Latest update December 23rd, 2024 3:40 AM
Baird should be first preference for 2016 Olympics
Kadecia Baird
– it is time for Govt. to step up to the plate for athletics
Overseas-based Kadecia Baird of Medgar Evers High School used her god given talent last Friday evening to write her name into the books of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) and also the Guyana Olympic Association after generating a splendid performance in the women’s 400 meters at the IAAF World Junior Championships (WJC) in Barcelona, Spain.
The former Royal Youth Movement (RYM) athlete, being the only one to stand on the podium for Guyana at the Championship in her pet event, separated a first-to-second sweep from United States of America, Ashley Spencer (first) and Erika Rucker (third) in a time of 51.04 seconds.
Baird performance from the Games allowed her to not only break her personal best, which was set a month ago, but also permits her to have the new Central American and Caribbean Junior Record, a record for Guyana.
The record was held by Onica Fraser in a time of 54.38 seconds.
Baird better known as the ‘Closer’, a rising senior athlete at her school, she is the first on the list when it comes to selection for teams especially the 2016 Olympic Games, however there may be a possibility that the long legged athlete might not be representing the country of her birth because she is expected to accept US citizenship by then and can try out for her adopted country.
Proving that she has what it takes after first qualifying with Olympic 400 meters standard B time a month ago and now improving from the B standard to the A standard (51.55 seconds), the athlete will not be able to take the golden opportunity as Aliann Pompey, a three-time Olympian, who qualified a year ago (July) with 51.66 seconds.
Pompey lately ran a time of 52.10 seconds at the U.S Club Championships in Omaha. She has already indicated that she will not go to the Olympics this year and Pompey is already our representative in London.
Baird did not only book her name in Guyana records but also in the United States records, which is now the fifth-fastest time in U.S. high school history. Her 51.04 seconds is also ranked the second fastest junior time in the World.
Having the fastest US 400 meters time for the year, registering a time of 52.14 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in North Carolina on June 16, she added the new PB to her event.
Below are the honours of the 17 years old athlete, Kadecia Baird:
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Chilling reminders that we are not safe
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Georgetown was plunged into shock and terror last week after two heinous incidents laid... more
Breaking the Chains of Poverty: A need for political will
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The year 2024 has underscored a grim reality: poverty continues to be an unyielding... more
Weekend Cartoon
