Usual suspects, Adriel Austin, Keliza Smith, Ezekiel Newton and Shaquka Tyrell recorded some scorching performances on a hot day at the National Track and Field Centre yesterday.The four teen athletes scorched their competition and their performances were among the highlights of Day One of the National Youth and Junior Championships staged by the Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG).In two close finishes in the 400m and 800m (girls 14-17) finals with Attoya Harvey, Austin showed why she is a medalist at the CARIFTA Games level by carving out two gold medal finishes in the quarter mile and the two-lap event.
The 17 year-old Austin with Harvey a whisker away, powered across the finish line in 58.08s to win the 400m while she clocked 2:18.60s in the 800m to record a rare sprint/middle distance double at the meet which attracts the cream of the nation’s U-20 athletes.Harvey, 15, ran 58.76s and 2:18.79s in the two events.While Austin’s races were both photo finishes, the only competition Smith, 18, faced in her category (Girls 18-19) was against the clock and the meet’s fastest woman recorded a personal best 11.6s in the blue riband 100m final.Brianna Charles (11.97s) placed second while Celine David (13.43s) occupied the other podium spot.Newton, however, had his hands filled with Wesley Tyndall (11.06s) in the boys 14-17 100m final but managed to uncork a confidence boosting win at the event which was held behind closed doors.Newton crouched in the starting blocks in lane four and one lane to his right was Tyndall and knew he would need a special performance to beat his sprint rival.The 16-year-old ran a personal best en route to winning the100 metres after pulling away from Tyndall over his first blistering few strides. The Bladen Hall Secondary School student then crossed in 11.01s a shade from being sub-11.David Wiggins placed a close third in 11.08s in the scintillating final.Earlier in the day, diminutive sprinter Karese Lloyd (girls U14-17) and Shaquka Tyrell (girls 18-19) won their respective 100m and 800m races in commanding fashion. Lloyd, with long flowing braids like Sha’Carri Richardson, clocked 11.97s while Odessa France (12.55s) and Akala Hall (13.07s) occupied the other podium steps.Tyrell (2:18.08s), won several metres ahead of Jelesa Wright (2:26.02s) and Aaliyah Headley (2:30.52s) in wire-to-wire fashion.Other winners yesterday included: Discus Thrower, Anisha Gibbons (Girls 14-17) and Headley in the 3000m.The 200m, 1500m and the long jump events will highlight the championships’s finale today. Athletes are scheduled to get into the blocks from 10:00hrs.
