D’Andrade, Johnson continues to perform in Trinidad

Sep 25, 2008 Sports

–set to return in two weeks for South American 10k

Lionel D’Andrade

By Edison Jefford
Lionel D’Andrade won the Newsday 5km race yesterday while Kelvin

Kelvin Johnson

Johnson placed third to continue their impressive stint in Trinidad and Tobago.

D’Andrade returned 15:08 in winning the event while his countryman, Johnson rounded off the top three in a time of 15:30. Trinidad’s Curtis Cox finished second in 15:11 in the Newsday–sponsored race.

“Trinidad is above sea level. The sun was scorching hot,” D’Andrade told Kaieteur Sport from Trinidad yesterday, adding that a wrong turn in the course prevented him from continuing his sub–15 minute form.

“We turned the wrong street and then had to turn back to catch Cox after he broke away from the pack [but] catching him was not a problem for us because we (D’Andrade and Johnson) had good rhythm,” he explained.

A little over two weekends ago, regional distance star: Pamenos Ballantyne was relegated to sixth place in the Venture 5km road run in Trinidad after two Kenyans took the first two places with Johnson taking third.

Nieodemos Naimadu in 14.37 and Surge Jasoke in 14.420 had taken the top places in the Venture race with Johnson clocking 14.45. D’Andrade had ended fourth in 15.57 with Cox fifth in 16.01.

It was not clear whether Ballantyne competed yesterday but the two in–form Guyanese distance campaigners have consistently performed creditably in the Twin Island Republic.

Both Johnson and D’Andrade have had top three (or at least top five) finishes in all of the races they have competed in so far.

D’Andrade went to Trinidad in May while Johnson travelled there in August. The duo is expected to return to Guyana sometime around May 10 to gear up for the first leg of the South American 10k in Suriname.

This paper understands that the first stage of the race is slated for October 17 whereas the second phase in Guyana is set for October 25. The third and final leg of the race usually takes place in Panama.

With Cleveland Forde back from Kenya, the 2008 South American 10k race could come down to a keen finish since the wrestle for the accolade of ‘Guyana’s number one distance athlete’ will be at stake.

Forde won the 2006 South American race while D’Andrade finished second last year after Johnson, who was well positioned for second, collapsed at the Young Men’s Christian Association which was near the finish.

Forde did not participate last year but with Guyana’s three leading male distance athletes setting their eyes on the 2008 version, the event is definitely expected to settle the dispute of who is the best among them.

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