The National Schools, Cycling, Swimming, and Track and Field championships (‘Nationals’) kicks off in four days and East Georgetown will be gunning to be among the podium dwellers at the conclusion of the biggest schools championships.
Powerhouses, Linden (defending champions) and North Georgetown are all but guaranteed to finish one-two in any order when the curtains for the event fall on December 1.
East Georgetown and their athletes are looking to grab the final spot on the steps of the podium.
According to one of the coaches, Niall Stanton, he believes that his charges have the ability to do just that.
Stanton, who has been working with the student-athletes for quite some time, compared them to the crop that featured former 200m under-20 record holder Keith Roberts.
“I’m very confident in the team’s ability, I know this is one of the best teams we ever had, it’s as good as our team back in 2001 with Keith Roberts when he won the 200m on police ground,” Stanton noted.
He added that everything was in place for the squad and that the team is “ready” for Monday’s start of the championships and encouraged the performers to bring their `A’ game and remember the team’s motto: “The will to win.”
He told Stabroek Sport yesterday “We have new and seasoned athletes on the team and we are very confident in what we have.”
Stanton named Cassie Small, Timeon Spencer, Daniel Melville, Zion Gray, Troy Sullivan and Princess Brown as some of the ‘big names’ that will lead the charge.
“The athletes are very hyped to showcase their talent, we are not afraid and we are not going to just participate, we want to win.
“As of right now, the main things is that the athletes have to believe in themselves, just like the teachers have in them and if that happens we should be on the podium,” Stanton added.
Meanwhile, the swimming championships will be held on Monday at the National Aquatic Centre at Pattensen. In addition to the swimming competition, the 10km Road Race, 40km and 25km cycle races (at the National Park) will also take place on Monday.
The Opening Ceremony for the championships along with the track and field segment is scheduled to start on Tuesday at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora at 09:00hr as the championships move from the grass to the track.
Times recorded by the athletes at this year’s championships will be sanctioned by the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) and authenticated by the Inter-national Amateur Athletic Federation since the
AAG will be using the internationally recognized FAT (Fully Automatic Timing) system.
Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) President, Mark Lyte has declared that this year’s Nationals promises to be the best ever.
