More CARIFTA medals definitely on the cards

Apr 05, 2012 Sports

– Boyce believes as contingent departs

By Edison Jefford
With the assignment of getting Guyana more medals at the CARIFTA Games, the local athletics contingent departed this morning for Bermuda to compete at the region’s most prestigious junior competition this weekend assured that they will be successful.
“I firmly believe that each of these athletes has the ability to win a medal at these Games, and as such, we might just have much more medals than we are anticipating,” President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Colin Boyce stated at a media update before the team’s departure yesterday.

President of the AAG, Colin Boyce (seated, centre), manager of the CARIFTA team, Pamela Phillips (right) and Coach, Julian Edmonds are swarmed by the athletes that will be representing Guyana in Bermuda this weekend.

Six athletes that included Chavez Ageday (U-20 100m, 200m), Davin Fraser (U-20 100m), Tevin Garraway (U-17 100m, 200m), Stephan James (U-20 200m, 400m), Samuel Kaiton (5000m) and Andrea Foster (U-17 800m, 1500m) will be representing Guyana.
Letitia Myles was present with an outside chance of joining the team after her sponsorship was in late and the AAG had already closed its airline arrangement for the team that will be travelling to Trinidad and Tobago then Bermuda via a chartered aircraft.
Up to press time, the association was attempting to negotiate with Caribbean Airlines to facilitate Myles; among the six athletes, Pamela Phillips was named as manager while the Running Braves Athletics Club’s, Julian Edmonds was identified for coaching duties.
“It’s a very balanced team and judging from CARIFTA trials that we had, and the times athletes turned in, I believe it was worthwhile to send this team; the sprinters rose to the occasion and it’s for them to continue to improve in Bermuda,” Edmonds indicated.
He said that James, who is a Running Braves athlete and who made the 400m finals at the Games last year, will be aiming to reduce his average 47-second times to 46 seconds. Edmonds said that once James does that he will be among the medals this year.
Asked if he believes it is time Ageday deliver on the international stage after being well-exposed for quite sometime, Edmonds observed the steady improvements in Ageday’s 100m times, which he thinks could mean a definite big performance on the rubber track.
“Ageday and I would have spent a lot of time in Venezuela (at the Alba Games last year) where he competed and worked-out with much more senior athletes and he did well; he ran an excellent leg in the relays for Guyana and I believe that he has had good form recently, consistently getting his time down to around 10.3 seconds. I think the aim will be to have him prepare mentally,” the national coach believes.
It was pellucid that medal-winning performances are expected from James and Ageday. Boyce is of the view that distance athletes, Foster and Caiton will also win medals. He noted that it is very possible that Guyana could win a record number of medals at the 2012 Games.