Robinson, Forde top Atlantic 3K road race

KEVIN Robinson from Cumana AC and Kaleigh Forde from Dunross Prep topped the field of 214 primary school athletes who competed in Mayaro on Wednesday in the Atlantic National Primary Schools 3K Road Race. The event is the opener in the 2018 primary school athletics season.

Inclement weather earlier in the morning delayed the start of the event and added the challenge of puddles along the route from Mayaro RC to Mayaro Government.

Kevin, 14, won the overall boys category in a time of 12 minutes and 24 seconds, while Tafari Waldron, 13, from Belmont SDA and Mason Hall’s Ben-Israel Bannister, 12, were second and third respectively with times of 12:41 and 13:01.

In the girls category, Forde, 12, sprinted to the finishing line in 13:48, easily outpacing two rivals from Valencia South Government who were closest on her heels.

Hannah Heath, 13, and Tashanique McFarlane, 13, who came 2nd and 3rd respectively with times of 14:09 and 14:47.

Anil Seunath, Atlantic’s Branding and Sponsorships Officer, said the children showed discipline and determination throughout the race, which was great testimony to their training. “The wet streets did not stop the children,” Seunath said. “This is exactly the kind of spirit and drive that we at Atlantic want to see in the boys and girls who participate in the programmes we sponsor.”

Joseph Brewster, president of the National Primary Schools Track and Field Association, said he was impressed with the children’s performance. “We are seeing the future long distance runners for Trinidad and Tobago and it generally starts in the primary schools. We are actually the foundation for track and field, and we are doing our part in terms of producing the athletes for future events, in terms of internationally, starting at this stage.”

The National 3K Road Race is staged every year by the National Primary Schools Track and Field Association as the precursor to the season’s main event, the Atlantic National Primary Schools Track and Field Championships.

This year’s Championships get underway on May 23 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. Both the Road Race and the Championships are managed by the National Primary Schools Track and Field Association, with support from the Ministry of Education and sponsorship by LNG production company Atlantic.