DISTRICT 10 (Upper Demerara-Kwakwani), on Monday, won every category of the first-ever Inter-District Kayaking Nationals, held in the Demerara River behind the Watooka Guest House in Linden.
Two boys, Exekial Persaud and Limuel Wilson, partnered to win the male relay event, the last race of the competition, which drew a large crowd.

Persaud told the media that his team was prepared as they were in the previous event and had no challenger that came close to them.
“We did what was expected of us to win and we executed all as planned,” Persaud said.

District 10 was the overall winner of the competition. District Nine (Rupununi) came in second and District Two (Pomeroon) and District Seven (Potaro-Siparuni) tied for third.
For the female individual race, Shaneesa Cornelius of District 10 was the winner. The second spot went to Shanez Debideen of District One and third to Duane Williams of District 15 (New Amsterdam).

For the male individual event, Iwayne Torez of District 10 was first, followed by Stewart France of District Two in second and Zain Andrews of District Five (West Coast Berbice) in third.
In the female relay event, District 10 won, while District Two placed second and District Nine, third. District 10 continued its winning streak in the male relay event, which saw District Seven (Bartica) placing second and District Nine third.

This inter-district school kayaking competition is the first of its kind and was made possible through the sponsorship of Schlumberger Guyana. It will be an annual event hosted by Elite Kayaking and Nature Tours in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority.

The competition saw first place winners receiving $100,000 plus a trophy; second place $70,000 and those coming in third, $50,000.
The event was unique as it provided a platform for local athletes to showcase their skills in a wide range of aquatic sports while promoting “Sports Tourism.”

Proprietor of Elite Kayaking and Nature Tours, Deon Anderson, told the Guyana Chronicle recently that, “the intention of this pioneering event was to highlight the concept of sports tourism, build social cohesion and catapult Guyana towards the achievement of transformational development and holistically building the ideals of One Guyana.”
He noted that the idea was to facilitate the creation of an event that would serve to connect sports, eco-tourism, and education.