FOLLOWING his record-breaking gold medal exploits just last week at the South American Championships in Cochabamba, Bolivia, GDF’s Petty Officer and Javelin champion, Leslain Baird now has another reason to celebrate after he was promoted to the rank of Acting Senior Petty Officer.

Baird was decorated with his new rank by Chief of Staff (COS) Brigadier Patrick West and Inspector General, Colonel Nazrul Hussain.

Brigadier West had challenged the soldier to a 77.5 metres throw but instead, Baird pleasantly surprised the Chief of Staff by surpassing the challenge and further, bringing home the silver following a sterling performance in which he set a new national record of 78.65 metres .

In a post on their social media page, the GDF quoted COS West who said he was elated to hear of Baird’s achievement and expressed his confidence that he will continue to do well in the future.

“Based on the distance you covered, it exceeds the minimum qualifying requirements for Olympics and this is a good sign. The only thing we want after this is a gold medal at the Olympics. Congratulations for a job well done. We are overwhelmed that you gave us more than we asked for,” COS West remarked.

Baird is still coming to grips with his achievement but said that he enjoyed every moment of his participation. “I am grateful for all those who stood by me and believed in me throughout everything. My coach, Robert Chisholm, training partner Akeem Stuart, my family and last, but by no means least , the Chief of Staff and other members of the Guyana Defence Force.

 I gave it my all. This medal has now opened my eyes to bigger competition and I can assure you that more is coming from Leslain Baird. I want to hit the 80 metres mark by the end of 2018 and by God’s grace I will.”