Athletics team continues purple patch

By Calvin Chapman in Suriname

ACTING President of Athletics Guyana Amanda Hermonstine will be proud after Track & Field stood out once again for Guyana in the 2023 Inter-Guiana Games that’s being contested in Paramaribo. After two days of keen competition, Guyana finished with a total medal haul of 24 Golds, 13 Silvers and six Bronzes.

Yesterday, the final day of athletics, Guyana had 13 Gold, seven Silver and two Bronze Medals.

Among the gold medalists yesterday were Tianna Springer (girls’ 200m), Ezekiel Newton (boys’ 200m), Javone Roberts (boys’ 800m), Marissa Thomas (girls’ 800m), Esther McKinnon (girls’ 3000m), Jamie Fraser (boys’ discus), Lateifah James (girls’ discus), Immanuel Adams in the boys’ high jump, Zerissa McRae (girls’ high jump), and Rodel Greene in the boys’ long jump. Guyana ‘A’ in the 4x400m boys’ and girls’ relay, along with the 4x400m boys’ and girls’.

In football, Guyana drew 1-all with hosts Suriname.

In volleyball, both Guyana’s male and female teams fell to the Dutch side.

CHESS:
Guyana’s male chess team played today against Suriname. In an epic battle between the two countries, Suriname came out victorious. Playing on Board Three, Alexander Zang’s game erupted into a exciting battle of strategy versus tactics.  Things reached a calm when the end-game was reached with a fatal blunder of time, as Alexander, who was in the driver’s seat, sacrificed his extra bishop to draw the game instantly.

Playing on Board Two, Recardo Narine took home the victory by probing weaknesses all over the board for his opponent, and eventually reaching the endgame with a rook up against two pawns, after which he proudly brought home the win.

Young Nicholas Zhang fought hard fighting a battle of strategy in the French opening, due to some inexperience of the young player, he failed to hold on to the drawn position, and eventually collapsed at the very end, giving the Surinamese the win.

Playing on Board One, Kyle Couchman fought a battle of sheer will to make his team proud and bring home the bacon for his country, but fell short after making a critical error on the king side, causing him to make some bad exchanges, and giving himself some pawn weakness but that wasn’t the end. Young Couchman remembered what his coach taught him and created a counter-play on the queen side with a pass pawn, and took the game by force. Unfortunately, that move wasn’t enough to win, as the damage to the king’s side was too much to bear, and he eventually collapsed, giving the win to Suriname. Eventually, Suriname won the match 2.5-1.5.

TENNIS:
On the opening day of IGG, Paula Kalekeyzi and Kimora Erskine showcased their dominance, emerging undefeated in the Girls’ U-18 and U-12 categories, respectively. Kalekeyzi’s standout performance unfolded at the #2 singles spot, where she exhibited an impressive level of control, dropping a mere six games, overall. Her victories included a decisive 6/1 – 6/1 against French Guiana’s Mila Bellony, and a commanding 6/3 – 6/1 over Suriname’s Guillianne Koele.

In the U-12 division, Kimora Erskine demonstrated her skill with a solid 6/4 – 6/2 triumph against French Guiana’s Alicia Garrido, and a hard-fought 7/5 – 6/4 win over Suriname’s Zaira at the #2 singles spot.

Other notable results from the competition include Niomi Erskine’s success in the Girls’ U-12 category, where she secured a victory against Suriname’s Ileen Bruining, but faced a tough challenge against French Guiana’s Angie Flaming.

In the Boys’ U-12 Division, the competition saw Jonathan Jordan facing defeats at the #1 spot, falling to French Guiana’s Loyd Jully, and Suriname’s Joel Tjin a Sjoe. Meanwhile, Alexander Parkinson struggled at the #2 spot, succumbing to French Guiana’s Lucas Garrido and Suriname’s Alex Muringen.

Turning to the Girls’ U-18, Renola Jordan encountered tough battles at the #2 spot, losing to French Guiana’s Marine Mercurio and Suriname’s Sarah Marhe.

In the Boys’ U-18 category, Gerald Scotland faced challenges at the #1 spot, being defeated by French Guiana’s Mathis Pitta and Suriname’s Dexter Koorndijk. Denzel Luthers, at the #2 spot, had a challenging day, losing to French Guiana’s Nathan Wing Hing Chang and Suriname’s Mireldo King.

The competition showcased remarkable talent and fierce competition across various age categories, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the Inter-Guiana Games.