A COMMANDING performance from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on yesterday’s final day of competition put the Inter Service Championship title back in their camp, as the ‘green machine’ tallied 630 points over the three-days.Last year’s champs – the Guyana Police Force registered 565 points, followed by the Guyana Fire Service with 92, City Constabulary 76 and Prisons Services bringing up the rear with 63.
Opening events – Janella Jonas (GPF) claimed victory in the 1500m in 4 minutes 55.3 seconds, again coming home unchallenged ahead of Carlissa Atkinson (GDF) and Alicia Jack. The victory for Jonas was her third at these championships. She also won the 800m and 3000m.
The men’s event didn’t disappoint – the top six athletes again meeting and it would be a different winner – 800m winner Kevin Bayley, 5000m champion Cleveland Forde, Ernesto Thomas, Tyshon Bentick, Nathaniel Giddings and Gervin Grant all bunched together for the first 700m.
Bayley remained the leader of the pack to take the final bell, but with 200m to go, he could not find the extra needed to make it a double and army athletes Thomas and Forde accelerated. Thomas reigned supreme in 3 minutes 59.9 seconds.
In the sprints –the GPF’s Onicka Eastman claimed a narrow victory on the line in 12.0 seconds from the GDF’s Aniqua Powley 12.2 seconds and Tiffany Carto third in 12.3 seconds.
On the male side – the victor was clear as well as the team – GDF sweeping the top three places with Davin Fraser taking the gold in 10.2 seconds ahead of Akeem Stewart (10.4) and Rupert Perry 10.5.
Fraser however could not claim the sprint double when he lined up in the 200m –Olympian and Police athlete Winston George came home with daylight to spare – 20.4 seconds. Fraser took the silver (20.7) with his army teammate Patrick King third in 20.9 seconds.
The women’s 200m was won by the GDF’s Tiffany Allen in 24.2 seconds. She finished 4th in the 100m final. Tiffany Carto (24.6) crossed the line next with Onicka Eastman in third (24.9), both from the GPF.
George returned, when the flood lights were put on to take victory in his pet event – the 400m in a time of 48.3 seconds. Perhaps his strongest challenger, Patrick King left the blocks too early and was shown the red flag. Shawn Semple took silver and Darren Henry of the army bronze.
Tiffany Carto (GPF)registered 58.1 seconds to take the gold in the Women’s 400m, ahead of the Army’s Neesa Allen and Akeila Alves of the GPF.
In the High Jump – Police would take 1st, 2nd and fourth – through Tracey Moses with a height of 1.40m, Tenisha Dorway – 1.36m and Tandika Burgess 1.30m. The GDF’s Faunella BcBean finished third with a clearance of 1.33m.
On the male side – Tyrone Hamid reigned supreme with a clearance of 1.76m, to come out ahead of teammate Leslain Baird 1.74m, both of the GDF, while Police claimed third and fourth spots.
The GDF would prove dominant in the relays, sweeping the male and female 4x100m and the Women’s 4 x 400m, thanks to a blistering 2nd leg from Letitia Myles that gave them the lead and they never looked back. The quartet stopped the clock at 4 mins 14 seconds.
Police would have something to smile about at the end of the night, Winston George anchoring the 4 x 400m male team to victory over the GDF in 3 minutes 18.5 seconds.
The boys in green earlier in the day had won the march past.
The day-night track meet brought to an end, three days of action on the Camp Ayanganna ground, spoiled only by the crowd’s lack of control in the relays, when they stormed over the barricades and onto the track, while the men’s 4x400m final came down the homestretch. The action by the few forced the time keepers to leave their posts in order to record the times of the teams.

(By Leeron Brumell)