Guyana: Aliyah Abrams became the first Guyanese to qualify for the World Championships in Track and Field, after her blistering 50.77 seconds run in the Women’s 400m at the Tom Jones Invitational on Saturday (April 15).
Abrams was second behind Jamaican Stacy-Ann Williams who won the race in a time of 50.12s, while the USA’s Brittany Brown was third (51.15s). Abrams’ time was her Personal Best and just shy of Aliann Pompey’s National Record of 50.71s, which was set in 2009 at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
The Qualifying Standard time in the women’s 400m for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, is 51.00s. At the 2022 World Championships, Abrams reached the semifinals of the Women’s 400m; she was 5th in the finals at the Indoor World Championships last year.
Meanwhile, in order to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Abrams will need to replicate or better Saturday’s performance during the Olympic Qualification July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 window.
The 2024 Olympic qualifying time for the women’s 400m is 50.95s. Abrams was the only Guyanese athlete to run the qualifying standard time for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Earlier, Guyana’s U20 Women’s National secured a spectacular 6-0 victory over Suriname in the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship Qualifiers earlier today (April 15) in the Dominican Republic.
It was the team’s opening match of the tournament. Se-hanna Mars scored a double, netting in the 24th and 47th minutes and Sandra Johnson found the net in the 40th minute of the game. Glendy Lewis (55th), captain Samantha Banfield (61st) and Jalade Trim (90th) were the other scorers.
Guyana is in Group C with host nation Dominican Republic, Suriname and Dominica. The Lady Jags will play Dominica on Monday, April 17 at 3pm at the Felix Sanchez Stadium. The winner of each group will advance to the May 2023 Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Dominican Republic, joining top-ranked teams United States and Mexico.
Anglina Byron, developed a deep-seated passion for journalism. Anglina is recognized for her tenacity, strength, and unwavering commitment to delivering honest and reliable news across the Caribbean. She covers general affairs of the region.
