Thursday April 25, 2013
Kaieteur News
Page 39
New Kings of the Ranges, Goodluck & Top Int’l athletes line-up Ramalho, ready for upcoming action for Jamaica Invitational Following the conclusion of the 2013 National Fullbore Rifle Shooting Championships at the Timehri Rifle Ranges, two new champions emerged in the respective X and O classes. Veteran Ransford Goodluck took the X-Class in the clash of the giants while Leo Ramalho, returning after an extended absence of 11years, won the O-Class. Goodluck (341 Points 27Vs) fought off valiant challenges from Lennox Braithwaite (340 Points 24Vs) and Mahendra Persaud - 2012 winner (338 Points 20Vs); Ramalho had to stave off the challenge of 2012 winner Lt. Col. Terrance Stuart whom he was trailing going into the final day. Ramalho (315 Points 16Vs) eventually prevailed by one point from Stuart (314 Points 9Vs). Speaking with Kaieteur Sport after winning on Sunday last, Ramalho, who was in the X-Class before his exit 11 years ago, said that his performance was somewhat unbelievable and he was grateful for the outcome.
Leo Ramalho
Ransford Goodluck
“Winning is always a good feeling and I’m happy to be back. Actually, I was a part of the Guyana team that defeated the British back in 1996 and I am elated that they will be here shortly to compete against us. I’ve recently acquired a new rifle and this is the fourth time I am using it so it is still in the breaking in process. Generally though, I am confident that Guyana will continue to do good so I am looking forward to the visit of the British team and subsequent to their visit to the Caribbean championships.” Goodluck, who is also a multiple Caribbean champion,
in his comment stated that winning is always a good feeling but more importantly, the championships is geared towards preparing the Guyana team for the Caribbean competition next month. “While I won, I still have to get even sharper for the Caribbean championships so this was good competition and practice for me and the team at the same time. The second phase of preparation is going to be against the British then we move on to Barbados.” Goodluck shared that this year’s competition was contested in challenging (Continued on page 34)
Master Wharton recognised by Japanese Karate Organization
Junior Wharton
Master Junior Wharton of Trinidad and Tobago, founder and Chief Instructor for the Tiger System Karate International (TSK-I) was officially recognised by the International Seishinkai Karate Federation (ISKF) of Hokkaido, Japan as a bonafide martial arts body. The Tiger System was founded by Wharton in 1973 and is a combination of karate, judo, wrestling, boxing and Ju-Jitsu. It is the only indigenous martial arts officially recorded in major organization in Japan. Grand Master Wharton has been technical adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Karate
Federation (TTKF) since 2010. Anthony Parris, Stephen Parris and Junior Wharton are among the ‘father’s of T&T Martial Arts. Tiger System has branches in the USA, Canada England and the Caribbean. In Trinidad and Tobago its representatives are Claudius Hannibal and Herbert Lara. Membership in ISKF will allow the organization to establish roots in that part of the World and ISKF will have an affiliate in this region. Grand Master Wharton will be in his homeland soon to conduct workshops. TSKI is a member of the TTKF.
Myanmar cancels Davis Cup events over security concerns (Reuters) - Myanmar has decided to opt out of hosting two Davis Cup events due to security concerns following last month’s antiMuslim riots, the head of the country’s tennis association said on Tuesday. Myanmar was to host the 2013 Asia/Oceania Zone Group III and IV events from April 22-May 5 in Yangon where 19 nations were set to take part. Sectarian violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar killed 43 people last month. Thousands, mostly Muslims, were driven from their homes and businesses as bloodshed spread across the Southeast Asian country. “The government informed us on April 13
that we will need to postpone the events due to security reasons,” Aung Maw Thein, president of the Tennis Federation of Myanmar, told Reuters. “While the sports ministry did not divulge the details, I think it was because of last month’s problems.” Players from a number of Muslim countries like Malaysia, Bahrain and Iraq were scheduled to play in the event and the International Tennis Federation has not yet decided on alternative dates and a venue. The world governing body could not be reached for comment.
ST JAMES, Jamaica (CMC)-World and Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melanie Walker has been confirmed for the 100m hurdles at the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) Meet set for May 4. Walker will be running the sprint hurdle in a competitive event for the first time since 2006 when she was a student at the University of Texas. She is expected to face off with London Olympic Games 100m hurdles silver medallist Dawn Harper of the USA, and Jamaica’s Olympic Games semi-finalist Shermaine Williams One of the most anticipated events is the women’s 100m highlighting a clash between Veronica Campbell Brown and American Allyson Felix and includes double Olympic sprint finalist Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, and Trinidad’s Kelly Ann Baptiste, who was sixth in London. World record holder and World and Olympic champion
Melanie Walker
Usain Bolt will run the 200m, along with Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir, IAAF Diamond League winner Nickel Ashmeade and American Wallace Spearmon. Jamaica’s Olympic silver medallist Shelly-Ann FraserPryce will race against Olympic silver medallist Kerron Stewart and American Bianca Knight in the 200m. Donald Quarrie, athletes’ liaison for the meet, says world 100m champion Yohan Blake, who is nursing an injury, will be missed. “It’s unfortunate about Yohan, as we really were
looking forward to seeing him, but the men’s 100m will still be strong as well as the entire line-ups in the others events,” Quarrie said. “So far we have the likes of Ryan Bailey, Nesta Carter, Darvis Patton, Lerone Clarke, Richard Thompson, and Kemar Bailey-Cole, all of whom have run under 10.00 seconds.” Twenty (20) Olympic individual finalists from London have confirmed their entries in the meet that will see the addition of the men’s and women’s discus, a requirement from the IAAF.