LAST Friday Linden’s Cassie George was selected as both the Junior and Senior Sportswoman-of-the-Year.Two days later George showed why she was considered when she took to the GDF ground for the 800m and 1500m events at a Developmental Meet.

With commanding victories in both events; George is right where her coach Moses Pantlitz wants her to be, two weeks out from the CARIFTA Trials at the same venue.
“I think as a coach I’m very much overwhelmed because it came as a surprise to me that you know a person at age 16 can win the junior and senior Sportswoman-for-the-Year. As I coach I’m very much proud of her and I know there’s much more in store for her, bigger and better things in the future.”
Alika Morgan a few years ago had also won both Junior and Senior Sportswoman-of-the-Year award in the same year.
Pantlitz is the coach for the Christianburg Wismar Secondary School’s Track Club. It has been affiliated to the Athletics Association of Guyana for just under three years.
On Sunday, in her first go at the full distances, George finished the 1500m in 4 mins 45.6 seconds and the 800m in the U-20 division in 2 mins 19.9 seconds.
On March 7-8 at the same venue, George, along with the rest of this country’s juniors will vie for selection to Guyana’s contingent for the CARIFTA Games in April in St Kitts & Nevis.
The coach continued, “We’ve been working towards breaking the records at CARIFTA, both the 8 and 15 (800m and 1500m). We had tried it two years before and we’d fallen short but this year we feel we’re right on the button.”
“We just got to do some fine work and in my mind I think she can break if not the 800, the 1500m at CARIFTA.”
Both records in the U-18 are held by Jamaica’s Natoya Goule and they were set back in 2006 in Guadeloupe. George needs to run under 2:09.59 in the 800m and 4:32.70 in the 1500m to set new marks.
Since 1990 Guyana have won a total of 47 medals at the CARIFTA Games; 16 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze.
George is one of three athletes under Pantlitz he’s confident will make the CARIFTA Games shortlist. The other two are sprinters Compton Caesar and Onassha Rogers, both in the 100 and 200m events.
In the meantime their training continues on the Bayrock ground.

(By Leeron Brumell)