GDF hold narrowest of lead over GPF

A MERE point separates the powerhouses after 19 completed events, following the second day of action in this year’s Inter-Services Annual Athletics Championships at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Camp Ayanganna-based sports ground yesterday.When light faded, the host team GDF were maintaining their first day lead even though it has been reduced, and will enter tomorrow’s final day on 295 points, one point more than the defending champions Guyana Police Force (GPF) who are on 294.

A comeback by the defending champions in yesterday’s action saw them aggregate 164 points from the day’s activity to the Army’s 157, while the Guyana Fire Service are in third on 38, followed by City Constabulary on 37 with Prisons bringing up the rear with 26 points.
The day’s hottest track event was the Men’s 800m final, the second race of the day where 13 athletes among them was national distance champion and Tuesday’s 5000m winner Cleveland Forde facing the starter.
From the gun, the top athletes ran to front and the leaders in Forde, Kevin Bailey, Trevor Scotland and Ernesto Thomas decided after 200m to up the pace until the winner was decided.
Bell lap – the pace increased, no athlete giving an inch but with 200m to go, three athletes broke for the finish line which saw a sprint to the end, from which Bailey proved he was the strongest and fittest, coming home unchallenged in 1 min 54.7 seconds with Scotland and Thomas finishing second and third respectively.
The women’s 800m battle was expected to be a close finish but Janella Jonas ran home an easy winner for GPF in 2 mins 22.04 seconds ahead of the Army’s diminutive Carlissa Atkinson, with Dellie Williams on the GPF taking third.
The men’s triple jump event had its own heat – GDF taking the top two spots, dethroning and relegating Police’s Troy Williams to fifth. He could only hop, step and jump to 12.38m, as Leslain Baird on his fifth attempt registered 14.54m, to snatch victory from his Army team mate Laurex Baird who was in gold medal position with 14.10m, as Yoel Benjamin of the GPF took third with 13.96m.
Baird then moved onto the Men’s Javelin event to take victory with a throw of 57.77m.
Police’s Natasha Alder was again an easy winner after claiming the discus event the previous day – this time in the Javelin – 33.91m, to beat Andrella Abraham of the GDF into second place (32,40m), while Alder’s teammate Stacy Wilson was third (30.39m). On Tuesday Alder won the discus throw.
In male competition, Winston George, who heads the field for the 400m final which will be run tomorrow, showboated to win heat one, calling his opponents home halfway down the homestretch, as he registered 20.9 seconds.
He, however, will have some stiff competition coming from the winner of the second heat in GDF’s Davin Fraser who clocked 20.7 seconds, shutting down before the line, even as Patrick King, Keith Roberts, Akeem Stewart and Shawn Semple are all expected to face the starter for this event as well.
On the female side, Letitia Myles of the GDF won Heat 1 in 24.4 seconds, ahead of Onicka Eastman (GPF) and Tiffany Smith (GDF). Heat two was slightly slower – Tiffany Carto stopping the clock at 24.6 seconds, ahead of Neisha Allen (GDF) and Akelia Alves (GPF).
Myles then returned to take victory in the women’s triple Jump registering 11.32m and she will look to take tomorrow’s 100m final, to crown off a wonderful championship for herself.
On the track, the medley relays ended the day’s running. GDF held on for victory in the women’s 800m, thanks to their anchor athlete in Tiffany Smith who narrowly held on for victory on the 400m leg as Police’s Tiffany Carto did well to close the gap, but didn’t have enough in the tank to take the gold.
Police coach, Lyndon Wilson had earlier raised some concern about the stagger start and placement of athletes on the first three legs.
The Men’s 1500m went to police. The race was decided on the third leg (400m) when Olympian Winston George ran away from the GDF’s Patrick King to give Kevin Bayley the stick for the 800m leg. He never looked back and the rest is history. The winning time – 3 mins 18.5 seconds.
In the shot put, Police’s Julio Sinclair needed a fifth throw to take gold – 13.98m, with the GDF’s Cupido Pablino in the lead with 13.07m on his first attempt and even though he made 13.58 with another throw, it was only good enough for silver.
Tomorrow’s event is expected to begin at 14:00hrs with the march past of the five participating teams.

(By Leeron Brumell)