Earning Guyana’s next Olympic medal is still a top priority for standout boxer, Keevin Allicock.
This was reiterated by the prized fighter during his first interview since returning home on Friday night after being stranded in Cuba for 126 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Commonwealth Youth Games silver medalist told Stabroek Sport yesterday that he is more determined than ever to clinch an Olympic berth and a medal after his ordeal on the Spanish speaking island.
Allicock, along with Colin Lewis, Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas, departed for Cuba on January 4 for a three-month training stint ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers which was scheduled to be held four months ago.
The quartet was scheduled to return home on March 19 before traveling to Argentina for the March 26-April 3 Olympic Qualifiers which had to be shelved.
Allicock admitted that being stranded in Cuba was his toughest fight both mentally and physically to date. More often than not, mental fortitude pulls out a victory for a fighter in a close battle. With a new found resilience, he feels that he is now more equipped with the cerebral tools necessary to be among the best in the world and on the podium in Tokyo in 2021.
After his mandatory seven-day home quarantine, the 21 year-old revealed that he will jump right back into training.
“It feels good to be back home, sleeping in my own bed and being around my family and friends. I can’t wait to be back at the gym and training. The goal still remains to be a medalist at the Olympics.”
Allicock who is the lone Guyanese boxer to be included in the latest world rankings released by world governing body AIBA, stated that winning a medal at the next Olympic Games would be the ultimate silver lining behind the dark cloud of the global pandemic.
The product of the Forgotten Youth Foundation concluded by thanking the Guyana Boxing Association, the GOA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Sports Commission for collaborating to ensure the contingent’s safe return from Cuba.
