… Guyana lose to Suriname 2-1 at football; Guyana perform miserably in the pool
SOME keen and electrifying performances in the track and field events were the key highlights of the second day of competition as the 43rd Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) continued at the Stade de Baduel in French Guiana. Chronicle  Sport  was not fortunate to secure the overall standings of the games after the completion of the first set of the track and field events but on the football pitch, Guyana went down 2-1 to their arch rivals Suriname and in the pool they could not have kept up with the pace and produced yet another disappointing performance.

Athletics
A lot was said about Guyana’s track and field team prior to the start of the games and their coach Lyndon Wilson was adamant that his charges were more than capable of retaining the title that they have held for several years.
However, the Guyanese were sent into deep silence when their leading sprinter and Carifta Games selectee, Tiffany Carto, was disqualified using the new one false-starting by the IAAF as of January this year, leaving Ianna Graham to battle in the race placing third.
Graham ran the 100m in a time of 12.2 seconds behind French Guiana’s Aurelie Quemon (12.1 seconds) and eventual winner Danielle Clark of Suriname who ran a blistering 11.9 seconds.
Carto was visibly shaken and broke down in tears and had to be consoled by Wilson and other members of the Guyana camp since she wanted to get a taste of some good competition before leaving for the Cayman Islands later this week.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m Guyana again finished third with Stephan James clocking 11.1 seconds. The race was won by Surinamese Regillio Mase (10.7 seconds) and his teammate Astrayo Leeflang second (10.9 seconds). The other Guyanese in the race, Shawn Semple, finished fourth registering 11.4 seconds.
Guyana’s Shannah Thornhill won the bronze in the women’s 400m after running a wonderful race for the first 300m but faded in the later stages.
She ran 59.2 seconds behind French Guiana Enora Elfort (58.4 seconds) and Suriname’s Ramona Van Der Vloot (57.0 seconds).
In the men’s version, the defending champions pair of Franken Mercurius (52.4 seconds) and Stephan James were fourth and fifth respectively in the race that was won by Carlos Felixdal of Suriname.
Guyana’s first top-podium finish came through Tyson Bentick (four minutes, 13.1 seconds) in the men’s 1500. The Mackenzie High School student ran a well planned race and sprinted home ahead of Regillio Touwslager (four minutes, 14.5 seconds) and fellow Guyanese Kevin Bayley (four minutes, 14.17 seconds).
Carlisa Atkinson (five minutes, 19.2 seconds) and Andrea Gibson (five minutes, 26.2 seconds) were second and third in the female 1500m. The race was won by Suriname’s Llsida Toemere.
But where athletes from the Land of Many Waters lacked in the track, they certainly made up in the field events which they clearly dominated.
First, Winston Caesar might have lost his IGG triple jump title but he leaped to his personal best in triple jump event which was also the day’s best moment.
Caesar who attends the Linden Foundation High School lost by two centimetres to French Guiana’s junior national champion Manuel Bilioniere and only managed to come close on his final jump of the day.
Bilioniere soared to a 14.69 metres in his second jump of the day while Caesar jumped 14.67 metres which he feels was as good as gold, even though he didn’t win.
Maricia Isaacs finished third in the female triple-jump (10.92 metres) with French Guiana’s CARIFTA Games hopefuls Larissa Galas (11.39 metres) and  Riphna Champigny (11.26 metres) finishing first and second respectively.
The ever-impressive Maxim Duncan of Essequibo landed gold on his debut at the IGG when he flapped 1.85 metres to win the men’s high jump event beating his partner Jermaine Durant (1.80 metres) and Suriname’s Stefano Boschmans (1.75 metres).
Team Guyana’s Michael Bowman proved to be the strongest in the javelin throw event when he threw the bayonet 50.31 metres, easily beating Suriname’s Romario Doorson (47.62 metres) and Guyanese Rudolph Toney (43.31 metres).

Football
It was the different cast but same script for Guyana in the male football as they surrendered to Suriname two goals to one.
The first goal was scored in the first minute of the game; 13 seconds to be exact by Vitorino Pinas and ten minutes later Stefan Ryzel sent the defending champions further in the lead.
Sheldon Holder scored his side’s only goal of the tri-nation tournament by converting a penalty which was given after he was fouled in the 18 yards box.
The IGG first leg will come to a close today with championship football match between Suriname and French Guiana at 10:30 h, along with the track and field events.