Amateur athletic championships
Doris outruns 1500-metre rivals
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
March 21, 2004
Dora Secondary School athlete Leanna Doris out-sprinted Rising Stars' Delcie Dick and Alika Morgan to win the under-17 girls' 1500-metre race at the Amateur Athletic Association of Guyana (AAA), Junior Track and Field Championships, at the Enmore Community Centre ground yesterday.
From the start of the race, which attracted 16 starters including the Rupununi's Marvaline Antone and Rosanna Lawrence, the competitors went off at a very fast clip, jostling for position and causing a few minor spills.
Doris, Dick, Morgan, Antone and Lawrence went to the front of the bunch and stayed there until the end. With two laps completed and three to go, Antone surged ahead. But Doris soon joined her. The two then opened a small lead on the other three front runners while the remainder of the competitors struggled at the rear.
With one lap remaining, Doris and Antone were shoulder to shoulder, but at the 200-metre mark, Doris nosed to the front as Antone weakened, Morgan joined Doris and Dick followed.
In the final 70 metres, Doris accelerated and won by two metres from Dick who surged past Morgan on the line. Doris returned five minutes 04.2 seconds (5:04.2).
Also in winners row yesterday was Rising Stars' Junior Carifta games 5000-metre gold medalist Cleveland Forde, who easily won the five-runner 5000-metre for under-20 boys. Forde, who registered 16:18.8, lapped the entire field and won with more than 450 metres in hand from second place finisher Cleveland Thomas. Cleon Leacock placed third.
In other selected results, Teon Roberts of Sapodilla Learning Institute won the under-20 boys' 1500-metre from Keston Tyrell and Dennis Horatio respectively. The Rupununi's Floyd Rodrigues placed a distant fifth.
New Amsterdam Track Club's Donna April cruised to the finish line, winning the under-20 girls' 800-metre event in 2:34.8 ahead of Keisha Aaron and Sonia Kirton.
Jermaine Pilgrim of Royal Youth Movement (RYM) won in 2:04.5 from Rodwell Downer and Shawn Sandiford respectively.
Police's Shurma Mentore won the under-17 girls' 400 in 1:021 from Monica Roberts and Shonette McFarlane respectively, while David Younge of President's College clocked 53.6 seconds to win from Roydell Duncan and Afreez Samad respectively.
Ryan Reid (RYM) won the under-17 boys' 100-metre in 11.3 seconds, while Debra Bowen (RYM) won the female version in 12.3 seconds.
The under-20 boys' 200-metre was won by Charles Binnings (Upper Demerara Schools) in 22.4 seconds, while on the distaff side, Dianne Munroe of Police won in 26.1 seconds.
Bygeval's Royston Ross won the under-20 boys' discus with a throw of 45.28 metres, while Selwyn McPherson (Dora) won the under-17 boys' shot-putt with a throw of 11.43 metres. McPherson also topped the javelin competition in the same age group with a throw of 43.70 metres.