Four athletes are down to make their CARIFTA Games debut on a six-man team that was named for the upcoming marquee event this month end in Jamaica.
Stephan James
Nathanie Giddings
The Athletic Association of Guyana (AAG) yesterday made official seven athletes who are down to represent the country at the imminent junior-level Games.
Melissa Byass, Nathaniel Giddings, Stephan James and Trevon George are the four athletes, who will, based on the availability of funding, make their debut along with the more seasoned athletes Chavez Ageday and Jevina Straker.
Byass was named to compete in 400m, 800m and 1500m Girls’ Under-17 events; Giddings in the 1500m and 5000m U-20 events; James in the 200m and 400m U-20 races; George in the 800 and 1500m U-20 races.
Double CARIFTA Games gold medallist, Straker will attempt a three-peat in the 1500m. Straker will be competing in the 800m race as well; ‘Junior Sportsman of the Year’, Ageday, was named to compete in the 100 and 200m sprint events.
The association had made public its predictions on those who are likely to make the team, in this, and other sections of the media following trials three weekends ago.
President of the AAG, Colin Boyce, briefly told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that among six athletes named for the CARIFTA Games there is a priority list should funding fall short. He said that he’s not going to disclose who the priority athletes are.
“As we’ve done so far, we want to send all the athletes we have named on national teams but it is always about funding to send the team,” Boyce said.
In addition, it was disclosed that AAG official, Guyana Police Force, Sergeant Pamela Phillips is the manager of the team while former national sprinter and Coach of the Running Brave Athletic Club, Julian Edmonds was tipped as the CARIFTA Team Coach.
Chavez Ageday
Jevina Straker
Boyce indicated that the association have a fund-raising Take-Away Lunch at Guyana’s Olympic Association Headquarters in Kingston to help send the full team to the Games.