BUOYED by consistent podium finishes, the Running Brave Athletic Club copped the Guyana Overseas- Based Sports Association’s (GOBSA) -organised inaugural Independence Relay Festival on Sunday at the National Track and Field Facility (NTFC), Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

The club sprinted their way to two gold medals in the Girls U-15 4x100m and 4x400m relays, respectively.

The quartet of Brianna Charles, Princess Brown, Shania Gardener and Kelize Smith got things under way for the Running Brave club, clocking a combined 50.65s to claim Gold in the U-15 4x100m, ahead of Police Athletics Club (Hanna Reid, Donna Lowe, Odessa France and Rosemon Solomon) who finished with 52.96s.

 Meanwhile, the Christianburg/Wismar Secondary team of Ashmally Lyken, Deon Richards, Trannica Williams and Shaquka Tyrell settled for Bronze, crossing the finish line in 53.06s.

In the Girls U-15 4x400m, the Running Brave fielded three members of the triumphant 4x100m team in Brown, Smith and Charles with the addition of Atoya Harvey. They once again finished first with a combined time of four minutes 9.58s, while Berbician club Hopetown Flames (Denesha Benjamin, Shantae George, Hadiya Porter and Safiya Goulding) were second in four minutes 25.39s.

The Police Athletics club won bronze in that event.

Over in the male competition, Running Brave made a clean sweep in the 4x100m events, copping gold in the U-15 and U-19 categories, respectively.

Anchored by Blake Richards in the U-15 event, his Running Brave teammates Roland Hamilton, Shaquan Nelson and Wesley Tyndall ensured that he crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of their nearest competitors, Police Athletics (David Higgins, Kerron Clarke, Osa Blair and Yohance Nedd).

The Running Brave quartet copped gold in 47.01s while Police settled for silver with 48.15s and Hopetown Flames got bronze in 49.16s.

Meanwhile, in the U-19 event, Running Brave’s quartet of Deron Roberts, Dennis Lewis, Devonte Campbell and Vince Haynes pipped Police Athletics Club across the finish line to triumph as gold medalists.

The Running Brave team finished in 45.87s while Police (Mark Soloman, Sheldon Christopher, Kevin DeSouza and Denzil Forte) were second in 45.99s with Super Upcoming Runners (Kofie Gilead, Rawle Bourne, Shemar Thom and Ronaldo Gobin) taking bronze with a combined time of 46.17s. (Michelangelo Jacobus)