Caribbean Cycling Championships
– first Guyanese to medal since 2009
By Michelangelo Jacobus
Guyana’s leading cyclist, Briton John, has further cemented his budding legacy in the sport by becoming only the fourth Guyanese cyclist to medal in the Men’s Elite 155km Road Race at the Caribbean Cycling Championships yesterday.
Additionally, John has given Guyana its first medal since 2009, when Tony Simon similarly won a bronze medal in the same event in Barbados.
Racing along a route on the Heroes Highway, East Bank Demerara, day two of the championships served up a hotly contested Men’s Elite Road Race under blistering sunshine.
While John kept among the leading pack for the majority of the race, he did excellently during a power sprint to the finish line to seal the final podium spot.
Belizean Cory Williams captured the gold, while Jesus Cespedes of the Dominican Republic did just enough to finish ahead of Briton for silver.
On the other hand, John’s teammates Cortis Dey and Segun Hubbard turned in solid performances to finish 11th and 13th, respectively.
On the distaff side of the Elite Road Race, Jamaica’s Llori Sharpe captured the gold, with Gabriella Arnold (Bermuda) and Berenice Paul (Guadeloupe) settling for the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment to Stabroek Sports, the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) General Secretary Mark St. Claire reflected on the hosting of the two-day spectacle, which saw 20 countries and well over 90 cyclists converge in Guyana for the Championships.
“The hosting of the CCC was one to remember, and Guyana can be proud of its accomplishments. As a country, our boy Briton John placed third in the elite category. This is a very good achievement. The lead-up to the hosting was not without many challenges; however, with the Government of Guyana support through His Excellency Dr. Irfaan Ali, the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, and the National Sport Commission, it was made possible”, he said.
Looking ahead, St. Claire is optimistic of what the future holds. To this end, he noted, “The development of sport is on the right track; cycling is on the right track, and with the current momentum, it will go places. The Caribbean Cycling Championships is a sanctioned event under the UCI; hence, the GCF had to ensure a number of systems were in place to meet the requirements. These were all accomplished with the GCF, the organising committee, volunteers from our local cycling family, and a few sponsors.”.
While Briton’s feat has helped put Guyana back on the map in terms of regional competitiveness, Marlon ‘Fishy’ Williams had won Guyana’s only gold at the prestigious event in the Road Race in St. Lucia back in 2004. Three years earlier, Dwayne Gibbs took bronze in the Individual Time Trials to pave the way.
