… Pompey/Fortune showdown to highlight meet
GUYANA’S leading athletes including 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Aliann Pompey and leading female sprinter Alicia Fortune are expected to grace the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) with their presence when the second annual President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic gets under way on Sunday May 22 in the mining town. The President’s/Jefford Track and Field Classic was first held last year to the memory of the late Elton Jefford, a former athlete and president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) who passed away in 2009 and is the brainchild of his son Edison Jefford.
At a simple launching ceremony held yesterday in the boardroom of Guyana’s leading communications provider Digicel, president of the AAG and former sprinter Colin Boyce said he met with Pompey and gave her the opportunity to decide which race she wishes to run.
“The President’s/Jefford Classic came about through a positive thinking between my partner Edison Jefford and myself last year and we brought it to fruition with the first annual meet that was held in Linden last year,” said Boyce.
The head of the Police Sports Committee further told those gathered including Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport Steve Ninvalle, Marketing Assistant of Ansa McAl Trading Anjeta Hinds and Public Relations Officer of Digicel Shonnet Moore, lucrative cash prizes will be up for grabs this year.
“As you all know, the clubs competing in this Classic will be vying for healthy cash incentives this year, where we have over $1M in cash and prizes for the respective winners, with the first four teams collecting $300 000, $200 000, $100 000 and $50 000 respectively along with trophies.
“I myself cannot recall during my years of competition, such hefty cash prizes being distributed to athletes on local soil, but this gesture by the organisers is being used to help the clubs financially, helping out with the needs of the athletes, not only when they go on tour, but even while at home here in Guyana for events.”
He continued, “After lengthy discussion with Aliann last year, where unfortunately she could not have made it to compete in the inaugural Classic, she gave us her word and commitment that she would be here for this year’s event and to compete.
“While I was in the USA last week, I had a fruitful discussion with Pompey and I also gave her the option of running the 100, 200 and 400 metres races and she decided that it would be in the interest of the athletes to run the 200 metres, since she did not wish to make the 400 metres race which is her pet event a lop-sided one.”
“I had to let her know that we have some athletes here who can spring a surprise, but whatever she decides to run, whether it is the 100, 200 or 400 metres race, it would be a treat for the public in attendance at the Classic and at the same time give our local athletes a chance to see where they are and where they need to get.
“I made special mention of our local female star Alicia Fortune who should be battling Aliann in one of the races, which should also be an enthralling and exciting one, making this year’s Classic one of a difference in comparison to last year’s event.
“The clubs are training hard and vying to outdo each other, therefore the competition is expected to be high and as president of the AAG, I expect this competition to be here to stay and help add to the calendar of events for the AAG on a yearly basis,” stated Boyce.
In his brief remarks, Ninvalle extended congratulations to the organisers for having such a meet that he viewed it as an important one saying, “if we wish to bring the best out of our athletes, then we need to have more programmes such as this one which can be one of the best in the country.”
Citing the now-under-construction synthetic track at Leonora, Ninvalle said he can hardly wait for the day when same will be completed and the Classic is held at the venue, while he applauded the efforts of Digicel, Ansa McAl Trading and the other business entities who threw their support behind this year’s event.
Ninvalle further said the MCYS will be in talks with the organisers with the aim of making this year’s event an enthralling and exciting one. He wished them all the best.
Both Moore and Hinds expressed their heartfelt thanks to the organisers for approaching them once again to be a part of the Classic and vowed to continue supporting not only the Classic, but other sporting activities in Guyana.
According to the younger Jefford, Pompey will arrive in Guyana on Thursday May 19 and will field questions from the media corps, before going to Linden and engaging in meeting with students of two schools, while distributing autographed T-shirts.