… Gladstone Hopkinson recalls win

By Ras Wadada

IT was the opening day – Saturday April 1, 1972 – of the inaugural Junior CARIFTA Games staged at the National Stadium in Waterford, St Michael, Barbados where the weather was cool and breezy in the afternoon, ideal for the Under-20 Boys’ 1500m.

Among the starters for the three-and-a-half lap event was a 19-year-old lad from Nismes Village on the West Bank of Demerara named Gladstone Gladwin Hopkinson.
The-then Goed Fortuin Government School student captured the golden moment when he clocked 4:08.8 seconds to give Guyana their first medal of the Games that attracted 11 countries.

“I recall being at the starting line and feeling nervous, but determined to do my best, in particular, determined to beat compatriot McKenzie from Berbice with whom I finished in a dead heat at the trials.

“For the first two laps I stayed at the back and was feeling good as the nervousness disappeared and then after the completion of the 2nd lap I decided to go to the front.
Halfway through the 3rd lap I was being challenged by two hometown boys from Barbados and they were getting loud support from the home crowd, but I was feeling good and strong so I decided to up the tempo to see what they really had to offer.

As I glanced at my team mates in the stands my confidence grew and I was then in a groove so I continued to increase my pace to which they could not respond and with about 600m from the finish line I just pulled away to beat them all by several yards.
“It was a great feeling and the many hugs and congratulations from team mates and Guyanese who were there made the feeling more special.

“It was a good feeling since my participation was only confirmed a week before the Games thanks to the support of former Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) Sports Editor, Peter Haynes who secured sponsorship from Guyana National Engineering Corporation (GNEC) for me to travel,” the now 67-year-old Hopkinson shared with Chronicle Sport via telephone.

The La Grange-born Hopkinson was rewarded on his return home with a scholarship to Tutorial High school. As regards the gold medal, the first for Guyana at these Games he can’t say where it is as his mom and a sister, who were both keepers of it, have passed away.