By Treiston Joseph
National School Championships Under-20 Javelin record holder, Major Shen Fung, played his part in giving back to the sport on Wednesday at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. Fung awarded the winner of the Boys Under-20 Javelin event, Timothy Sealey, with a special trophy for winning the event.
Fung’s record of 55.6 metres has stood since 1996 and is regarded as one of the toughest records to break at the event. Sealey was just shy of the record with a throw of 53.4 metres.
Sealey, upon receiving the trophy, pinpointed that he should have broken the record, but was dealing with a mild groin injury that hampered his run-up, which in turn affected his throwing power.
Fung is hopeful the record will someday be broken and intends on making a more significant contribution to that athlete who is fortunate to do so.
With emphasis now being placed on field events in Guyana, Fung’s interest, especially in the javelin event that has been languishing a bit, might provide some impetus to athletes to train harder for the event.
Fung was a member of the North Georgetown district, the same as Sealey. Last year’s winner Dwayne Thomas of Essequibo Coast/Pomeroon (District 2) also threw over the 50-metre mark.
With the track and field championships moving to the synthetic facility at Leonora more athletes will be better equipped with the facility to at least attempt a shot at the long standing record.
