Starter's orders: Guyana's Marian Burnett is focused as she gets ready for the starter's gun at the 2004 Adidas Track Classic
Middle-distance track champion Marion Joan Burnett turned out another splendid performance for overseas- based Guyanese sports stars as she lowered her national 800m record. Burnett added her own gust of wind to keep the Golden Arrowhead fluttering last Sunday, less than 24 hours after two of her compatriots defended their world boxing titles in New York and Berlin.
Almost a quarter-of-a-world away in 23C temperature, Burnett's record-breaking feat came in her first 2004 outdoor run as she contested her pet event at the prestigious 46th Mt. SAC Relays in California. She spiked out 2:01.65s to place second in the women's 800m, behind arch-rival American Chantee Earl (2:01.34s). It betters the national mark of 2:01.71s she set last July in Croatia. In a tough field of 11 runners - three above the usual amount - Burnett secured an early front-running position to protect her diminutive stature, and was unchallenged until about 40m to tape when she seemed to "tie up somewhat."
She had the added satisfaction of beating the Netherland's Letitia Vreisde (2:02.74) who had represented Suriname in the 2003 Pan American Games where she was stripped of her gold medal after a substance abuse infraction. It was overall a good showing for Guyana, as Burnett out-duelled runners from six other countries including Brazil, Poland, the Bahamas, Canada and Australia and the USA.
It is the third time this year, the 2003 Sportswoman-of-the-year winner has broken a record. She twice set new marks at indoor 800m at the Adidas Games in Boston and the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Hungary. Burnett said she is "pleased with this as an outdoor season opener." Burnett said she and her coach Mark Elliott are working hard for good things this year. "Right now this (record) is helping to soften ... sort of mellow out the experience of a swollen ankle he got over the weekend," she said. He suffered a fracture while prepping some of his other athletes at an Alumni meet at Louisianan State University (LSU).
Burnettt is now listed #3 on the IAAF List of 800m Top Times for 2004 which was last updated April 20th. Her coach is basking in his achievement of having two athletes in the top five on the List, as Grenada-born LSU half-miler Neisha Bernard Thomas sits two places after Burnett.