… Guyana still seeking that elusive gold medal

By Michael DaSilva

AFTER participating in 16 Olympic Games beginning in 1948 and sending over 75 athletes, Guyana is still seeking to secure the elusive gold medal and is hoping that after winning a sole bronze medal 36 years ago, Guyana can come good this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.The Games which opens on Friday is a mere two days away and the Guyana contingent, made up six athletes in two disciplines (Track & Field and Swimming) is expected to start arriving in Rio today ahead of the opening ceremony, while the Chef de Mission, Garfield Wiltshire, should have left over the weekend for Rio.
After participating in seven Olympic Games from 1948 to 1972, Guyana finally secured a bronze medal at the next Olympic Games they participated in, that was in 1980 when Michael Anthony Parris won a bronze medal in the bantamweight division of the boxing championships at the Moscow Games.
Since then, Guyana was represented by 49 other athletes at eight successive Games but failed to medal at any of them.
To note, Guyana withdrew from the 1976 Montreal Olympics as they joined the African countries in boycotting that Olympics.
That year, Guyana boasted its best chances of medalling through James Wren-Gilkes, a product of St George’s Primary School and Christ Church Secondary School in Georgetown.
Wren-Gilkes had earlier won a Pan American gold in the 200-metre event and was a sure favourite to beat Donald Quarry at the Olympics. After Sir Lionel Luckhoo, the Chef de Mission of the Guyana team informed team members that the Government of Guyana had decided to join the African Boycott, Wren-Gilkes pleaded with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow him to run as an independent but was refused.
Since then Guyana athletes have tried but in vain to win a gold medal at the prestigious Games which is the biggest sporting spectacle in the world and president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman-Yassin and all Guyanese are hoping that this year in Rio, Guyanese athletes can bring home the bacon.
At this year’s event which is a matter of days away from the start, six athletes will try to equal or better Parris’ 1980 performance and from indications and recent performances the feat seems possible, especially since triple jumper Troy Doris is currently rated number three in the world and has been showing marked improvement is his field in Europe where he is based.
Another athlete of note that can spring surprises is Brenessa Thompson who will contest the women’s 100 and 200 metres track races.
Thompson has recently been in the spotlight participating at international meets and breaking and establishing personal-bests and national records at various meets.
Winston George who will compete in the men’s 400-metre track race is a London 2012 Olympic semi-finalist and he is currently in the United States preparing for the much-anticipated event, but making the final of the men’s 400-metre race in Rio seems a tall order.
This will also be the case for women’s 400-metre athlete Aliyah Abrams who is not really known in the athletic circles locally.
This leaves the two swimmers – Hannibal Gaskin who will contest the men’s 100-metre butterfly and Jamila Sanmoogan the female swimmer who will compete in the women’s 50-metre freestyle.
It must be noted that both swimmers received a Universality invitation from FINA to compete and their chances of even making it into the quarterfinal are very slim.
Looking back at Guyana’s participation at the London 2012 Games, Guyana was also represented by six athletes who competed in three disciplines.
Of the six, George qualified for the event by sheer grit and determination while 15-year-old Britney Van Lange was noteworthy as she had gained enough FINA points in international competition to benefit from a wildcard spot to get to the games.
That year also, 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Aliann Pompey made to the semi-final round of her fourth Olympic Games.
At the moment, all Guyanese are looking forward to a good showing by the locals in Rio beginning next week and are hoping for the locals, one or more to capture that elusive Olympic gold medal.