Remarkable displays of speed, strength, stamina and leaping ability, enabled the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to retain the Inter Services Annual Athletic Championship trophy last night at the National Track and Field Centre.
The soldiers tallied 613 points to defeat their arch rivals, Police, by 88 points.
The Guyana Prison Service (108 points) finished third while the Guyana Fire Service brought up the rear on 100 points.
Throughout the championships, the victors who earned another year’s bragging rights, threw, leaped and ran away with most of the events while placing in the top five in many of the others.
Cleveland Forde, Ornesto Thomas and Domon Williams were instrumental in helping the soldiers to march away with their third successive title.
Thomas completed a middle distance double with a win in the 1500m with 4:18.44 and Odwin Tudor (4:19.05) and Forde (4:19.33) for a GDF sweep. Thomas also won the 800m and Forde the 5000m earlier in the week.
Williams recorded a rare field events treble with 1.95m in the High Jump. Police’s Clarence Greene (1.86m) and GDF’s Carlos Haynes (1.80m) was second and third in the event.
Williams also out jump the competition in the pit, winning the long and triple jump events.
Two-time Olympian, Winston George and United States scholarship recipient, Alita Moore both recorded sprint trebles for the Police unit but the duo’s efforts were not enough to wrest the championship from the militia men and women.
George raced to 10.24 seconds in the 100m to relegate GDF’s Akeem Stewart (10.38s) and Rupert Perry (10.39s) respectively.
Moore won the female 100m race in 11.83 seconds with Soldiers, Aniqua Powley placing second in 11.92s and Nikita Joseph (12.41s) third.
The diminutive sprinter then returned to win the 200m in 24.51 seconds comfortably ahead of GDF’s Natrena Hooper (25.12s) and Joseph (25.60s).
George also won the 200m in a brisk 20.67 seconds ahead of Stewart (21.26s) and team-mate, Linton Mentis (21.58s) respectively. Perry, who had the fastest qualifying time entering the final with 21.00, false started and was disqualified from the event.
George, the national 400m record holder then completed his pet event in 46.91 seconds, leaving his nearest rival, Jason Yaw (48.17s) some distance behind. Winston Dummette was third in 48.52 seconds.
Moore also won the 400m comfortably in 56.60 seconds with Collia Row second in 57.70 and team-mate, Jevina Sampson (58.00s) third. Sampson had also won the Women’s 1500m in 5:08.40 with Soldiers, Ashanti Scott (5:12.60) and Cassie Kirton (5:14.00) second and third in that order.
