Latest update September 23rd, 2026 10:02 AM
Inter–Services Athletics Championships
GPF establishes firm lead
Larry Josiah
Eva Harry
By Edison Jefford
The Guyana Police Force (GPF) shot to an unassailable lead yesterday that left its nearest rival palpitating after the completion of the day’s finals in the Annual Inter–Services Athletics Championships at Eve Leary.
Up to Kaieteur Sports’ press time yesterday and with just the male and female long jump points outstanding, GPF were on top of the table with 236 points while the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) trailed on 81 points.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) were just 10 points behind GDF with the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) chasing the flock on 26 points. The Services will take a rest today and return tomorrow for the remainder of events.
The marquee men’s 100m and 200m events is on stream for a bitter showdown tomorrow as Keith Roberts and emerging phenomena, Michael Saul comfortably won their heats yesterday to trigger talks of a Roberts upset.
Natasha Alder
Ronald Payne
Saul was unofficially clocked at 10.39 seconds in the 100m while Roberts had a time of 10.53 seconds. In the 200m, however, Saul was unofficially clocked at 22.7 seconds in his heat whereas Roberts had a quicker 22.2 seconds.
Ronald Payne, Natasha Alder and Larry Josiah helped the GPF to its firm position after dominating performances. Payne won both the men’s discuss throw and shot put while placing third in the javelin throw.
Payne threw 11.45m to win the shot put ahead of Adrian Massiah’s best throw of 10.42m and Michael Pollydore’s 10.31m. He snatched the discuss throw with 40.10m from Walden Arthur (33.52m) and Pollydore (31.67m).
Leslie Baird, with a massive 54.12m throw, knocked Massiah and Payne into second and third places respectively with throws of 46.78m and 45.41m. Arthur (GFS) and Baird (GDF) were the only non–GPF athletes in these events.
Alder continued the rampage for the GPF in the women’s javelin event with a 37.12m win ahead of team–mate, Latoya Rodney and GDF’s Jacqulin Fredricks, who threw 25.15m and 22.20m in that order.
Michael Saul (left) and Keith Roberts go through a warm down session after winning their respective 100m heats yesterday.
Josiah thrashed the entire field in the men’s 5000m final, winning in a time of 17:32.2 and knocking GPF counter–part, Desmond Chin (18:27.4) and rival GDF’s Oral Roberts (18:45.1) into second and third places.
Eva Harry, representing GDF, ran a tactical women’s 3000m race after trailing GPF’s Samantha Williams for five of the seven and a half laps race to eventually win by more than 80m in sweltering heat.
Harry won in 13:24.5 with GPF’s Stacy Wilson in second and Williams third in times of 13:43.3 and 15:21.4 respectively. The men’s 5000m and women’s 3000m were the only two track finals completed on day one.
In other results:
Women’s Discuss: GPF Joan King (23.29m), GPF Sivon Glasgow (21.44) and GPF Jael London (19.80m).
Women’s Shot Put: GPF Zoanne Johnson (7.43m), GPF Ediol Castello (7.32m) and GPF (6.76m).
Women’s Triple Jump: GPF Donna Ferguson (9.42m), Latoya Rodney (9.04m) and Delisa Brown (8.97m).
Men’s Triple Jump: GPF Jason Critchlow (12.72m), GPF Byron David (12.65m) and Marlon McFarlane (12.40m).
The championships are being staged under the title: ‘Building Confidence Through Sports’ and will also feature six invitational track and field events and four invitational cycling events when it continues tomorrow.
Commander–in–Chief, President Bharat Jagdeo, Acting Commissioner of Police, Henry Greene, Guyana Defence Force Chief–of–Staff, Gary Best or the Minister of Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony will formally open the event tomorrow.
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