrena Hooper, Arinze Chance, Kenisha Phillips and Andrea Foster were among the standout athletes yesterday at the National Track and Field Centre.
Here are some of the highlights of the Golden Jubilee Independence day of sports event which was a collaborative effort of the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) and former athletes based in North America.
100m male open
Known for his finishing kick, Perry changed gears on a fast starting, Akeem Stewart to clearly win the men’s 100m final. The GDF product separated himself from the field at about the 60m mark and posted a brisk 10.1 seconds with Stewart snatching second spot in 10.30 seconds. Kevin Abbensetts was third in 10.4s.
100 and 200m female open
Perry’s club mate, Hooper (11.4s) won the female version of the 100m ahead of Aniqua Powley (11.7s) and Kezia Bess (12.1s). The lanky sprinter then followed that up by emphatically winning the 200m event.
200 and 400m Girls 14-16
Phillips who represented Guyana at the CARIFTA Games in St.Kitts last Easter weekend, put on a sprint show yesterday after false starting in the 100m.
The fastest local female student athlete took out her frustrations on the track as she scorched the field in the quarter mile and the 200m to record a sprint double.
400m open
In arguably the most entertaining and competitive race of the day, Chance’s calculated dip enabled him to win the quarter mile event.
Chance stood the tallest on the podium after stopping the clock in 48.9s, beating one of the better fields in recent memory.
Kareem Purch (49.0s) was second while Wayne Harlequin (49.3s) came from no where to finish third.
400m female open
Foster who completed the podium in the Girls U-20 800 and 1500m races at the CARIFTA Games, took on the Natricia Hooper challenge in the quarter mile and won.
Foster’s speed endurance was the deciding factor as she closed and surpassed Hooper in the final 20m to pull out the win in a brisk 59 seconds flat. Hooper clocked 59.4s, while Bess placed third in 1m:01.3s.
The organizers dubbed the day of sports which also included 5k and 10k runs earlier in the day as a success.
Plans are in the pipeline to make the event an annual one on the AAG’s calendar. (Emmerson Campbell)
