Pompey gets scholarship to compete at her final Olympic Games

By Kiev Chesney

The 2012 London Olympic Games is likely to be where three-time Olympian Aliann Pompey culminates her track and field career, and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) has secured an Olympic solidarity scholarship to ensure Pompey emphatically ends her stellar career like the champion she is.

Pompey, currently in Guyana, will benefit from the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship to aid with her preparation for next year’s Olympic Games. U. S.-based Sprinter Adam Harris, Taekwondo martial artist Adrian Spellin, and Carifta breaststroke champion Jessica Stephenson were also chosen to benefit from the scholarship.

GOA president K A Juman Yassin said that that body submitted the names of six athletes and those four were recently approved to benefit from the scholarship. The scholarship will see each of the four athletes receiving US$1000 per month, beginning next month, until next year to assist in preparation for the world-class event, according to Juman Yassin.

Additionally, the athletes will also be given a travel grant of US$5000 to attend competitions in an attempt to achieve qualifying standards for their events Juman Yassin said.

“I know the cost for her to train, to live and to really become an elite athlete is much more than US$1000 per month,” Juman Yassin said, before he urged members of the corporate sector and the government of Guyana to lend their support as well.

Pompey, now almost 33, captured Guyana’s only medal at the Commonwealth Games last year. She said the scholarship will be “very helpful”. “It doesn’t cover everything, but it’s a start,” said Pompey, who works two jobs apart from being an international athlete. Pompey is the director of educational services at Armory Amory Foundation, and is also the development manager at Powerplay, which is a community outreach programme located in New York.

Even with all those responsibilities, Pompey still finds the time to balance her intense training regimen with her long-time coach Joseph Ryan, who coached Guyana at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Pompey had copped silver at both the Commonwealth and Central American and Caribbean Sport Organisation Games last year. She will be returning to the U.S. early next week to resume her job and track training for a packed summer of events.

The 2002 Sportswoman of the Year, who won the Commonwealth 400m gold medal that year, intends to compete in both the Pan American Games and the IAAF World Championships this summer.

Pompey broke Guyana’s national record at the last World Champion- ships. She said that she is pretty confident of her chances of making the final at this year’s event.

Additionally, Pompey intends to medal at Pan Am, but plans to use both competitions to find and work on her weakness/es for the 2012 Olympic Games, which she feels could be her last one.

“It might be my last one,” she said. “I’m not promising to retire immediately after my last run in 2012, but I foresee it being my last Olympics.”