‘Big Truck’ and Pompey take sports awards
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
January 25, 2003
World Boxing Council’s cruiserweight champion Wayne `Big Truck’ Braithwaithe and Commonwealth Games 400-metre gold medalist Aliann Pompey, were adjudged Guyana’s 2002 Sportsman and Woman respectively, yesterday.
The Junior Sportsman and Sportswoman awards went to middle distance athlete Clevland Forde and squash player Nicolette Fernandes respectively. Fernandes who is currently in England competing on the European circuit, had won both the sportswoman and junior sportswoman awards in 2000 and 2001.
The selection panel, chaired by former National Sports Commission Chairman Ken DeAbreu and comprising 14 panelists, voted 8-5 in favour of Braithwaithe winning the award from compatriot and World Boxing Association/International Boxing Association junior welterweight champion `Vicious’ Vivian Harris, who subsequently took two rounds of voting to get rid of body builder Sylvan Gardner for the Sportsman runner-up spot.
Harris was the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the Guyana Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association’s (GABA) nomine. However, Braithwaithe was nominated by the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA), Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) and the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU).
Gardner won a gold medal at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships.
Pompey on the other hand was a run-away winner for the Sportswoman award. She secured all 14 votes, while Central American and Caribbean Games’ heptathlon bronze medalist Nyota Peters, won the runner-up spot.
The US based athlete received nominations from the Amateur Athletic Association, Guyana National Rifle Association, Guyana Badminton Association, GRFU, GABA, GASA and GABA.
Forde participated at several Regional and International meets, winning a gold medal at the Junior Carifta Games in the Bahamas.
Fernandes had an outstanding year in 2002. She won four medals, including a silver at the CAC Games in San Salvador.
Table tennis player Johnathan Sankar and track athlete Michelle Vaughn were voted runner-up Junior Sportsman and Woman.
The Male Sports Personality award went to Guyana Amateur Body Building Federation’s President Yale Holder, while the female version went to FIFA referee Diane Fereira-James.
Among Holder’s achievements for last year were, successfully presenting Guyana’s case to the IFBB/CAC Executive in Barbados for Guyana’s hosting the 2004 CAC Championships, being elected member of CAC’s 2004, 3-man committee and being elected vice-president, Southern caribbean Region.
Fereira-James officiated as a referee in 52 local matches last year, as well as 21 international matches, including the U-19 Women’s World Championship Play-Off, the US Virgin Islands Federation Cup Final, CONCACAF U-19 Women’s World Championship Final, CONCACAF Gold CUP Final and FIFA’s U-19 Women’s World Championship.
She is the first Caribbean referee (male or female) to officiate in a World Championship Final.
Squash coach Carl Ince won the Sports Coach award, while the Guyana Squash Association won the Sports Association award.
Guyana’s National Cricket team won the Sports Team of the Year award, while Stabroek Sport reporter, Michael DaSilva, won the Sports Journalist award from compatriot Steve Ninvalle.
The selection panel included Director of Sports Neil Kumar, Guyana Olympic Association’s General Secretary Ivor O’Brien, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Keith Booker, immediate past National Sports Commission Chairman, Conrad Plummer, former Commissioner of Police Laurie Lewis and members of the print and electronic media among others.
