Guyana’s third athlete to jump into action at the Olympic Games currently being held in Paris, France, swimmer Aleka Persaud could not get past the Heats in her women’s 100m freestyle event.
Persaud, on her second Olympic Games appearance, finished fourth in the first 100m freestyle heats in Paris.
The diminutive swimmer clocked 1 minute, 01.29 seconds, but her effort could not seal progression beyond the Heats. Zimbabwe’s Paige Van Der Westhuizen took the win in 58.19s, while Grenada’s Tilly Collymore was second in 58.84s, with Botswana’s Maxin Eger taking third place in 58.98s.
Persaud’s previous best times in the 100m event are 59.70s (in a 25m pool) and 1 min 0.67s (in a 50m pool). Persaud joins her compatriots Chelsea Edghill (table tennis) and Raekwon Noel (swimming) in making first-round exits at the Olympic Games in France.
Meanwhile, track and field athletes Emanuel Archibald and Aliyah Abrams will take to the track later this week in their respective events. Archibald will compete in the men’s 100m, while Abrams will contest the women’s 400m.
While Guyana sent a contingent of five athletes, a number of officials are also in France, almost outnumbering the athletes.
Those officials are Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) President Godfrey Munroe, GOA Secretary General Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, GOA Vice President Steve Ninvalle, and GOA Vice President Cristy Campbell. The reason listed is to attend “International Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Federation, Panam Sport, OSESUR, and other meetings”.
