GUYANA’S Cleveland `The Little Kenyan’ Forde and Euleen Josiah-Tanner’s participation in the third and final leg of the 13th annual South American 10K Road Race scheduled for Panama on Sunday is uncertain.Speaking to Chronicle Sport after the just concluded second leg which was staged here and in which Forde finished a distant fourth in the men’s open category and Josiah-Tanner placing even further behind the eventual winner of the women’s open category, both athletes expressed uncertainty as to whether they will be a part of this Sunday’s third leg in Panama.
Forde said he cannot say if he will participate in the event as that decision lies with the Guyana Defence Force of which he is a civilian member and they had sponsored him for the Panamanian leg of the event last year. “So it is up to them … a decision will be made during the week,” Forde stated.
Josiah-Tanner, who is based in the United States and returns home regularly to participate in local and regional events told Chronicle Sport, “I was only made aware that I would not be able to go to Panama for the third leg because the Athletics Association of Guyana (SAAG) does not have the finances to pay for her air fare”.
Tanner said she learnt about the development on Saturday when the AAG had an emergency technical meeting.
“I’m very disappointed that I will not be a part of the Panama leg of the race … they don’t have to pay for my accommodation or meals, just my passage and for them to tell me as late as Saturday really got me feeling disappointed,” Josiah-Tanner stated.
In Sunday’s second leg of the event, Forde, who won the Guyana leg of the event nine times, had to settle for fourth place behind Peru’s Yerson Orellana and Luis Ostos as well as Trinidad-based Kenyan Kenneth Rotich respectively, while on the distaff side, Josiah-Tanner had to settle for second behind Trinidad’s Tonya Nero.
Orellana’s winning time was 31 minutes .08 seconds (31:08), Ostos’ time was 31.09, Rotich’s time was 32:18 and Forde’s was 33.05.
Nero won the women’s category in 37.51 and Josiah Tanner placed second in 41.03.
Both Forde and Josiah-Tanner won the first leg of their respective categories of the event that was held in Suriname nine days ago.
Forde’s time was 31.54, while Josiah Tanner had clocked 39.43.
Orellana, Ostos, Rotich and Nero were not part of that stage.

By Michael DaSilva