BOTH the Guyana Police Force and defending champions, the Guyana Defence Force are upbeat about their chances when the annual Inter-Services Annual Athletics Championships (ISAAC) starts today and ends Friday, October 4.Today’s events start this morning with the road races, and concludes with the swimming which begins at 11.00hrs at the National Aquatic Centre in Liliendaal.
The anticipated track and field competition of the Championships will take place at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora, starting from Tuesday. It continues on Wednesday and concludes on Friday.
Though the swimming will add some valuable points to the final score,it is really the track and field competition that will separate the men from the boys. While GPF are the defending champions in swimming,the GDF are the defending champions overall as well as in track and field competition.
As usual,the two longtime rivals are expected to dominate the competition, where the Guyana Prison Service (GPS),the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), and City Constabulary are also expected to participate.
Chronicle Sport caught up with the coaches of the GDF and GPF athletics team, who were in their usual upbeat spirits as they prepared for the week ahead. On the GDF side, coach Robert Chisholm said his team made maximum use of the favourable weather and was able to prepare to the fullest.
“The athletes are just anxious to compete to bring home this title. I feel we have a good chance of taking the title for the third time, because I feel my athletes are ready for the competition. Preparation was very good, the weather was very cooperative (and)we had enough chance to prepare,” Chisholm commented.
As Chisholm goes into the competition, he says he will be focusing on getting maximum participation and garnering not just wins but getting as much points as possible.
“It’s all about points and not about wins.The athletes, all of them will play a role in getting points;it will be shared between all of them.” Chisholm said.
Police coach Lyndon Wilson said preparation for his team also went well and he thinks he has good odds of perhaps finally taking another title, after having the title elude them since 2013.
“Preparation is good, our chances are good. We always try to go there with a positive mindset and the results will be on how the athletes perform. The athletes are prepared mentally and physically.”
Wilson says it was the field events and female team that were some of the areas where the team fell down last year and has tried since to work on that.

“What we did is look at what went wrong and try our best to work on that. The field events, especially in the female area,let us down last year.” Wilson explained.
With regards to the female side, this year the Police team will see the return of sprinter Alita Moore, while Wilson sees Jevina Sampson and Kezia Bess as being two others who will put in leading performances.
On the male side, 2016 Rio Olympics quarter miler Winston George will return, where he is expected to participate in the sprints, in addition to the 400m.