Ballantyne is Athlete of the year

The Athlete of the Year for 2008 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is Pamenos Ballantyne.

The announcement was made on Saturday, 17th January, 2009, as Team Athletics SVG staged its annual Awards and Presentation Ceremony.{{more}}

Also named the Male Senior Athlete for 2008, Ballantyne was not present at the event, which took place at Basil’s Bar in Kingstown.

The durable long distance runner was in Trinidad and Tobago participating in a road race there, tuning up for that country’s marquee road race, The Clico Trinidad and Tobago Marathon, set for January 25.

Ballantyne is a seven-time winner of the event.

One marathon win, one Half Marathon success, wins at five 5K races, four 10 K victories, two 15K titles and a 20K triumph, were Ballantyne’s list of honours on the roads of the Caribbean for 2008.

Ballantyne crowned off the year in review, when he won the run Barbados marathon, his biggest win in the last 12 months. That followed on the heels of his Anguilla half marathon a fortnight prior.

Running mainly in his second home, Trinidad and Tobago, Ballantyne won the Rainbow, Sugar Energy, Marabella, Kiss and San Fernando 5K’s.

A win in the Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago underscored his control of that country’s 10K road races.

Also in the twin island republic, Ballantyne captured the Granny Luccess and Kiss 15K’s.

He added the Oil Field Workers Trade Union Uriah “Buzz” Butler 20K to his list of winnings.

Ballantyne also won the Caricom and OECS 10K, both staged in Antigua and Barbuda.

Ballantyne placed second in the South American 10K in Guyana, and third in the UWI Spec half marathon and sixth in a 5km Tucker Valley, both run in Trinidad and Tobago.

On the track in T&T, Ballantyne secured first places in the 5,000 m at the Hampton, Falcon and Southern Games, and was first in the 1,500 m at the Palo Seco Games.

These events were all part of the 2008 Trinidad and Tobago athletics calendar.

At home, Ballantyne raced away with the over 20 male division of the National Properties cross country run and took first place in the 5000M at the National Athletics Championships held in June.

Ballantyne, along with winners of last Saturday’s event, will go forward as the athletics body’s nominees, when the National Sports Council holds its 2008 recognition of sporting performances, in its annual National Sports Awards Ceremony.