THE Guyana athletes to the 2017 Flow CARIFTA Games departed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport yesterday for Curacao, where they will be tasked with competing

against the Caribbean’s best in youth and junior athletics, with hopes of garnering a few of those coveted medals.

This year’s team comprises only athletes who qualified in at least one event at the Games. However, team coach Johnny Gravesande revealed that some of the athletes will be allowed to also participate in events for which they did not qualify.
Linden’s Compton Caesar, who qualified for the Boys’ U-20 200m, will also be participating in the 100m, while his club-

mate Onasha Rogers will also be in the 200m after having qualified in the Girls’ Under-18 100m. Claudrice McKoy will be in the Girls’ U-18 1500m as well as the 3000m.

As the athletes gathered at the National Gymnasium just before travelling to the airport, several of them were in high spirits.

“I feel good. I know I’m well prepared. I know I’ve covered more distance than last year, so I’m going into the competition with confidence and a willingness to work harder than last year,” jumper Chantoba Bright told Chronicle Sport.
Bright will be in the long, triple and high jump events of the Girls’ youth (Under-18) categories. This will be Bright’s second year at the competition, and a lot will be expected from the

Upper Demerara Track Club athlete.

Last year Bright was Guyana’s top performer at the meet,

where she collected two silver medals in the long jump and triple jump. Expectations are running high again, given her improved season. She has a season’s best of 6.01m and 12.59m in the long and triple jumps respectively.
The only event that Bright is really worried about is the high jump, for which she only recently started training, but was able to make the CARIFTA qualifying time.

“I felt it was good to try something new and I’m talented when it comes to jumps, so I decided to try the high jump and qualified even though I’ve only trained once or twice for it.
“But I’m confident, I just know I can go out there and do my stuff, and I have nothing to lose, just stuff to win and prove,” the South American Youth bronze medallist said.
Bright, along with her fellow Upper club-mate Daniel Williams

are the only athletes from the 12-man squad doing more than two events.
A South American Youth (SAY) silver medallist, Williams will be in the 200m, 400m and high jump at CARIFTA, the same events he medalled in last year at SAY.
At CARIFTA, Williams will be particularly focused in the 400m,

after he finished second in this race at CARIFTA last year but was later disqualified.

“My chances are pretty good, I’m a very confident athlete and once they can do it I can. Last year was my first year at CARIFTA and I was new to the intensity of the sport and to me, I didn’t really know what happened. But this year I’m much more experienced at international games, and I’ll be much more comfortable competing,” Williams asserted.
Meanwhile, Schools Nationals record-holder Kenisha Phillips will continue her 100m and 200m campaign, where her SBs are 11.84s and 24.47s respectively.

Another athlete that much will be expected from will be the sole overseas-based athlete on the team Natricia Hooper.
Hooper is also the only athlete in the Girls’ junior (Under-20) category. She will be in the 400m and triple jump, and she too has been having a good season.

The other athletes on the team are: Anfernee Headecker (800 and 1500m Under-20), Tremaine Browne (long and triple jumps (Under-18), Matthew McKenzie (U-20 1500m, 5000m), Samuel Lynch (U-20 800m), and Tortque Boyce (U-18 high jump).

The team travelled with coaches Gravesande and Moses Pantlitz and team manager Yvonne October.