All Guyana is seemingly gaga over the Junior CARIFTA Games team and justifiably so.
President David Granger has not been seen hugging it up with the three-peat, title winning, Guyana senior cricket team which claimed another Regional four-day crown last week, but he took time out to laud the high achieving athletics team.
The airport motorcade, promised University of Guyana scholarships and outpouring of congratulations have been unheard of for national sports teams in recent times.
Guyana’s likely best ever performance at the CARIFTA Games of four gold medals and four others for a total of haul eight, from a 12-member team for a fifth place overall placing over the Easter weekend in Curacao, was, however, not achieved by luck.
Solid preparation was key to the team’s success which is why the beleaguered Amateur Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) and its President Aubrey Hutson must take a bow this time around.
The preparatory meets staged by the association, prior to the youths’ sojourn in the Dutch controlled island, resulted in near peak performances from almost every member.
The importance of competition before the real competition was not lost on Hutson, his coaches and administrative team, which many local national bodies are yet to grasp.
It is one reason why national cricket teams have been producing the goods as they are always whipped into top shape before winging out to the islands due to the steady diet of practice matches, the Guyana Cricket Board ensures.
So, it should be no surprise that Compton Caesar and company were mentally and physically ready to battle and out-perform the powerful Jamaicans in all four of their gold medal winning events.
Caesar’s historic boys’ Under-20 100 metres victory generated an explosion of joy, as none of Guyana’s past outstanding sprinters male or female, had ever landed gold in the marquee sprint event in the games’ 45-year history.
We’ve lived through the disappointment of big names including David Thomas, Bunche Carrington, the Lewis brothers, Vigil and Gordon, the late Elton Jefford, Basil Bradshaw, Clarence Bancroft and female stars, the likes of Donna Dey, Jennifer Innis, Gem Barrow and others being unable to land that elusive 100m gold over the years.
Whether he knew it or not, Caesar managed to overcome the pressure generated by that gold drought and two false starts which caused two disqualifications in the event, to hold off his Barbadian rival in clocking a decent 10.46s.
Given the parlous state of the AAG’s affairs over the years, it is unclear whether Caesar’s feat is a national junior record.
And, in landing a third place bronze medal in the 200m, Caesar proved his golden run was not a flash-in-the-pan display, while posting the best sprint performances of his category in the meet.
His constant exposure at international competitions over the last two years was a major boost and justified Hutson’s faith in the young Lindener, which should be a catalyst for extensive future sojourns for fellow gold medalists, Claudrice McKoy, Natricia Hooper, Chantoba Bright along with the other medalists and every deserving competitor from this team.
Also credit is due to former Sports Minister, Frank Anthony, for his perseverance in goading the previous government to build the modern all-weather track and facility at Leonora that now provides these athletes with the best conditions to compete in the last two years.
Which is why Hutson’s desire to have Guyana host the South American Junior Championships, announced before the team’s Carifta exploits, is totally out-of-whack.
It would require several millions of dollars from sources including the government, which could be better used to support the athletes’ future development.
Even though he reportedly proclaimed enjoying the best day of his athletics life on learning of Caesar’s 100m gold, Huston’s actions over the years prove his priorities are not exactly with the athletes.
Surely they wouldn’t be the major beneficiaries of a Guyana-staged South American championships, which are far weaker in competition than the CARIFTA Games.
The spinoffs for the organisers would be much more golden.
One has to wonder whether Huston didn’t think he should be asking government for money to stage a proper national championships to include all of the promising competitors abroad or to start a fund to help sustain the struggling past CARIFTA medalists studying overseas and those from this year and future teams, likely to face similar tough situations.
And questions should also be asked of his abrupt plea for funding just prior to the CARIFTA team’s departure for Curacao.
Did the money suddenly appear out of the clear blue sky without any subsequent mention of appreciation afterwards?
It is not difficult to read between the lines here.
It means that the recently re-elected AAG president has to show much more proof that the athletes always come first, and not use the success of Caesar and company to benefit anyone but the 2017 team and every other deserving one at home and overseas, many of whom are being neglected presently.
