IGG Athletics team named

Feb 23, 2010 Sports

Five leading juniors unavailable

By Edison Jefford

Alternative commitments that range from examinations to lessons have ruled out some of the best junior athletes from the 2010 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) team, which was named yesterday following trials at Enmore on Sunday.
CARIFTA Games gold medallist, Jevina Straker, who won the 800m race on Sunday, and Chavez Ageday, who won both the 100m and 200m events, were among four high-profile athletes omitted from the IGG team for various reasons.
The other three athletes that were left off the team are CARIFTA bronze medallist, Jenella Jonas, Nadine Rodrigues and Jevina Sampson. The decision to omit them was done yesterday and replacements instantly surfaced.
Kaieteur Sport understands that they were among the leading candidates for the IGG unit but several other reasons surfaced that forced the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) to look at a few alternatives to fill the vacant slots.
Straker has responsibility with her classes for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Exam and opted to focus on competing at the CARIFTA Games in Cayman Islands from April 3-5. CXC commitments also ruled out Sampson.
Ageday, who ran the world junior 200m qualification time last year, will compete at this year’s South American Under-23 Games in Columbia from March 20-23, ruling him out of the March 26-28 IGG Games in French Guiana.
Jonas’ lack of attendance at school contributed to her non-selection. Rodrigues may have had a similar problem since she was not named among the 13 females. She won the 200m and 400m races at the trials that placed her in contention.
Part of the broad criteria for selection and participation at the IGG Games is that athletes must be attending an institution of learning.
There were some questions over the addition of Semple, who attends a Venezuelan Institute, but those have since been addressed and he was cleared for participation.
President of the AAG, Colin Boyce indicated yesterday that Guyana will follow the rules of the games with no exceptions being made. “Protocol said that you must be attending a school. We are playing it safe,” Boyce told this newspaper.
He said that the omission of those athletes that were eligible like Ageday and Straker may be a “blessing in disguise” since he cannot guarantee that they will return in time to travel to the Cayman Islands for the 2010 CARIFTA Games.
Both Ageday and Straker are among the definite candidates likely to make the CARIFTA times for the games when the AAG hold trials on March 7 at the Police Sports Ground. It would appear as though the logistical problem is solved.
If the two athletes had attended the IGG event it would have meant them travelling over a course of four days to make it in time to compete in the Cayman Islands. Boyce thinks his selected IGG athletes will still bring home the bacon.
“We are still very strong. Our only weakness may be in the female 800m race but that is a little weakness. We have filled the other spots well with the best we have available,” the AAG head said, adding he is confident in the selection.
Male IGG Athletic Team: Shawn Semple (100m, 200m), Franken Mercurius (100m, 200m), Stefan James (400m), Kevin Bailey (800m, 1500m), Stefan George (800m, 1500m), Tyshon Bentick (5000m), Jamaal Chisholm (5000m), Winston Ceasar (Long and Tripple Jumps), Maxsim Duncan (Long and High Jumps), Jermaine Durant (Tripple and High Jumps), Rudolph Toney (Discuss Throw), Ryan Crandon (Discus Throw) and Michael Bowman (Shot Putt).
Female IGG Athletic Team: Tiffany Carto (100m, 200m), Iana Graham (100m, 200m), Shanna Thornhill (400m, 800m), Kiesha Grimes (1500m), Andrea Gibson (3000m), Karlisle Atkinson (3000m), Juanita Hooper (Long and Tripple Jumps), Marcia Issacs (Long and Tripple Jumps), Latoya Douglas, Lisa Bowman (Shot Putt), Onescia Byass (Shot Putt) Shameka Caesar and Adana Roberts.
The three officials named to accompany the 26 member squad were coaches Robert Chisholm and Lyndon Wilson along with Manager, Pamela Phillips.
The team will leave Guyana some time around March 24 for French Guiana.

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IGG Athletics team named

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