Led by Olympic sprinter Emmanuel Archibald, Guyana’s relay quartet consisting of Noelex Holder, Akeem Stewart, and Jaheel Cornette achieved a remarkable feat by clinching gold in the 4×100-meter relay event at the Guiana Games held over the weekend in Cayenne, French Guiana.
The team’s outstanding performance contributed to Guyana’s overall success at the games, where they secured a total of six medals, including four gold medals.
The crowning achievement came in the 4×100-meter final, where they blazed through the race in a blistering time of 39.61 seconds, just shy of the national record of 39.59 seconds set at the Pan American Games in 1975.
Individually, Emmanuel Archibald showcased his prowess on the track with a stellar outing.
In addition to anchoring the relay team to victory, Archibald claimed gold in the long jump event with an impressive leap of 7.94 meters, leaving French Guiana’s Alan Alasis trailing behind in second place with 7.31 meters.
Archibald’s individual success continued in the men’s 100 meters International Invitational final, where he matched his personal best time of 10.13 seconds to clinch the title.
Despite his outstanding performance, Archibald fell short of his main goal of qualifying for the Paris Summer Olympic Games, as the qualifying mark is set at 10 seconds flat.
Local athlete Akeem Stewart finished fifth in the same event, clocking a time of 10.70 seconds.
In another international race, Guyana’s Noelex Holder secured victory in the 100 meters with a time of 10.35 seconds, ahead of Ylann Bizasene from French Guiana, who finished in 10.43 seconds.
Leslain Baird, another Olympic hopeful from Guyana, dominated the javelin throw event, claiming gold with an impressive throw of 76.10 meters.
Despite his victory, Baird fell short of the Paris Olympics qualifying mark of 85.50 meters.
French Guiana’s Travis Cudjoe secured second place with a throw of 65.09 meters.
Guyana’s Shemar Horatio secured a bronze medal in the 200 meters event, finishing with a time of 21.04 seconds.
French Guiana’s Aymeric Priam took the gold with a time of 20.96 seconds, followed by Loic Provost with silver in 21.00 seconds.
The impressive performance of Guyana’s athletes at the Guiana Games highlights their talent and potential on the regional stage, as they continue to strive for excellence in track and field competitions.