(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana – Monday, 3 July 2023): The 16th CARICOM Road Races concluded yesterday, Sunday, 2 July, in Trinidad and Tobago, with Guyana and the host country taking top honours in a 10K event.
Guyanese Attoya Harvey claimed first prize in the Overall Female category and the CARICOM Secretary-General’s Trophy, while Samantha Shikla (Trinidad and Tobago) and Laura Lynn Limery (Saint Lucia) won second and third prizes, respectively.
Trinidad and Tobago dominated the top three positions in the Overall Male category, with popular athlete Nicholas Romany winning the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy and Donnel Francis and Tafari Waldron capturing the second and third prizes, respectively.
Nine (9) CARICOM countries participated in the event, including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.
In observance of CARICOM’s 50th Anniversary, the event returned to the original site of the signing of the Treaty, the Chaguaramas Convention Centre. The Road Races formed part of the pre-event activities of the 45th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM scheduled for 3-5 July in Trinidad and Tobago under the chairmanship of Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister, Dominica.
Attoya Harvey shared that she was elated to win the top prize for Guyana in her first CARICOM 10K. “My coach was my inspiration for participating, he’s consistently motivating me to reach for my dreams”, stated Attoya.
“There’s no secret behind Trinidad winning the top three positions – only consistent training, commitment, a good coach and an amazing team,” stated Nicholas Romany, “I got the opportunity to represent my home country, so it was important that I gave my best”.
Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister, Dominica and Chair, CARICOM, delivered remarks and presented the CARICOM Chairman’s Trophy and other top prizes. Also present were Dr Carla Barnett, Secretary-General, CARICOM, Dr Armstrong Alexis, Deputy Secretary-General, CARICOM, Ms Alison Drayton, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM, Senator The Honourable Dr Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago and Hon. Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Sport and Community Development, Trinidad and Tobago.
The 16th CARICOM Road Races also included 5K and 1K races on Saturday, 1 July, at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain.
The event’s theme, “Promoting Health Resilience for All,” aligns with CARICOM’s mandate to promote healthy habits and nutrition to combat the stark increase in persons with non-communicable diseases or NCDs. The Secretariat envisions the event as a beacon to advocate for Caribbean nationals adopting healthier lifestyles for better health outcomes.
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