… Baird, Archibald, Foster and Perry being considered

THE final team to represent Guyana at the South American (SA) Senior Championships set for two weeks from now in Ecuador, has not yet been selected by the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG). However, national men’s javelin record-holder Leslain Baird, and Penn Relays silver medallist jumper Emanuel Archibald are among those being considered.

Speaking with Chronicle Sport yesterday, AAG president Aubrey Hutson confirmed that the selection had not yet been finalised, but noted that the Association is hoping to take about six athletes to the event. As always though, finances will be the defining factor.
“We’re still working on it. It depends heavily on our financial capabilities,” he said.
Pressed about possible choices, Hutson related that overseas-based Emanuel Archibald and Andrea Foster had indicated their interest to represent and were being considered, while Baird and local sprinter Rupert Perry were also being given some thought.
With the local National Seniors Championships not being held until July 1 -2, and the South American Senior Championships set for June 23 – 24, Hutson said the athletes will be selected based on how close, in their respective events, they are to the qualifying marks of the World Championships.
“We couldn’t hold trials because of the South American Junior Championships. So we’re looking to send persons who wish to qualify for World Championships. We’re looking at those athletes whose times are close to the (World Championships) qualifying time and will give them a chance,” Hutson explained.
The National Seniors Championships had originally been set for June 3-4, in time to assess the seniors, and make a selection, before the South American Senior Championships. However, after a late request was made for Guyana to hold the South American Junior Championships, that event was held on that date instead.
This left the National Seniors being pushed to July, leaving a void of trials for the SASC, and saw the AAG installing this new criterion.
Archibald has been enjoying a notable season thus far, which peaked with his silver medal claim at the Penn Relays men’s long jump clearing 7.47m, while representing his school University of the West Indies.
Archibald was last year awarded a scholarship from the National Sports Commission to attend the University in Jamaica.
However, the World Championships qualifying mark for the men’s long jump is 8.15m. Archibald also participates in the triple jump and dabbles in sprints. However, even in the triple jump Archibald’s 15m personal best is some distance from the 16.80m qualifying leap required to make it to the World Championships.
A CARIFTA Games bronze medallist, Foster is a middle-distance runner studying on a scholarship at Essex College in the USA. Foster has had a SB of 2:11.48s and 4:40.00s respectively in the women’s 800m and 1500m. For her, she has to bring her times down to 2:01.00s and 4:26.70s to make anywhere near London this August.
In the case of Baird, not even Guyana’s national record of 69.97m in the men’s javelin is far from the 83m the IAAF has set for persons to qualify in this event.
Perry is another sprinter. However, he has a huge task achieving the 10.12 seconds and 20.44 seconds qualifying marks for events that Jamaica’s Usain Bolt will no doubt dominate when he takes his final race.