National Junior and Youth Championships...Two-day event completed despite rain

National Junior and Youth Championships…Two-day event completed despite rain

May 06, 2019 Sports

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) was unmoved by the intermittent showers of the eminent May-June rainy season and all the scheduled events for the second and final day of the National Youth and Junior Championships were completed yesterday at the National Track and Field Center (NTFC), Leonora.

Daniel Melville of Police Club led the boys’ under-20 800m from start to finish.

Among the winners yesterday were 2019 Carifta games gold medalists Anisha Gibbons and Matthew Gordon, while Adriel Austin, who was also part of the AAG’s team that finished fourth overall, also picked up a win.
Austin, who is a member of the Police Progressive Youth Club (PPYC), won the girls’ under-18 800m in a decent time of 2 minutes 22 seconds ahead of Shaquka Tyrel of Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) and third place Kissanna Glen of Running Brave athletics club (RBAC).
Gordon (Hopetown Flames) won the boys’ under-18 3000m by some distance after registering a time of 9 minutes 38 seconds with Cordell Charles coming in second almost an entire minute slower in 10 minutes 25 seconds.
Gibbons (Rurallites) threw a top distance of 37.18m in the girls’ under-18 Javelin.
The 800m event wasn’t short of entertainment; Daniel Melville (PPYC) won the boys’ under-20 category in 1minute 59 seconds ahead of Jevon Harris of RBAC.
In the men’s open invitational, Devaun Barrington of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) club ran a decent 1minute 53 seconds ahead of Anfernee Headecker, who was overtaken in the final 80meters of the race that was livened up by a pacy rabbit. Following the race, Barrington noted that he has a lot of work to do since his winning time was only good enough for fifth place at the last Carifta Games.
National record holder in the men’s Javelin, Leslain Baird, as expected, comfortably won his event with a best throw of 69.02 meters in the men’s open invitational.
Head of the AAG, Aubrey Hutson, noted satisfaction with the event and explained that the association will now look forward to the South American Senior Championships which will be held in Lima, Peru, where the likes of Devaun Barrington and Akeem Stewart are set to compete. (Calvin Chapman story and photos)