By Noelle Smith
World ranked tennis player Sachia Vickery was Friday honoured by the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) and showed her appreciation by giving back to the GTA and a bevy of young players through a donation of tennis equipment.
In front of a fairly big turnout at the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Recreational Centre, Bel- Air, the world ranked 106 player handed over a quantity of rackets and other equipment to members of the GTA.
President of the GTA, Jamal Goodluck expressed his pride in having an athlete of Vickery’s calibre standing on the local court among the upcoming players stating that it could help to motivate them to dream big and play harder.
“For the longest while we have been watching you play and our hearts are always in our chest when you have games. To have you represent us on the world stage and now here with us is an honor,” Goodluck said.
Vickery was honored by the GTA with a plaque in recognition of her hard work and achievements.
“We know you will continue the hard work to break into the top 100 then end the year in the top 50,” Goodluck said, as he encouraged her to keep up the work.
On Tuesday, during a courtesy call on the Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for sport Dr. George Norton, the 22-year-old had expressed her interest in representing Guyana at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Minister Norton declared that he was delighted with the idea and is hopeful that she can wear the colours of the Golden Arrowhead.
Vickery also visited president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman Yassin on Friday where she again expressed her interest in representing her ‘home’ at major competitions.
The American native identifies as Guyanese as both of her parents are Guyanese.
While here she spoke of her experience at competitions and her training. She also gave a few tips on how local players could improve their game on the court.
