Natrena Hooper and Winston George top athletes for the year 2017

Jan 22, 2018 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...s-for-the-year-2017/

When the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) held their annual awards ceremony at the Umana Yana in Kingston on Saturday night, two-time Olympian Winston George and Natrena Hooper received the accolades of Senior Male and Female athletes of the year 2017, respectively.

Both the recipients of the senior awards were unable to attend due to overseas commitments. George is currently competing on the United States Track and Field circuit, while Hooper is currently on Scholarship at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus in Jamaica.
Winston George, who lowered Guyana’s 400m record while winning gold at the South American Senior Championships in Paraguay last year, won the senior athlete of the year award out of a pool of outstanding sportsmen that included National triple jump record holder, Troy Doris and national javelin record holder, Leslain Baird.
Tenisha Cort who holds that national record for the Javelin throw was runner-up to Hooper who won the senior female athlete of 2017 award.
Natrena’s sister, Natricia Hooper, who won Gold in the under-20 Triple Jump event at the CARIFTA Games last year, was awarded Junior female athlete-of-the-year. While Compton Caesar, who won the first Gold Medal for Guyana in the boys’ under-20 100m at CARIFTA Games, in addition to Gold at the South America Junior Championships, was awarded Junior male athlete-of-the-year.
Predictably, Daniel Williams who became Guyana’s second athlete to win a medal on the world stage after sprinting to a silver medal berth in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World under-18 championships in Nairobi, Kenya, won the best male youth accolade.
Chantoba Bright, who finished 5th in the triple jump in the IAAF youth games in Kenya last year while winning gold in the same event at the South American Junior Championships which was held in Guyana for the first time, was adjudged best female youth for 2017.
Other winners at the elegantly-casual dressed event included: Natricia Hooper (best junior female athlete), Compton Caesar (best junior male), Daniel Williams (best youth male) and Chantoba Bright (best youth female).
Johnny Gravesande who trains Daniel Williams and Chantoba Bright was named Coach-of-the-Year.
Coach, Moses Pantlitz was the recipient of the President’s Award, while sponsors of various AAG meets during the year 2017 were presented with plaques of appreciation.