Guyana’s Booker ambitious and fast

At home in Guyana, Seon Booker is so well regarded that there is a billboard of him at his old school. The more he runs for Dinthill Technical High School here in Jamaica, discerning track and field fans are learning why. Undefeated in two starts at 800 metres, Booker is aiming high.

He lowered his season’s best from one minute 56.84 seconds on January 14 to a comfortable 1:55.11 at last week’s blustery Queen’s/Grace Jackson Invitational. To hear him tell it, faster times are on the way.

“I could have gone faster,” the bright-faced lad said from the comfort of the National Stadium grandstand, “but it was good.”

Those who clocked his anchor leg for Dinthill’s sprint medley team at the January 14 Douglas Forrest Invitational might not have been surprised. He covered those two laps in 1:55.5 and held off Franklyn Tayloe of Foga Road High.

Booker won Guyana’s 2020 Carifta Trials 16 and under 1500 metres, but the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the organisers in their tracks. In the same domestic season, he did a nifty 600m/2000m double in 1:32.39 and 6:40.15, respectively.

In 2019, he set new records in the boys’ under-16 400m and 800m races at the 59th National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships.

When he was in the 15 and under category, he ran the 1500m in four minutes 18.22 seconds. A year later, he won the Carifta Trials in 4:09.03.

His ability has opened doors for him. He has won a number of government scholarships and the latest one has taken him to Jamaica.

“I was on a scholarship and coach Danny Hawthorne gave me the opportunity. He reached out to us, and he gave me a scholarship to Jamaica for training and through him, everything was sorted out,” he explained.

He wasn’t the fastest Class One 800m runner at the Queen’s meet as 2021 Class One gold medallist Kemario Bygrave of Jamaica College clocked 1:53.86 in a separate section.

Booker has his mind on the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. Queried about his 2023 track goals, he replied, “I’ll attempt to break the 800m record and go for the 400m record too. So I’m working really hard.”

Asked if he meant the Guyanese junior records, Booker clarified, “No, I’m talking about Champs records in Jamaica, 1.47, and I promise I’ll get it. I just know what I’m doing, I’ve got to put the P’s and Q’s and I know what I’m doing. I’ll get the record in time to come.”

The Class One 800m record is jointly held by Chevonne Hall and J’Voughnn Blake at 1:48.58 seconds.