Latest update July 27th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 15, 2024 Sports
Kaieteur Sports – When the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) appointed West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph as the country’s official “sports ambassador,” they overlooked a significant opportunity to do the same with Tianna Springer – a 400m record holder in the Commonwealth and South America.
There’s no denying that Joseph’s narrative reverberates through history, both locally and regionally, and even on an international scale, highlighting the journey of athletes who persevere through life’s hardships, making sacrifices to achieve success.
Joseph’s meteoric rise to fame rightfully earned him accolades and recognition. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that Tianna Springer, a 16-year-old track and field prodigy, has yet to receive the recognition she undoubtedly deserves.
She ended 2023 with the fastest 400m time (53.28s) in the Caribbean and Americas, and the seventh fastest 400m time by an U18 athlete in the World.
Springer’s 23.53s in 200m in 2023, was the ninth fastest time in the world.
There hasn’t been an athlete, male or female, representing Guyana, aside from Emanuel Archibald, who had a more successful 2023 than Springer.
Just how remarkable was Tianna Springer on the track in 2023? Well, she concluded the year undefeated in the 400m finals, and in the 200m, she remains unchallenged in Guyana.
Springer was always a promising athlete, but it was at the Carifta Games in 2023 that she didn’t just put Guyana and the Caribbean on notice; she sent a clear message to the rest of the world that she’s a force to be reckoned with.
The narrative of Guyana’s CARIFTA Games athletes, some of whom emerged as contenders for medals, reads like a tale from a storybook: a story of resilience, overcoming adversity, and even achieving the seemingly impossible given their circumstances.
Springer’s gold medal performance in the girls’ 400m left spectators at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in Nassau spellbound, earning her a standing ovation as a testament to her prowess.
Tianna clocked 54.32 seconds to claim victory in a remarkable come-from-behind performance. Her time surpassed that of Jody-Ann Daily of Jamaica (54.81s), who had to settle for silver, and De’cheynelle Thomas of St Kitts and Nevis (55.46s).
Fast-forward to the South American U20 Championship in Athletics, Springer etched her name in the annals of Guyana’s track and field.
At just 15 years old, she shattered the 400m record with a time of 53.28s on her way to securing gold in Bogota, Colombia, which was the seventh fastest 400m time in the world by an U18 athlete, and the fastest time by an athlete in the Caribbean, and the Americas, according to World Athletics.
Springer, a native of Plaisance village on the East Coast of Demerara, became the seventh Guyanese athlete to win a gold medal at the event, which commenced in 1959.
Furthermore, she earned the distinction of being the first female to win an individual gold medal at the South American U20 Championships since Chantoba Bright’s performance in the women’s Long Jump in 2017.
She was merely two years old when Brazil’s Bárbara de Oliveira set the Championships’ record with a time of 53.44s in São Paulo in 2009.
Presently, Springer is the only Guyanese with a record at the South American U20 in Athletics.
Additionally, Springer claimed a bronze medal by running 23.72s in the 200m event in Colombia.
Meanwhile, at the Commonwealth Youth Games last year in Trinidad and Tobago, Springer once again created history.
Springer’s indelible mark on the games will forever be etched in memory, as her spectacular performance led to the hoisting of the Golden Arrowhead for the very first time in the history of the games.
Springer, who had showcased her prowess with the fastest qualifying times (54s), in the final, clocked in 53.55s.
Her pace was too much for the field, relegating England’s Charlotte Henrich to second-place with a time of 55.16s, while Narissa McPherson rounded off a remarkable one-three finish for Guyana in the women’s 400m, capturing third place with a time of 54.82s.
Malachi Austin, Javon Roberts, Narissa McPherson, and Springer delivered an electrifying performance in the 4x400m Mixed Relay final, clinching not only the gold medal but also shattering the existing Commonwealth Youth Games Record for the event.
The Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, witnessed a fitting conclusion to the seventh edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games, as Guyana won the final event while breaking the previous record set by Australia.
In 2017, Australia established a new record of three minutes and 25.08 seconds in the Mixed 4x400m relay.
In 2023, Springer anchored Guyana to a new Games’ record time of 3:22.07, securing the gold, with their time being the second-fastest 4x400m Mixed Relay time in the World only behind the USA’s 3:18.07.
Despite her numerous record-breaking performances, unlike Joseph, Springer has never received the recognition befitting a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
This isn’t about comparing sports; it’s about highlighting how the GTA missed an opportunity to align themselves with the only official Adidas athlete in Guyana, across all sports.
Springer made history as the first Guyanese to secure an NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal with the renowned German sports company – Adidas.
Tianna Springer will be competing at the World U20 Championships this year, as well as the Carifta Games, where all eyes will be on the teenager.
Many regional track and field pundits are hailing her as the best local talent to emerge from Guyana in recent times.
I’m genuinely disappointed—not because Joseph is rightfully being rewarded, but because despite her extraordinary talent that caught the attention of Adidas, Guyana failed to truly recognize and support this remarkable young athlete.
BE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL TO THE FOREIGN EXPLOITERS
Jul 27, 2024
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