By Rawle Toney

PRESIDENT of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hutson will be making a plea to recently-named Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, for his People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government, to do right by recognising current National 200m record-holder, James Wren-Gilkes.

James Wren-Gilkes, the man who many still believe would have won gold in the men’s 200m at the 1976 Olympic Games, was never shy about speaking on his disappointment at not being able to win what would have been Guyana’s first medal at an Olympic Games.

Gilkes, now 67, had his hopes crushed when former President Forbes Burnham decided to be one of the 29 countries, mostly African, that boycotted the Montreal Games when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to ban New Zealand, after the New Zealand National Rugby team had toured South Africa earlier in 1976 in defiance of the United Nations’ calls for a sporting embargo.

According to Hutson, the one thing that is not being spoken of was that Gilkes, at the time of Guyana boycotting the 1976 Olympics, was in line to sign an endorsement deal with one of the leading athletics brand and the shun had financial ramifications for the Guyanese sprinter.

Hutson, who made the comments while appearing on NCN’s Sports Magazine, hosted by veteran journalist Edwin Seeraj, said while Gilkes, during the last hosting of the Aliann Pompey Invitational in Guyana, was honoured along with other Olympians by the Guyana Olympics Association (GOA), the former Fisk University standout is worthy of a higher recognition.

Hutson, whose AAG met with Minister Ramson last week during the Minister’s interaction of sports associations and federations, said soon, the local governing body for track and field in Guyana, will be making a formal pitch to the Government on Gilkes’ behalf.

At the 1976 Olympic Games, after Guyana did not participate, Gilkes could have only watched in tears as Jamaica’s Donald Quarrie win gold in the men’s 200m.

Quarrie, whom Gilkes usually defeated in the distance, ran 20.23 seconds to win ahead of Americans Millard Hampton (20.29s) and Dwayne Evans (20.43s).

Gilkes’ time of 20.14 seconds in the 200 metres, ran in 1978 in Berlin, German, still stands as Guyana’s National record.

Gilkes won gold at the 1975 Pan Am Games in Mexico City, running 20.43 seconds ahead of the USA’s Larry Brown (20.69s) and current president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association, from The Bahamas, Mike Sands (20.98s).

Cuba’s 1980 Olympics 100m silver medallist, Silvio Leonard, had the better of Gilkes in the 1979 Pan Am Games in the 200m at the event that year, running 20.37 seconds, relegating the Guyana to silver (20.43s) and American Don Coleman to third (20.56s).

At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada, Allan Wells, who went on to win gold (100m) and silver (200m) for England at the 1980 Olympic Games, finished first ahead of Gilkes in the 200m.

Wells ran 20.12 seconds to narrowly defeat Gilkes, who had clocked 20.18 seconds. Jamaica’s Colin Bradford was third (20.43s).

Competing at the Weltklasse Zürich, in Switzerland, which fell under the IAAF Golden Sprints, Gilkes, in 1979, took bronze in the men’s 200m. The event is by invitation only and featured only the world’s top elite athletics.

Gilkes was also a standout athlete at Fisk University and the University of Southern California (USC)  and as of 2012, he was still ranked in the top 10 all-time performers for the USC Trojans at 100m and 200m.