Greene staying patient despite delayed return

Mar 26, 2020 Sports

By Calvin Chapman

Former national hockey player; Ato Greene, following a two year hiatus from the sport is working hard towards making his return to not only competitively play but to the national setup.

Ato Greene (center) in action against Puerto Rico during the junior Pan Am games in 2016.

In 2017, the then budding star suffered a life threatening diagnosis of Pleura Infusion; a condition that causes fluid to build up between the lungs and chest plate which saw him being sidelined for almost two years.
“By the grace of God”, as Greene explains it, he recovered after being hospitalised for several weeks and like the doctors would have explained to him, rehabilitation took some time.
The 23-year-old would have represented the Golden Arrowhead for the first time in 2014 where Guyana finished second in the Pan Am Challenge.
In 2015, his senior debut was at the Pan American Challenge Cup in Peru, where an agonising 3-2 penalty loss to Uruguay in the third place playoff denied the Guyanese the bronze medal finish.
During an interview Tuesday with Kaieteur Sport, the forward shared that he had earmarked 2020 as the year he was going to make his comeback to competitive hockey but the coronavirus pandemic has stalled him once again.

Ato Green (on the ball) against Argentina.

“Initially, I calculated that a year off would have been enough for me but I wasn’t fully up to speed so I decided to take another season off so that I could’ve been fit and rearing to go. However, the Coronavirus tragedy has forced sports events to be cancelled worldwide with Guyana being affected as well, so I am not sure when I will be able to be back on the field and in my element again,” Green posited.
The Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) had to postpone their Smalta/Icool under-14 indoor development league which got underway in late February and all other tournaments inclusive of the outdoor second division development league have been put on hold.
“I thought this virus would’ve been under control quickly but it doesn’t seem that way. Earlier today (Tuesday), I read that the IOC has called for a one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics so I’m guessing it may be a while before I can get out there an compete but the safety of our athletes and our people in general along with the containment of this deadly virus is most important.”
“I will just continue doing what I have been doing during my layoff. I will do my endurance runs and work on strengthening my core, so when we overcome this global crisis, I will be even more fit than before to take the field.