Morgan expresses elation over national award

Feb 01, 2009 Sports

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– makes case for coach, Black

By Edison Jefford
Recently adjudged Sportswoman of the Year, Alika Morgan yesterday expressed elation over the award while making a case for her coach Leslie Black, who she said has consistently produced outstanding athletes.
“I always feel I am a winner. I will like to thank God for what he has done for me over the seven years,” Morgan, who copped both Sportswoman and Junior Sportswoman awards, told Kaieteur Sport yesterday.

“With the assistance of my coach, I will get closer to my goals but things cannot be the way I will like it to be always,” she said, in a direct reference to the fact that the judges did not recognise her coach, Leslie Black.
Morgan was runner–up in both categories last year when Alisha Fortune won the senior prize and Ashley Khalil claimed the junior award. She returned in 2008 with some truly dominant performances in the region.
While she was extremely grateful to the National Sports Commission for recognising her efforts, Morgan believes that it is really the coaches that make the athlete perform since they are the ones responsible for training.
“I will like the persons responsible for the awardees to remember that we, as athletes, cannot reach where we want to go without a coach; Black has guided all of Guyana’s top distance athletes,” she boldly boasted.
“Neil Kumar and the other members of the sports commission should respect what my coach is doing,” Morgan added, while informing that the Sports Ministry should honour their commitment toward her scholarship.
According to the athlete, she had spoken to Minister Frank Anthony about a scholarship two years ago and he promised to look into it. She indicated that she is still awaiting an official feedback from the minister.
“The Sports Ministry and Kumar should assist young sportsmen and women with local and international scholarships. We have to start at home if athletics is to reach the top like in other countries,” Morgan succinctly opined.

When contacted yesterday, Black said that he was asked to submit his coaching record to the Ministry  but subsequently learnt that he did so too late, which was one of the reasons for him being overlooked for the Sports Coach award.
“What they need to start doing is to look at more coaches of individual sport and not team sports. It’s harder to produce top athletes in individual sports,” Black said, adding that he was disappointed with this year’s nominees.
National football coach, Wayne Dover overwhelmingly won the Sports Coach of the Year award in a field that included Rugby’s Sherlock Sam (Solomon), Squash’s Carl Ince and Table Tennis’ Linden Johnson.
“It’s too often that they have flaws in the nominations. I believe they should have looked at the performances of Alika and other athletes that I have brought out,” the plain spoken Black told this newspaper yesterday.
Under his stewardship, Cleveland Forde, Reona Cornette, Kelvin Johnson, Delcia Dick, Janella Jonas and Jevina Straker became celebrated and dominant local distance athletes with successes at various levels of athletics.
Interestingly, Black has spotted new talent in Chavez Sital, who placed second to Dennis Horatio at last weekend’s Cross–Country race. Black is Head Coach of the Rising Star Athletics Club that is currently being restructured.
“I believe it’s because I’m not an AAG (Athletics Association of Guyana) certified coach that they look at me this way. I can’t understand why they do these things,” an obviously disappointed Black sombrely related.
In an effort to give a clear indication of what landed Morgan and unprecedented double at awards, Kaieteur Sport presents her 2008 performance profile, which was exposed to the judges for scrutiny and subsequent voting.
Alika Morgan’s 2008 Performance Profile
January
Event: Suriname 10km Road Race
Position: First Place
Time: 37:40.00
Event: National Cross Country Championships
Position: First Place
Time: 18:39
February
Meet: AAG Developmental Meet
Event: 3000m
Position: First Place
Time: 11:26
March
Meet: Carifta Games trials
Events: 1500m and 3000m
Positions: First Place
Times: 5:26 and 11:09
Meet: National Youth and Junior Championships
Events: 800m, 1500m and 3000m
Positions: First Place
Times: 2:36, 5:20 and 10:59
Meet: Junior Carifta Games (St. Kitts)
Events: 1500m and 3000m
Positions: Third Place (1500m) and Second Place (3000m)
Times: 4:47 and 10:15
April
Meet: Inter–Guiana Games Trials
Events: 800m, 1500m and 3000m
Positions: First Place
Times: 2:27, 5:26 and 11:09
Meet: President’s Invitational Grand Prix
Event: 3000m
Position: First Place
Time: 11:46.06
May
Meet: IAAF World Athletics Day
Event: 1500m
Position: First Place
Time: 5:50
Meet: Hampton Games (Trinidad and Tobago)
Events: 1500m and 3000m
Positions: Second Place (1500m) and First Place (3000m)
Times: 4:56 and 11:02
July
Meet: Caricom 10km Road Race (Antigua and Barbuda)
Positions: First Place (Overall Female and Junior)
Time: 38:19
Meet: Olympic Day Run
Position: First Place
August
Attended Beijing Olympic Games Youth Camp in China
September
Meet: Inter–School Championships
Events: 800m, 1500m and 3000m
Positions: First Place
October
Meet: South American 10km Road Race Trials
Position: First Place
Meet: First Stag–South American 10km Road Race Classic (Suriname)
Positions: First Place (Senior and Junior)
Meet: Second Stage–South American 10km Road Race Classic
Positions: First Place (Junior) and Second Place (Senior)
Meet: Inter–Branch School Championships
Events: 800m, 1500m and 3000m
Positions: First Place
November
Meet: UWI Half Marathon (Trinidad and Tobago)
Positions: First Place (Junior and Senior)
Time: 1:27.00
Meet: Suriname Marathon
Positions: First (Junior and Senior)
Meet: National Schools’ Championships
Event: 10km Road Race
Position: First Place
Time: 40:06
December
Meet: Run Barbados 10km Road Race
Positions: First Place (Junior) and Third Place (Senior)

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