Youth Athletes Aim for Glory in Bahamas
A small contingent of athletes headed today for the Bahamas where the Commonwealth Games are taking place this week. One thousand athletes will be competing overall in nine sporting disciplines. News Five caught up with local athletes at the Philip Goldson International Airport where the hopefuls in track and field, cycling and tennis were all geared up to take on competing athletes from seventy countries. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Meet the team of five Belizean athletes and two officials that will represent Belize in Bahamas for the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the field of Athletics, also referred to as Track and Field, Cycling and Tennis. Today, the team left the country on an American Airlines flight in hopes of performing their best and return with medals. The international games will feature over one thousand athletes from seventy participating nations. A track star herself, Tricia Flores is the Athletics Official that is traveling with the team.
Tricia Flores, Athletics Official
“It started with the senior athletes, but because they want the younger athletes to get this exposure as well. That’s how it came about yes.”
Tricia Flores
Duane Moody
“What is your advice for these young persons going out there…to prepare themselves to do these things?”
Tricia Flores
“Well I could speak of the track and field athletes…the athletes in general….to go out there and just try their best, do their best. Because I believe that they are more talented than us. I would just say that they could go out there, be their best and let the country look good, let themselves look good as well….just represent us well.”
Sixteen-year-old Hilary Gladden and seventeen-year-old Joshire Stanley are runners for the two hundred and one hundred meters athletics games. Both are fairly new to the sport, but are considered powerhouses in the track and field world in Belize.
Hilary Gladden
Hilary Gladden, 200M Athlete
“I feel good. I’ve been running for one year, from since I was in second form. It is such a privilege to be proud to represent Belize.”
Joshire Stanley, 100M Athlete
“It took me at least a year and three months to prepare for my event.”
Joshire Stanley
Duane Moody
“How long have you been running and your anticipations for the games?”
Joshire Stanley
“I’ve been running for at least two years and my anticipation is just to do my best and make Belize proud.”
While Adrian Marshalleck is the only athlete to represent Belize in the tennis singles category, Gian Lino and Nashen Ysaguirre are confident that cycling results will see them on top.
Nashen Ysaguirre
Nashen Ysaguirre, Cyclist
“This will be my second trip pertaining to cycling. I’ve been riding for approximately two years so we have some high expectations.”
Duane Moody
“Talk to us about that…do you expect to come back with some medals?”
Nashen Ysaguirre
“It’s possible. Last year, we went to St. Lucia and seeing that it was the first cycling trip for most of the guys, we did great. I expect much better results this year, maybe a top three.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
