Olympic champion Felix Sanchez to provide elite training for Guyanese athletes

Guyana’s track and field athletes will receive a major boost next month with the arrival of Olympic gold medallist Felix Sanchez.

Sanchez will provide elite training to the nation’s top talents.

Sanchez, the two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion, will be in Guyana from April 22 to 28, providing expert coaching as part of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s Academy programme.

Minister Charles Ramson Jr., speaking at the National Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships, confirmed that standout performers from the event will be included in Sanchez’s training programme.

“You have all the reasons in the world to come and win at this Championship,” Minister Ramson Jr. said, emphasising the opportunities available to athletes. “The investments we are making is for a reason, it is not just that we believe in you, it is that we know that without you are not going to realise your potential.”

Sanchez, a decorated athlete with Olympic titles from 2004 and 2012, and World Championship wins in 2001 and 2003, will bring his vast experience to guide and inspire Guyanese athletes.

This visit follows a series of initiatives to develop Guyana’s track and field capabilities.

In May 2024, four coaches from the United States conducted a training programme, sponsored by the Guyanese government and the National Sports Commission, in collaboration with the Athletics Association of Guyana.

These coaches worked with local counterparts to assess Olympic prospects.

Furthermore, in July, the U.S. Embassy, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the National Sports Commission, and the Athletics Association of Guyana, launched the 2024 U.S. Sports Envoy Programme.

This programme, targeting young athletes aged 10-17 from Regions 5, 6, and 10, saw American Olympian Mechelle Lewis Freeman and Coach Khadevis Robinson conduct a four-day clinic at the National Track and Field Centre.