DESPITE a team filled with newcomers, and competing on a difficult track, Guyana still defended their title in the track and field competition at the Inter-Guiana Games, performing exactly how they were expected to perform, says team coach Quinse Clarke.

For yet another year Guyana dominated in IGG athletics, both boys and girls, grabbing gold medals in all but one event for the girls team, and conceding just three losses on the boys side, ending with 24 gold, 14 silver and 8 bronze medals.
Clarke showered praise on the various coaches of the athletes, commending them for the work that they put in to get them ready.
“The team performed excellently. I must give thanks to the individual coaches for the preparation. They were well prepared, they had their mind set, so that there wasn’t much work for me to do but direct them,” Clarke told Chronicle Sport.
The Guyana side easily picked up most of the wins, with hardly any resistance from the Suriname athletes, despite slow times from many of the Guyanese.
Nonetheless, it was not all smooth sailing for the team, with many of the athletes complaining of the grass track at the Andre Kamperveen Stadium being “slow”. There were also continuous complaints about the food being served by the organisers.
“The food wasn’t all that good like back home, but we managed. Everything else was awesome,” said first-time athlete, Tortque Boyce, who competed in the boys high jump and was able to make a new 2-metre personal best standard in the event.
However, the athletes did shower praise on the accommodation and the hospitality of the Surinamese people. The Guyana team stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, in Paramaribo, Suriname.