Basketball standout Stanton Rose Jr. and Table Tennis champion girl Chelsea Edghill were named Senior Sportsman and Woman respectively when the National Sports Commission (NSC) hosted its annual awards ceremony on Friday evening, recognising outstanding sporting exploits of 2018.
Due to commitments beyond these shores, they could not be present at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown to collect their prestigious awards, but that in no way diminish what they achieved last year.
Rose Jr. created history by leading Guyana to a maiden senior Caribbean basketball title, captaining the side to an unbeaten run in Suriname. Rose Jr. also copped the Most Valuable Player award at the championship, which has been in existence since 1981.
Edghill won Gold for Guyana in the Under-21 category at the Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships in Jamaica last year.
She also won the College National Districts Competition, placed second at College National Regional Competition in the United States, along with being a quarter-finalist at the South American Games.
On the Junior side, Badminton’s female marquee player Priyanna Ramdhani and Squash prodigy Shomari Wiltshire were recognised for their on-court brilliance.
During the period under review, Ramdhani was ranked as one of the top South American and Caribbean players.
She dominated the Caribbean Regional Youth championships in Suriname, winning five gold medals, while also pocketing two silver and one bronze at the Caribbean International Senior Championships also held in Suriname.
Ramdhani also advanced to the quarter-final stage of the 2018 CAC Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Wiltshire, on the local scene, won a staggering four titles. His success began in May 2018 when he captured the Woodpecker Products Junior National Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 titles.
The young man continued his form regionally where he clinched for the second year running junior Caribbean Under-15 gold and was instrumental in leading Guyana to silver in the team event in Jamaica in July.
One month later, the Guyanese defeated Robert Avram to nab another gold medal, this time on the internarial circuit while competing in the Newport Steamer Summer Gold Tournament, in Rhode Island, USA.
He capped off 2018 by winning the annual Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill level squash tournament in November.
Below is the full list of awardees
Sportsman-of-the-Year (PWD)- Annson Forde
Sportswoman-of-the-Year (PWD)- Davena Nauth
Female Sports Official- Dr. Karen Pilgrim
Male Sports Official- Franklin Wilson
Female Coach- Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan
Male Coach- Junior Hercules
Female Sports Personality– Kathy Ten-Pow (Mothers in Motor-racing)
Male Sports Personality- Ramesh Sunich
Most Improved Association– Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation
Association-of-the-Year- Guyana Football Federation
Junior Sportsman– Shomari Wiltshire
Junior Sportswoman– Priyanna Ramdhani
Senior Sportsman– Stanton Rose Jr.
Senior Sportswoman– Chelsea Edghill
Team-of-the-Year– Senior Male Basketball team
Journalist (Online)- Akeem Greene
Journalist (TV)- Eric Collymore
Journalist (Print)– Calvin Chapman
Special Awards: Bhaskar Yadram, Shemar Britton, Walter Grant-Stuart, Theresa Pemberton, Allister Munroe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Editor’s note: See additional photos on News Room’s Facebook page
