walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
Tianna Guy is keen to make her mark on the world stage and has been putting in the hours daily to accomplish this.
Her first test will be at the 2018 Women's World Championships in Delhi, India starting tomorrow (November 15), and Guy will attempt to fly the T&T flag with honour. The event is expected to be one of the largest for elite women boxers, with an expected 353 boxers from 73 countries participating.
The 21-year old Enterprise resident is the 2018 Continentals bronze medallist and current national and Caribbean Lightweight champion, all of which was achieved in less than a year.
Her coaches Ria Ramnarine and Bharrath Ramoutar from the Fine Line Fight Factory have been constantly by her side, while Reynold Cox, the T&T Boxing Association's technical director has been monitoring her progress and giving her advice.
Ramoutar has for many years produced world-class athletes while Ramnarine continues to carve out a niche for herself in the field of coaching. Both believe Guy is one of the brightest prospects in the sport locally today and her enthusiasm and attitude toward the game have been encouraging.
Sporting a quiet disposition, the young pugilist is never late for training, never skips sessions and never makes excuses.
Guy has been training twice daily, before and after classes at the University of the Southern Caribbean, where she is studying for her BSc in Biology, with an emphasis on Biomedical and a minor in Chemistry.
Although still considered a baby in the sport, with just 22 months of training under her belt, Guy gives a different impression due to the speed and accuracy at which she punches.
Apart from her speed Guy also shows intense focus and confidence when she enters the ring. She has been singled out as the brightest prospect of female boxing in T&T.
Ramnarine said "She knows she has a long way to go to fulfil her dreams of competing at the Olympics one day and is taking each step with confidence and determination. She has had setbacks, losing her first bout at 2018 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, but this only served to strengthen her, as her opponent was a veteran with 10 or more years experience than her."
Still, she is holding on to the belief she will one day mount the podium and sing T&T's national anthem at a major international tournament.
In the past Guy's Fine Line team has struggled to secure a sponsor for her, until corporate T&T recently agreed to take a bold step to pledge financial support for the country's Olympic hopeful. The companies are Nu-Iron Unlimited, Build to Last Hardware, Island Roofing Hardware, Massy Ltd, Junior Sammy Contractors, Lifetime Roofing, Point Lisas Steel Industries, Seereeram Bros. Ltd, Country Bar, The Medical Supply, Cushion Flor, and other well-wishers.
The monies will be used to take the boxer to regional and international tournaments and provide her with other necessities.