A champion has run his last race

Apr 05, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,
It was Ivor Burnette who lives in New York who phoned to say that George Payton died during the week ending 3rd April 2021. Those who were around track and field athletics during the late 1960s would remember George as Guyana’s lead sprinter. This was the time when “Rocky” McPherson’s days as our ace sprinter were at an end. Rocky was short and slim – looking at him, one would not have associated him with the speed, which he generated. George represented a new era of sprinters. Modelled after the American sprinter, Bob Haynes, who won the 100 meters at the 1964 Olympics.
Haynes was a powerful man – over six feet tall with bulging muscles. Payton was around 5 feet 10 inches, broad and thick at the shoulders, with legs as strong as our greenheart tree.
The 1960s ushered in the age of the power sprinters, men who spent as much time at the gym as they did on the track, and George was among the earliest of such sprinters for Guyana.
Somewhere in the late 1960s, I remember a number of us travelling to Suriname to take part in a meet that country held each year, during the month of August.
Guyana’s official team was led by George Payton, Ivor Burnette and Moses Dawarka. A number of us younger athletes (mostly from Tutorial High School), paid our way intending to take part in the under-19 events.
Guyana excelled at that games. We won almost everything in sight easily. I said almost since Trinidad had a strong team at the games.
Their team was led by a young sprinter whose name I can’t recall, but to this day believe him to have been a young Hasely Crawford, who went on to win the 100meters at the 1976 Olympics.
Just looking at the sprinters at the starter line for the 100meters, one could easily guess that the race would be between George and this tall, strapping young Trinidadian.
And so it was. At the gun, the two men quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field.
Neither seemed to be getting the better of the other as though jointed at hip, they fell on the tape together, with the Trinidadian being adjudged the winner.
That was our first defeat at that games. And George and all of us wanted revenge in the 200meters.
Since Suriname did not have any under 19-runners capable of giving our 19s any meaningful challenge, the organisers asked that we run in the international (open) events. This explains why I was involved in what happened next.
At the line for the 200-meters, we were made to draw lots for determining our lane.
I drew the lane immediately behind the tall Trinidadian, while George drew a lane just in front of him.
Thus making George a comfortable target for the Trini to gauge his progress during the course of the race.
Something had to be done quickly, to place George just behind him, making him George’s target. Quickly George and I switched lots.
Now the race was set up in George’s favour. And he did not disappoint.
He won comfortably. Guyana had regained its winning ways. Our men left that games with only one defeat – the 100meters.
But during week ending 3rd April 2021, George was to taste defeat one last time.
Only this time, he knew a defeat that we all will experience some day. Rest easy big brother.
Yours truly,
Claudius Prince

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