NATIONAL middle- and long-distance king, Cleveland ‘Little Kenyan’ Forde has to be considered the face of distance running in Guyana with yet another 10km win last Sunday morning, thus retaining his COURTS (Guyana) Incorporated title and the $100 000 first place prize accompanying it.
Forde tactically ran away with the race to stop the clock at 33m:02secs, with Cleveland Thomas, Nathaniel Giddings, Winston Messenger and Dennis Horatio rounding out the top five behind Forde, with Thomas finishing 14 seconds after Forde, Giddings an additional three seconds, while Messenger was 53 seconds slower and Thomas an additional 30 seconds after Messenger.
On the distaff side, overseas-based Guyanese Euleen Josiah-Tanner continued to stamp her authority on the local field, emulating Forde by retaining her title in the event when she stopped the clock at 38m:57secs for the top spot.
Three-time junior Carifta gold medallist Jevina Straker was a distant second, finishing the event 4m:10secs behind Josiah-Tanner, with Ashanti Scott third (46:26secs), Carlissa Atkinson fourth 1m:50secs behind Scott, while Sharon Boyer placed fifth, 11m:03secs after the defending champion.
The male junior event was won by Grivon Grant in a time of 36m:07secs from Rupununi’s Samuel Kaitan who finished second 19 secs behind him, with Kevin Nicholas coming in for third, 17 seconds behind Kaitan.
Cassie Kirton, out of Linden, topped the female junior category in a time of 43m:54secs from Abdemi Roberts and Shontel Hinds, who placed second and third respectively, while Carleen Phillips took the Female Masters category from Denise Jeffrey and Simone Baburam.
Ian Archibald topped the field in the Men’s 40-55 Masters category winning in a time of 38:17s, with Errol Wade second and Linden Harrison third, even as Llewelyn Gardner ran away with the Men’s 55-and-older category from Maurice Fagundes.
Meanwhile, at the prize-giving ceremony held after the event, Manager Director of Courts (Guyana) Inc. Clyde DeHaas noted that the event was superb and congratulated the participants for making it a success, even as president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hudson thanked the sponsors along with all the officials for organising the event.