Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 13, 2008 Sports
– plans to take on field at SA 10kBy Edison Jefford
National distance athlete, Lionel D’Andrade stated that his recent exposure in Trinidad and Tobago has harnessed him into the type of runner he has always shown potential to become and that could be dangerous.
D’Andrade, who spent four months training and competing in Trinidad, returned Friday last to compete in the Athletics Association of Guyana’s (AAG) South American (SA) 10k Classic trials for the Suriname stage.
The distance runner told Kaieteur Sport that the AAG needs to examine going a similar route like Trinidad where the provincial athletics association there gets the corporate community to sponsor races for senior athletes.
“I left here because I wanted to repeat my performance at last year’s South American 10k race but I thought I could not do that if I stayed in Guyana because there are no meets here for senior athletes,” he mulled.
D’Andrade is a former first leg winner of the South American 10k event in Suriname and second place finisher here last year. He (like other Guyanese athletes) has never participated in third stage in Panama.
The athlete, who returned with a total of 16 medals and five trophies, told this newspaper that the Trinidad stint has psychologically helped him. He informed that his mental fitness was previously an area of concern.
“I get frustrated easily, especially when I know I have not competed or trained for a long time but with my exposure to regular competitions in Trinidad, I am prepared for what is to come at the South American race,” he noted.
Without fear of contradiction or apologies, D’Andrade vowed to attack the course on the upcoming Guyana stage of the race; he said that he will be difficult to beat providing the AAG puts the proper systems in place.
After placing second behind local rival Kelvin Johnson at the low–key AAG 10k trials Saturday morning, D’Andrade is now aware that he will have to fund his way to the Suriname race which is set for this weekend.
The AAG had indicated that it will select only one male and one female to represent Guyana in Suriname. So with Cleveland Forde overseas and Alika Morgan winning the female version of the trials, the choices are narrowed for the AAG.
Morgan is the sure female pick but the male choice is between Forde, who competed at the IAAF World Half Marathon yesterday, and Johnson, who won the trials. There is no room for D’Andrade in that microscopic arrangement.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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