By Avenash Ramzan
At first glance, Sherwin Sampson exudes the persona of that stern teacher everyone is petrified about.
He hardly smiles, even when prompted by photographers.
Maybe, it’s just his boyish tendencies, or perhaps a show of emotion is something he is just not too inclined to portray.
Whatever the reason, he broke the mould on Saturday morning, and fittingly so, having produced a commanding ride to win the Inter-Guiana Games cycling road race in West Demerara.
With arms in the air, he sported a broad grin as he crossed the line unchallenged at Leonora, his Guyanese compatriots Alexander Leung and Aaron Newton coming in solo finishes to complete a local clean sweep.
The Guyanese 1-2-3 ensured the overall Cycling title remained on these shores, as the Surinamese competitors were totally obliterated on the course from Schoonord to Bushy Park, Parika, and back to the National Track and Field Centre for the finish.
When Sampson crossed the line to massive cheers from a small band of parents and supporters, race official Joseph Britton’s clock read one hour, 19 minutes, 11.88 seconds (01:19:11.88s).
“This is a very good victory you know,” Sampson said after the race, breaking into occasional smiles during an interaction with the media.
“I was training hard for this race and the training paid off. This is a sweet victory.”
Leung and Newton also finished second and third respectively at Friday’s Individual Time Trial, which was won by Suriname’s Dimitri Madamsir, at the inner circuit of the National Park in Georgetown.
After their repeat performance on Saturday, both riders were justifiably elated.
Leung, the youngest of the 10 riders on show at age 14, said: “I know we had it (victory) as soon as we go down the road. We had two strong men- Sherwin and Aaron- two of the best junior cyclists. So when I see they go down the road, I said ‘we got it in the bag.”
Newton said: “We had a plan and we stuck with our plan. We feel proud to win this race and we would like to thank our supporters, almighty God and our parents.”
Team Guyana: Aaron Newton, Alexander Leung, Adjani Cutting, Mario Washington, Sherwin Sampson
Team Suriname: Jair Norton, Isiah Pawirodinowo, Xavi Wadilie, Jeorcen Adelaar, Dimitri Madamsir
Notably, French Guiana did not field a team for cycling this year.
