SHAUN Dietz, coach for US-based Guyanese sprinter Brenessa Thompson, who will be representing Guyana at next month’s CARIFTA Games in Basseterre, St Kitts, has declared his confidence that Thompson will be ready to take on the Games when it rolls around in a few weeks. 

“Brenessa is on top of her game now and I feel that she can compete with the best of them,” Dietz affirmed earlier last week.
Thompson is one of nine athletes set to represent Guyana at the April 3 – 6 Games.
Thompson, who has enjoyed a good season so far, will be the only overseas athlete on the team this year, while the locals are CARIFTA Games Girls’ Under-20 1500m defending champion Cassie George, Kenisha Phillips, Claudrice McKoy, Chantoba Bright, Natirica Hooper, Compton Caesar, Matthew McKenzie and Ornesto Thom.
Dietz is optimistic, based on the improvements that Thompson has displayed this year, compared to how she performed last year prior to her participation in the 2014 CARIFTA Games, albeit still needing to work on a few things, and dealing with the weather in New York, where she lives and trains.
“She is in great shape but not 100%; she still needs to work on improving strength of her core muscles, and working on techniques, (and) the weather here in New York is not great. She is a lot faster than last year, at this point of the season.
“Last year she ran 7.03 for 55m, this year she ran 6.87, in the 60m it was 7.58s (last year), this year it’s 7.42s.” Dietz pointed out.
On the point of medal aspirations, though Thompson is showing promising displays, Dietz said such predictions would go down to the wire, saying competition day will be the tell-all moment.
“She can be a finalist, but I leave the medals hopes (for) the day the competition starts. She will give Guyana their best hope, in a long time, in the event … she is more confident now than she was last year.”
Shaun conveyed a message reiterated by Thompson who expressed full trust in her coach’s ability to take her the full mile.
“I’m really confident in my training and myself and also confident that my coach will get me ready,” the enthusiastic Thompson noted.
Thompson is expected to be out for her second year at CARIFTA, again in the Girls’ Under-20 100m, as well as the 200m, in which Guyana gained a silver medal last year compliments of Kadecia Baird.
Baird, another of Dietz’ athlete, is not on the team this year having graduated out of the Under-20 age group at the Games. This leaves room for Thompson to step up her game, but she is sure to get a major fight from the powerhouse Jamaicans.
Thompson will battle against the likes of Jamaica’s Saqukine Cameron, who comes into the Girls’ 200m event fresh off of clocking a personal best 23.18s at Jamaica’s CARIFTA Trials, earlier this month. Behind Cameron are Rene Medley and Natalliah Whyte both of whom churned out sub-24 second performances.
Thompson currently stands with a personal best of 23.91 seconds in the 200m, which she clocked last year June. At last year’s CARIFTA, Thompson had clocked 24.33 seconds finishing sixth in an event won by Trinidad’s Kayelle Clark in a time of 23.10 seconds. Baird’s time in the event was 23.13 seconds.
The Trinidadians were also a force to be reckoned with in these events last year, though not much fight is expected to come from the Trinidad camp this year, where bleak performances ensued in the Girls’ Under-20 100m and 200m events at that country’s CARIFTA trials.
In the 100m Thompson will b Guyana’s sole representative. Last year, Thompson finished fifth in this event in a time of 11.61 seconds, after a hard time against the Jamaicans and Trinidadians. The race was won by Jamaica’s Jonielle Smith, whle second place went to Trinidad’s Aaliyah Telesford for her 11.42 seconds finish.
With Smith not taking part in the event this year Jamaica’s best will be in seventeen-year-old Whyte who clocked 11.71 seconds in the event earlier this month. Thompson currently has a 11.60 seconds PB in this event.