NATIONAL cycle coach Hassan Mohamed is proud of Continental Cycle Club captain Geron Williams’ achievements to date.
Speaking to Chronicle Sports recently, Mohamed said firstly, he is proud of Williams winning the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) 2009 Junior Sportsman-of-the-Year award.

“I think he deserves it, when you look at his achievements for last year, his performance stands out over the other athletes that were nominated for the award,” Mohamed opined, adding “this is the first time in 38 years that a cyclist has won a NSC award.”
Mohamed, who has been involved in cycling for over 40 years and who has coached a great number of national and Caribbean champions, said the last time a cyclist won the NSC award was in 1972 when Neville Hunte was named Senior Sportsman-of-the-Year.

He reminded that Hunte had also won the award in 1970, while table tennis player Doreen Cho-Wah was named Sportswoman-of-the-Year.

In 1972, lawn tennis player Kean Gibson was named Sportswoman-of-the-Year.

Mohamed was quick to point out that Williams, like many of Guyana’s top cyclists, both current and former, came out of his `Teach Them Young’ programme which 18-year-old Williams signed up for when he was just five years of age.

Among the many cyclists that benefited from the `Teach Them Young’ programme are: Bertram and Byron James, Marcus Fiedtkou, Raymond Newton, Dwayne Gibbs, Wayne DeAbreu, Linden Dowridge, Warren McKay and Junior Niles.

“The discipline that he (Williams) portrays and his dedication are two of the things that are responsible for his achievements over the years that he has been involved in cycling” Mohamed stated, adding, “if the other youngsters that are involved in the sport can emulate him then I’m sure they too will achieve great things in life.”

Mohamed believed that Williams’ discipline is also responsible for his academic achievements as well.

Williams wrote the CXC examinations last year and secured nine passes (grades one and two) and is currently attending the University of Guyana.

Mohamed also thinks that Williams’ parents, Glen and Gemma, played a pivotal role in their son’s achievements both in the cycling and academic arenas.

“I think he received 100 percent support from his parents and they should be complimented. Apart from his parents, he also got the support of his grandparents and other relatives as well as corporate Guyana, especially, R&R International and DeSinco Trading.”

Mohamed, in closing, said he hopes the young athlete (Williams) will continue in the same vein “and other young cyclists will emulate him”.