The Junior Carifta Games are going on without him, but young Randy Lee seems a certainty for next year and a shoo-in for a medal.

Tall and growing everyday, 14-year-old Lee has so dominated the 400 metres locally in the junior ranks he cannot remember the last time he lost a race.

Lack of competition though could have affected his chances of winning a place for Guyana at this year's Carifta Games, as he was one of the impressive champions, who won easily, but was not selected by the Amateur Athletics Association, at the national junior championships this year.

As if to prove his omission an oversight, Lee has since blazed a trail of success stories since the Uitvlugt meet more than a month ago.

At the National Schools Athletics Championships, young Lee made history for North Georgetown district by winning five gold medals in the Under-15 category at the Police Sports Club ground, two weeks ago.

Not satisfied, the Marian Academy student took on the best available seniors at the Roraima Bikers cycling club's athletics/ cycling meet and comprehensively whipped the field in the men's 400 metres, clocking a personal best time of 51.5 seconds, nine days ago.

The performance prompted his coach Foster Sampson to rate him one of the best quarter milers to emerge at his age, in recent years in local athletics.

Though Lee always excels in the 400m he is good in almost any other race he steps to the line for. At the school championships, he also captured gold in the 200 and 800 metres individual events apart from the 400, and was a member of the winning North Georgetown 4x400 metres and medley relay teams.

More than anything else, he says a deep love for athletics might be responsible for his outstanding success so far in his young career.

"I train almost every opportunity I get," he said adding that competition always brings out the best in him.

Lee is never reluctant to do more than one event in a meet and can run as for as long as his youthful energy can carry him.

The school nationals was the first time he attempted five races in one competition and he would accept the challenge any other time.

But for now he wants to concentrate on his pet event -- the 400 metres.

As a 13-year-old he won that event at the Hampton International Games last year May in Trinidad and Tobago, clocking 52.74, his PB at the time. It was his first big competition meet and he also raced in the 800 and placed fourth.

But it was not his first race outside of Guyana. Like most of the country's top juniors, Lee has passed through the ranks at the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) regional competitions. And as you would have guessed, he excelled at that level too.

In the 2000 championships, he captured the 400 metres gold in St Vincent in the Under-13 category after making his debut in 1998 when he settled for two fourth places in the 400 and 1000m.

Questioned on his prospects at this year's Carifta Games, if given the opportunity, Randy said he would have been happy to match strides with the Jamaicans, who have traditionally dominated the event, despite being a 14-year-old in the Under-17 category.

Such is the confidence of the youngster whose penchant for excellence probably stemmed from strong support from his father over the years.

"My mom was not too keen in the beginning, but my father got me started and has always encouraged in athletics me all the time," Lee disclosed.

Like almost every young teenager Randy likes hip hop music and basketball, but has to find the time for his academics.

His favourite subjects are arts related, but he understands the necessity of passing a science subject to win a scholarship at a United States university, and follow in the footsteps of several of his Atoms clubmates.

His long term goal though, is to compete at the Olympic Games and become a professional competitor.

And from all indications so far, young Randy is firmly on the right track.