CARIFTA bound!

Kenisha Phillips

The Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) has named a contingent of 12 athletes and three officials for the 46th Flow CARIFTA Games scheduled for next month in Curacao.

According to a press release sent out to the media yesterday, the party will depart  April 13 for the Games which will be staged April 15 to 17 in Willemstad.

The 12 athletes who have qualified to represent to Guyana at the prestigious event are as follows:

Chantoba Bright                Female U18 Long Jump and Triple Jump

Claudrice McKoy              Female U20 1500m

Kenisha Phillips                 Female U18 100m and 200m

Daniel Williams                 Male U18 200m and High Jump

Onasha Rogers                  Female U18 100m

Compton Caesar              Male U20 100m and 200m

Anfernee Headecker      Male U20 800m

Tremaine Browne            Male U18 Long Jump and Triple Jump

Samuel Lynch                    Male U20 800m

Tarique Boyle                   Male U18 High jump

Natricia Hooper (USA)   Female U20 400m and Triple Jump

Matthew McKenzie         Male U20 5000m

The appointed coaches are Johnny Gravesande and Moses Pantlitz while Yvonne October will act as  Manager.

According to IAAF World Athletics Club President, Lamine Diack, CARIFTA is “on par with the World Championships.”

The meet is considered one of the best development meets in world athletics. Having started out on grass tracks, with athletes staying in schools or other similar temporary shelter, the CARIFTA Games have come a long way. College and university coaches and scouts from the United States make their way to the Games each year, in a bid to identify up-and-coming talent.

CARIFTA runs entirely under IAAF rules and has produced World Record holders, Usain Bolt, Darrel Brown, World and Olympic Champions such as Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, Kim Collins of St Kitts-Nevis and Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas, Alleyne Francique of Grenada and Obadele Thompson of Barbados.