Forde disappointing at World Half Marathon

Oct 15, 2008 Sports

– selection controversy for SA 10k brewsArguably Guyana’s number one male distance athlete, Cleveland Forde finished 58 of 90 entrants at Sunday’s International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Half Marathon in Rio De Janerio, Brazil.
Forde, who left Guyana last Wednesday, returned 1:10.20 in the race. He also competed simultaneously at the South American Half Marathon where he finished in a more creditable 11 of 23 competitors.
An Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) press release stated that the athlete’s IAAF Half Marathon time was his personal best. Kaieteur Sport understands that it was Forde’s first Half Marathon at this level.
Sunday’s race began at Hotel Intercontinental then worked its way through the streets of Rio De Janerio to finish at the Flamingo Beach. The release said that IAAF President, Lamine Diack were among guests present.
In a recent interview with this newspaper, Forde had indicated an aptitude to compete in the 1500m as opposed to the longer distances. He said that anything over 1500m often results in severe cramping around his abdomen.
It is that cramping problem that Forde informed affected his performance at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan, last year. The exposed distance runner does not favor distances beyond 1500m.
Notwithstanding he was still the AAG’s choice for the World Half Marathon–a race he has no prior experience in and an event that both Lionel D’Andrade and Kelvin Johnson has competed in before.
Forde did not compete at the AAG’s South American (SA) 10k trials on Saturday owing to his Brazil assignment.
Nevertheless, Johnson, who won the race, is fearful that the ‘Little Kenyan’ will still get the nod to represent Guyana ahead of him at the first stage in Suriname this weekend.

Cleveland Forde

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