“DID you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s law is wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared,” Tupac Shakur – The Rose that grew from the concrete.

Guyana’s rising star athlete Claudrice McKoy’s life could very well be summed up in the deceased famous rapper’s (Tupac Shakur) poem.

On April 16, McKoy clocked ten minutes 39.03 seconds (10:39.03) to win gold in the Girls 3 000 metres Open at this year’s CARIFTA Games in Curacao, finishing ahead of Jamaicans Britnie Dixon (10:44.63) and Kayan Green (10:45.76).

She celebrated with the Golden Arrowhead draped around her shoulder, and a smile as wide as the Demerara River and attributed her win to her mother’s hard work and sacrifice.
McKoy then went on to win bronze in the 1500m, and added to Guyana’s historic tally at the games (four gold, one silver and three bronze).

However, as they say, not all that glitters is gold. McKoy, a student of Chase’s Academic Foundation, is currently writing nine subjects at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, but while the 16-year-old has been one of Guyana’s top junior athletes, especially over the last two years, her success comes with an equal, or at times, more challenges.

The athlete lives with her mom, Carla Adams, a single parent of five and a security guard by profession, on a piece of land with other squatters in Tucville, Georgetown.

Adams would do extra work to make ends meet for her children, but with tears, the woman told Chronicle Sport yesterday that seeing her daughter struggle to cope with studying without electricity for her exams is painful, among other things.

“I’ve made several attempts at GPL and nothing. The last time I went, with a letter from City Council, they told me to plant a pole in front of my yard. I did that, but when they came, mischievous neighbours told them a fancy story and they left,” a saddened Adams explained.

“It’s hard. I would have to use my phone light to study” McKoy said, pointing out that despite a number of challenges, she’s still overly excited about representing Guyana and showcasing her God-gifted ability on the track.

NO HELP!

McKoy made her second appearance at the CARIFTA Games this year after finishing fifth in both the 3 000m and 1500m last year, facing the same athletes from across the Caribbean.

However, her success came through hard work and determination, fuelled by the confidence of her coach Julian Edmonds that she’s destined for greatness, and most importantly, her mother in her corner.

“The only help I get is from my mother with whatever little she could afford,” the well-spoken diminutive athlete told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday.

She added, “I have no sponsorship but I see myself doing great things for myself and country. I already went to the CARIFTA Games, I did excellent there and there’s room for improvement but as I mentioned, there’s no one helping really, just my mother.”

“There’s no support system right now. Training is in the afternoons and then I have to study at nights and the only problem is the electricity right now in our area. I mean, mommy tried many times to have it done legally at GPL, but nothing has been done as yet. It’s very difficult because I have to train and study to balance my academics with my athletics and there isn’t any time available,” McKoy said.

SCHOLARSHIP

At the National Sports Awards last month, Director of Sport Christopher Jones announced that the athletes who represented Guyana at the CARIFTA will all be given full scholarships to the University of Guyana, but McKoy, though welcoming the news, believes that there must be an avenue for her to excel in athletics.

“It’s great yes, but again, the academic part is there yes, but what about my athletics? There’s no room at the University of Guyana for that, for someone like me,” McKoy reasoned.

She continued, “Since the CARIFTA Games, there has been a lot of offers because people saw my ability but at the moment, I’m trying to focus on getting good grades, you know, be balanced in both academics and athletics.”

McKoy will be among other local athletes who are set to represent Guyana at the June 3-5 South American Youth Championships, to be hosted at the Leonora Track and Field Facility.