… Police arrest overall champions trophy and $300 000
A CLASSIC performance by Aliann Pompey, who demolished the local field in the women’s 200m to breeze home in convincing fashion, captivated a stunned Linden audience when the second annual President/Jefford Classic was staged at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground last Sunday.
Even though a new champion of the four-way event was crowned, tongues were wagging long after Pompey’s effortless display up to the end when the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were declared winners of the overall championship.
GPF amassed 355 points to cop $300 000 first prize, beating into second position the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who gained 322 points, with dethroned champions National Park United (NPU) third on 161 points, hosts Upper Demerara Schools (UDS) could not improve on their previous performance to be fourth, and e Overseas had 10 points from Pompey’s win.
Among those who witnessed the grand day of athletics were Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport Steve Ninvalle, major sponsor Digicel’s Chief Executive Officer Gregory Deane, and Regional Chairman of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Berbice) Mortimer Mingo along with other distinguished representatives of the sponsors.
In the male category, the GDF had 187 points from PSC on 118, UDS had 116 and NPU had 88 while in the female category PSC were ahead on 237 points from GDF with 135 followed by NPU on 73, UDS 25 and Overseas with 10.
Pompey took to the track as promised, to the appreciation of a very supportive crowd which by the end of her performance had burst its seams and encroached onto the MSC ground, amazed by the ease with which Pompey dispatched her opponents to win in 23.9secs.
In second position was PSC’s Neiza Allen with 25.20 secs, which certainly reflects a gap of several metres behind Pompey, with her teammate Tiffany Carto third.
President of the Athletic Association of Guyana, Colin Boyce, had stated before the event that Pompey was asked to move from her specialty the 400m where she had won gold at the Commonwealth Games, with the hope that she might be challenged.
In fact Boyce had some hopes saying: “We did not want her to come and leave unchallenged. So we thought it wise, in discussion with her, to come down and compete in the 200m so she can be challenged by her home-grown athletes.”
GDF’s Cleveland Forde won the 1500m and 5 000m races and was third in the 800m to accumulate 26 points. On the distaff side, Natasha Alder of the GPF was crowned the champion athlete after wins in the javelin, long jump and triple jump events which earned her 30 points.
The 800m was won by GPF’s Dennis Horatio in a time of 1m: 55.90s to take home the $50 000 first prize with Cleveland Thomas and Forde receiving $30 000 and $20 000 respectively for second and third.
Caesar was, however, the winner of the Long Jump in 6.51m from Leon Bishop of the GDF second and Troy Williams of the Police Sports Club third. Another Upper Demerara athlete Parris Cadogan copped the triple jump with a leap of 13.73m, Caesar was second and GDF athlete Ryan Scott came in third.
Alder won the women’s long jump with a distance of 4.76m from GDF’s Latisha Myles who was second and Marcia Isaacs third while she copped the triple jump with a leap of 10.05m from teammate Alika Moore, and Isaacs third.
She added the javelin with a throw of 39.47m ahead of Stacy Wilson and Latoya Rodney respectively.
The expected clash in the 100m between Winston Caesar of Upper Demerara and Rupert Perry and Keith Roberts did not materialise as Caesar was unable to complete one of the heats where he apparently was misled by the starter’s whistle.
Caesar did not continue after coming out of his blocks when he heard the whistle, and not the starter’s gun, but it actually turned out that the race was started by a whistle.
Perry in the final won easily with a time of 10.4secs from Quince Clarke second and Roberts third for a GDF sweep.
Perry then copped the double when he ran away with the 200m dash in a winning time of 21.20, posting a similar time in the heat to beat Quince Clarke again into second position, as Stephen James was third representing National Park United.
The winner of the 400m Men’s race saw Patrick King of the GDF adjudged the victor in a close finish with National Park’s Stephen James and another GDF athlete Leslain Baird third.
Alika Morgan had to settle for second position against a strong finishing Jenella Jonas of the PSC who ran a well-judged race to win in 5 mins 2.20 secs. Morgan, running for the National Park United was a distant second and another Police athlete Adama Roberts was third.
Morgan came back to take the 3 000m race in 11mins 9 secs from Oalyn Collins of PSC and another PSC athlete Tisha Grimes was third.
Winning the 400m female race was Shannah Thornhill in 58.70 secs from Neisha Allen who finished second, and third came Tiffany Smith.
Baird won the javelin throw with a distance of 60.78m from Kevin Bonnet of Upper Demerara and the GDF’s Troy Lewis third. Romaine Payne of the PSC captured the discus with 38.17m from Upper Demerara’s Cleon Coppin and Michael Pollydore third representing PSC.
PSC’s Michael Pollydore was the winner of the shot put with 12.30m beating Ronald Payne his teammate and third came Cleon Coppin of Upper Demerara.