HE DOMINATED Guyana’s track and field circuit for over two decades, specialising in the long jump, 110 hurdles, as well as the 400 and 800 metres. His name is Victor Winston Churchill Benjamin.

Born May 5, 1945 at Courtland in the county of Berbice, Benjamin is considered one of the most decorated local athletes of all-time.

Internationally, by his own count, the man whom President David Granger refers to as Victor ‘Victorious’ won a total of 103 medals during competition from his 1970 debut in Suriname to his showing at the 2005 World Masters Games in Canada.

Today’s ’Sports in 50’ takes a look at the athletics career of Victor Benjamin, as he also shares his thoughts on the state of Track and Field in Guyana.

He first burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at the former British Guiana Cricket Club ground (BGCC) competing at the National Schools and Athletics Championships.

“Back in those days, you use to want to compete and you felt like you were doing it for something great,” the now 70-year-old Benjamin said.

After dominating the championships, at age 18, Benjamin enlisted in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) where he was the army’s male champion athlete from 1969 to 1990.

Benjamin still holds the GDF’s 110 hurdles, 400 and 800M records – something he says might remain forever, based on current state of athletics, even in the military.

“Imagine, we don’t even have the hurdles done now in Guyana and back in the days, those were events people use to look forward too. We used to do it (hurdles) even at the school level, so that’s something this administration will have to seriously look into,” Benjamin said.

During his interview with Chronicle Sport, where he took a trip down memory lane, Benjamin recalled that during his career only three people can boast of beating him.

Compton Martindale was the first person to upset Benjamin, doing so in the 110m hurdles at Bourda in 1972.

In 1974 at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground, Raphael Beaton clipped Benjamin at the line in the 800m and then in 1990 at the GDF Camp Ayanganna ground in the 400m.

“I don’t want to take anything away from the guys that defeated me in my career, but every time I wasn’t fit and forced myself to run, I ended up losing,” Benjamin recalled.

The late Col. Godwin McPherson, along with LT. Col. Laurie London, Major General Joe Singh and President Granger are some of the people Benjamin said supported his career while at the GDF and encouraged him to stay on the path of success both on and off the track.

“The Army used to care about sports then. They used to ensure that if you’re good in something, they give you as much exposure. People wanted to do things in the Army,” said Benjamin.

An outstanding all-round cricketer and a certified physical trainer, Benjamin is also the USA Cricket team’s Chief Physical trainer.

Meanwhile, Benjamin threw out a challenge to the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) and the Guyana Government to get certified coaches in the school system to work with athletes, especially the gifted ones.

He stated that “what we should also see is steady competition on the local circuit. You have athletes doing well at the Junior Carifta Games and then when they return home, for months there’s nothing for them to do. The same Jamaicans that they would have beaten (at the Junior Carifta Games) would later go on to do great things, because when they return home (to Jamaica), there’s competition all year-round.”

“In my time we didn’t have a track but now, I’m glad that these young athletes got something to boost their training. Hopefully, we’ll get it right, because we have very talented athletes and all they need is proper guidance and more competition and exposure,” Benjamin said.