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“We are going out there to perform”
– Says IGG Athletics Coach, Wilson
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO!!! IGG Athletics Coach, Linden Wilson (left) gives instructions to (from left) national sprint aces, Iana Graham, Tiffany Carto and Shawn Semple at the Police Sports Club Ground yesterday’s.
By Edison Jefford
Despite the absence of a few notable athletes on the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) Athletics team, Head Coach Linden Wilson believes that the team is going to perform and he made that clear when he spoke with Kaieteur Sport yesterday.
“I think we are going to go out there and win but I do not think we will be as dominant as we were in the previous years because we are dealing with some first-timers here. But we are going to go out there to perform,” Wilson said.
The Police Progressive Youth Club Coach was speaking to this newspaper and the Police Sports Club where several of the Georgetown-based national athletes were under his astute guidance ahead of the French Guiana tour.
Wilson confirmed that the team preparations are well on stream and that he has feedback from the Linden and New Amsterdam-based athletes that suggests that their preparations are going well too. He said they are working hard.
“Apart from the other athletes here (in Georgetown), I am in contact with the coaches of those other athletes and from all indication, they have been doing what they are expected to do. They have been doing well,” Wilson indicated.
Guyana is defending champions in athletics at the tri-nation Guiana Games. However, a minor concern had emerged after CARIFTA Games’ gold medallist, Jevina Straker led a list of high-profiled athletes that will not compete.
Straker opted to compete at the CARIFTA Games instead, which is a matter of days away from the Guiana Games. Guyana’s number one junior sprinter, Chavez Ageday also made a similar decision while other reasons omitted others.
CARIFTA Games’ bronze medallist, Jenella Jonas and Nadine Rodrigues were two of the other notable athletes that could not make the team because part of the criteria is that they must be attending an academic institution to compete.
Nevertheless, Wilson believes that the team will be just as strong as it would have been with the presence of those athletes. “I think that the athletes that replace them want their chance to shine and that’s good,” the national coach said.
“I have been encouraging the other coaches to help me motivate them because I believe it (the competition) will be nervy and it is important that we work on confidence,” he added before stating that he has no fear of not returning the title.
Wilson said that the athletes are upbeat about going to run on the rubber track. A two-day camp for them is scheduled for this weekend with all the athletes on the 26-member team expected to attend before departing next Wednesday.
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