WILLIAM Langford and Shondell King were named Male and Female Lifters of the Year, when the Guyana Amateur Weightlifting Association (GAWA) held its annual awards ceremony Friday evening at Olympic House, Queenstown.
Langford copped the male prize for winning his 85 kg class at the senior Nationals and improving on his total from the Clean & Jerk and Snatch events for the year. He also represented Guyana at the Pan-Am Games but did not medal.
Langford also won the first year of the lien trophy in the 85kg category.
King, a veteran in the sport was also adjudged the most improved lifter of the year and won the first year lien in the 75kg class, and the Vitamalt-sponsored senior national 75kg class.
The tall and shapely King also represented Guyana at the Pan-American Games earlier this year, but did not win a medal.
In the female category, Subrina Pestano won the lien in the 69kg division and placed first at the senior Nationals, while Alethea Joseph-Letlow got the 75+kg lien. She also dominated the local scene in that category.
Seon Bristol in the 69kg, Deion Nurse 77kg and Delroy Ogle 94kg also won liens.
The three-year liens began this year. The last lien ran for five years and ended last year.
GAWA also presented trophies for the Most Improved Junior Lifter to Bhojnarine Persaud and the Senior Male to Bristol, with King picking up the female award.
Trophies were also presented to Persaud, who won the 56kg junior class, Tyrone Neblett the 69kg and Jennifer Hall who won the Masters category.
Vice-president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Claude Blackmore delivered the feature address and called on all sporting bodies to work closer to develop Guyana.
“We need to network more, locally, regionally and internationally to work as a pressure group to get sponsorship,” Blackmore said.
Noting the high costs of trying to develop sports in Guyana, he urged the lifters to help find sponsorship for events.
“It is beyond the capabilities of the national federations to go out there are get sponsorship; you need to do it as well,” Blackmore declared.
GAWA general secretary Deion Nurse gave a brief review of the achievements of the association for this year, noting the success at both the local and international levels.