Forde sets personal best at South American juniors
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
June 12, 2003
Despite placing fourth in his pet distance (5000m) at the just concluded South American Junior Track and Field Championships in Ecuador, Guyana’s Junior Carifta 5000-metre gold medalist Cleveland Forde set a new personal best time.
According to Forde who also placed fourth in the 10,000m event, he returned 14 minutes 58.00 seconds for the 5000-metre race which was won by an athlete from Brazil. A Venezuelan athlete finished second and a Peruvian third.
Prior to this performance, Forde’s personal best time for the 5000m was 15:21.00 which he set at the Junior Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Meet in Barbados last year.
Forde said Guyana’s other representative at the Meet, Jennifer Chichester, could only manage seventh and 10th in the 1500 and 3000-metre races respectively.
Forde told Stabroek Sport the time (14:58.00) he returned at the just concluded Junior South American meet is faster than the Junior Carifta 5000-metre record which stands at (14:58.27).
Forde registered 15:27.00 when he copped gold for Guyana at this year’s Carifta Games in Trinidad.
The 2002 Junior Sportsman of the Year said had he not taken off his running shoes half way through the 10,000-metre event, he might have done much better.
Forde said he blistered both his feet during the 10,000-metre race and couldn’t bear the pain so he took off his shoes but could only manage fourth.
`Little Kenyan’ as he is known in local circles admitted that the 5000-metre race went at a very fast pace and at no time was he positioned at the front.
He, however, said the three first place finishers are all older that him since this is their last year as under-20 athletes. Forde recently celebrated his 18th birthday.
Forde said the experience gained at the meeting was tremendous, but issued a call once again for the Guyana government to construct a rubberised track so that local athletes can better prepare for regional and international meets.
Forde opined that local athletes who compete in 100 to 800-metre events are the ones who stand most to benefit from a rubberised track.
Forde now has his eyes set on next month’s Junior Pan American Track and Field Meet slated for Barbados, and promises a medal winning performance. “I will meet the three who beat me in the 5000m (South American) at the Pan Am and will settle my score,” Forde promised.
Forde will recommence his preparations for the Pan American Juniors by weekend.
Forde would like to thank the following individuals and firms for the support they have given him to date; Vic Insanally, GT&T, Dr. Max Hanoman, Director of Sports Neil Kumar, the Leslie Blacks family, Justice Jainarine Singh and Flex Gym.
