It’s not every day you see something extraordinary at school sports in Guyana, but on the island of Leguan, history was made two weeks ago at the Branch #1 Championship. Six-year-old Kester “Trayon” DeSouza has become an internet sensation, winning the hearts of all who have borne witness to the viral video of him outrunning his opponents by a great distance, without fail, during the 400m race, wearing only socks.
Little Kester has always been an energetic child. This is according to his mother Shemika Neblett. “I always have to say ‘Trayon, stop the running around. Trayon, you could injure yourself. Trayon you have to take your time’, because he is always on his foot, always running around,” she said.
This newspaper understands that the youngster typically participates in the 100m and 200m races, but on the day of the championship decided to test his speed in the 400m.
This proved to be successful. The race has now made Trayon popular. As the race took place it was evident that the Maryville Primary School pupil gathered and let out all of the energy he could muster, as he started off running at a tremendous pace which he effortlessly maintained.
As he flawlessly rounded the track at the National Track and Field Centre at Edinburgh, the crowd went wild with cheers to encourage the little track star. As the video which made him famous followed the race, a great distance was evident between the star racer and his opponents, who seemed to be struggling to keep up.
Despite his ever-energetic demeanour, Neblett noted that she was as surprised as everyone else who bore witness to the race that day. She explained that one of the reasons for her surprise was that last year at intra-school sports he ran with children who were a bit older than him and ended up falling out of the race.
“When he ran and one of the young men passed him, he stopped running and started to cry. So then I encouraged him, I said that if you’re gonna take part in events you have to run, you cannot cry, you still have to continue running,” she told Stabroek Weekend.
After being encouraged by his mother, Trayon took part in the inter-schools sports and acquired second place. However, nothing could have prepared her for the way in which her son outran his opponents, from start to finish, while maintaining one pace throughout. When asked if her son has always been into sports, she responded in the affirmative. She explained that Trayon would normally watch videos and tell her he wanted to run or play football like the person in the video.
“He enjoy[s] playing football and cricket also,” she said and added that as a form of encouragement she would purchase football and cricket gear for him.
The proud mother also explained that her Trayon would normally run in the afternoons with his great aunt, as a form of exercise.
With regard to his reaction upon winning, the proud mother noted that he was excited to have won all his races, but this hasn’t changed his behaviour in any way. She also added that all of his teachers and friends were equally excited for him.
An only child, Trayon was born in January 2017 and according to Neblett he has always displayed a pleasant demeanour with a smile always on his face. The mother of the straight-As student prides herself in ensuring that he has a life that is balanced in both academics and extracurricular activities.
“In the afternoons I would allow him to play for about half hour. He would play his cricket or football or he [would] go take a run, and then when he comes back, he would use his tablet whilst having his dinner. After that he would go to revise what he did in school for the day. So that balances his academics with the extracurricular activities,” she said.
Since the video of the race has gone viral and news that Trayon’s feet were only clad in socks when he won the race, members of the public have been reaching out and making offers to sponsor him in various forms. Added to this, he was invited to Digicel Guyana’s offices where he was presented with some gifts.
Formerly without a trainer and not a member of any track club, the future track star will now benefit from coaching that was offered to him, to ensure that he has the guidance necessary to continue in the track and field arena.
Neblett’s advice to parents is to encourage their children in the area of athletics, because “you never know how they will perform or where it will take them”.
