The return of the world class athletics event, the Aliann Pompey Invitational to Guyana’s shores will make for an exciting spectacle come June 22 at the National Track & Field Centre (NTFC) at Edinburgh, West Coast Demerara with several big names in the Caribbean slated to take to the track.
Chief among those athletes who will be in action at the AP Invitational, will be sprinters Alexander Ogando (Dominican Republic) and Guyana’s very own Emanuel Archibald. The duo is expected to light up the men’s 100m event.
While the AP Invitational is scheduled for just eight days before the June 30 Olympic Games qualification deadline set by World Athletics, track and field fans in Guyana should be in for a memorable showdown, as each 100m athlete will be aiming to meet the 10-second qualification standard.
The AP Invitational which is part of the World Athletics Continental Tour will present one of the final windows of opportunity for Olympic hopefuls. Coincidentally, it marks the return of the track and field event for the first time since 2019.
Ogando has a personal best of 10.09 seconds in the 100m, set back in 2022. However, in recent times he has not competed in the 100m, instead, he had dedicated his efforts to the 200m, where he has recorded a time of 20.26 seconds.
His 200m personal best is 19.91 seconds, a performance that earned him gold at the 2022 Central American and Caribbean Games and set a new national record for the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, for Archibald, the country’s Pan Am Games 100m bronze medallist, the AP Invitational could be a crucial opportunity to achieve direct qualification for the Paris Olympics. This season, Archibald competed in French Guiana, where he recorded a time of 10.13 seconds to win the men’s 100m event, equalling his personal best.
Also slated to line up in the men’s 100m at the AP Invitational is St Kitts and Nevis’ former national champion, Jason Rogers..
On the other hand, Trinidad and Tobago’s Kyle Greaux, better known for his 200m ability, will also compete in the 100m.
Akeem Stewart and Arinze Chance will be the other Guyanese athletes competing in the 100m at the AP Invitational.
The event will also include Yohandris Andujar (Dominican Republic), Melbin Marcelino (Dominican Republic), Carlos Palacios (Dominican Republic), Ronal Longa (Colombia), and Alaba Akintola (Nigeria). On the distaff side, the women’s 100m event will feature Guyana’s national record holder Jasmine Abrams, Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, and Namibia’s 100m record holder, Beatrice Masilingi in what patrons can expect to be a firecracker.
