By Joe Chapman

POLICE Sports Club’s Cleveland Thomas took honours in the male Open 10k cross country event yesterday as the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) 2020/2021 calendar began.

The races took place around the outer circuit of the Bayrock Community Centre ground.

From an impressive field, Thomas won comfortably in a time of 43mins 08.67secs, beating Upper Demerara Schools’ Ronnell Newton (43.57.28).

Police Sports Club’s Winston Missingher finished third with a time of 44.39.03, ahead of Royston Fordyce, another Police athlete, and Cleveland Forde of the Guyana Defence Force.

In the 6-12 Girls 1K race, Running Braves Akeela Dover took first position in a time of 4 mins 34.15 seconds from teammates, Athaleyha Hinckson (second) and Shaquna Redmond(third) while Upper Demerara’s Tesinna Harris finished fourth.

The 6-12 Boys event, also over 1Km, was won by Upper Demerara’s Kiadan Persaud with Kevon Stephens placing second ahead of the Tytans duo of Jameel Cornette and Salim Horatio, third and fourth respectively.

In the 13-16 Boys 2K race, Samuel Booker of Runnings Braves took first place in a time of 8mins 34.75secs, beating Upper Demerara Schools Omar James into second place, as Carmelo Man-son-Hing, also of Upper Demerara Schools, took third from teammate, David Higgins, who was fourth.

The 13-15 girls 2K distance was taken by Hannah Joseph of Upper Demerara schools who crossed the finishing line in a time of 9mins 12.99secs with Running Braves Rosmond Harvey second and Ashanti Josiah, also of Running Braves, third.

The 16-19 Boys 6K race saw Courtly Babb of Police Sports Club coming in first with a time of 26mins 07.25 seconds with Omari Walcott of Tytans second and Odida Parkinson of Running Braves third.

The 16-19 Girls event was won by Shaquka Tyrrell of Christianburg Wismar Secondary School Track Club in a time of 18mins 53.02seconds, from Ahoya Harvey of Running Braves, teammate, Aailya Headley third, and another clubmate, Adriel Austin, fourth.

AAG’s official, Mayfield Taylor-Trim told Chronicle Sport that the turnout was not the usual one in terms of numbers but the performances were satisfactory based on the fact that they were not in training due to the COVID 19 pandemic.