Harry Prowell

Harry Prowell A.A.
Personal information
Nationality Guyanese
Born (1936-07-10)10 July 1936
La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara, Guyana
Died 27 June 2000(2000-06-27) (aged 63)
Success, East Coast Demerara, Guyana
Education St Mary-ye-Virgin Anglican School Beterverwagting,Guyana
Height 5 ft 8.5 in (1.740 m)
Weight 123 lb (56 kg)
Sport
Country Guyana Guyana  British Guiana
Sport Athletics
Event(s) Marathon Half Marathon 10,000m 5000m
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals 1968 Summer Olympics Marathon 2:57:01 (50 out of 74)
Personal best(s)

Marathon: 2:39:11 (1968) Guyana National Track and Field Record

  • Half Marathon: 1:14:06 (1965)
  • 10,000 m: 31:57:03 (1960)
  • 5000 m: 15:15:00 (1960)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  British Guiana
British West Indies Championships
1965 Bridgetown5000 m
1960 Kingston5000 m
1960 Kingston10,000 m
1965 BridgetownHalf Marathon
1959 Georgetown5000 m
1959 Georgetown10,000 m
1958 Port of Spain5000 m
1958 Port of Spain10,000 m

Harry Prowell A.A. (10 July 1936 – 27 June 2000) was a Guyanese long distance runner who represented Guyana in the Marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico.[1] He is known to be one of the greatest Marathon runners Guyana has ever produced,[2] setting the national record in 1968.[3] To date, he is the only Guyanese ever to compete in the Marathon at the Summer Olympic Games and one of the most prominent Indo-Caribbean long distance runners of his time.[1] He also participated in the 10,000 metres at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada [4] and represented Guyana at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.[5]

Prowell holds the Guyana National Track and Field Record in the Marathon with a personal best time of 2:39:11 set on 4 February 1968 in St. Georges, Grenada.[6] He was awarded Guyana's National Sportsman of the Year in 1969 [7] and received the Order of Service of Guyana (Grade II) known as the Golden Arrow of Achievement in 1970.[8]

Prowell died on 27 June 2000 at age 63 in Success, East Coast Demerara, Guyana.[4]

Early life and career

Harry Prowell was born in La Bonne Intention (L.B.I.) Estate, East Coast Demerara, Guyana to Indo-Guyanese parents. LBI is a village 10 miles east of the capital Georgetown, Guyana.[9] He would often be seen running from LBI to Georgetown and back again. Known to the locals for his notorious barefoot running style, he rose to prominence at St. Mary-Ye-Virgin Anglican School in Beterverwagting, Guyana.[8] At the annual Inter Estate Athletics Championships, which was well organized and held at various Sugar Estate grounds across British Guiana, he became a household name for his success in long distance running.[2] At these early events he would race against his future nemesis, Moses Dwarika, who would later compete alongside him for British Guiana at the British West Indies Championships.

International career

British Guiana

1958 British West Indies Championships

At the age of 22, Prowell was selected to represent British Guiana at the 1958 British West Indies Championships held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This would be his first international competition. He would go on to win the Silver Medal in the 5000 m and 10,000 m, setting personal best times of 15:15:00 and 31:57:03 respectively. This event showcased some of Guyana's greatest long distance runners. Prowell, Moses Dwarika, George de Peana and Ralph Gomes would go on to dominate Caribbean long distance athletics for the next decade.[10]

1959 British West Indies Championships

At the 1959 British West Indies Championships Prowell could not defeat his fellow countryman George de Peana as Peana defended his Gold Medal for a 3rd consecutive time in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. However he did manage to win the Silver Medal again in both events.

1960 British West Indies Championships

The following year at the 1960 British West Indies Championships Prowell finally succeeded Peana by winning both the 5000 m and 10,000 m races, solidifying himself as the dominant long-distance runner of British Guiana.

The British West Indies Championships took a three-year hiatus. With the West Indies Federation being dissolved, the 5th edition of the track and field competition, 1964 British West Indies Championships, took place in Kingston, Jamaica. Prowell's 10,000 m race had been dropped and he did not compete in the games.

1965 British West Indies Championships

Prowell returned the following year at the 1965 British West Indies Championships in Bridgetown, Barbados and won Gold in the 5000 m race with a time of 15:30.5. At the age of 29, he was just 15 seconds shorts of his personal best record of 15:15 that he set five years earlier at his first British West Indies Championships. In the Half-Marathon he won a Silver Medal with a time of 1:14:06 just short of his rival and fellow countryman Moses Dwarika's time of 1:12:38. This would be his eighth career medal at the championships and his last appearance at the British West Indies Championships.

Guyana

With British Guiana achieving independence from the United Kingdom in May 1966, Prowell would now represent the independent nation of Guyana.[11]

1967 Pan American Games

In 1967, he was selected to represent his country in the 10,000 metres at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He would finish eighth in the race.[4]

1968 Summer Olympic Games

At the age of 32, the highlight of Harry Prowell's career came with representing Guyana at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico.[12] The race was held on Sunday 20 October 1968 and started at 15.00h (3PM EST). There were a total number of 75 competitors from 41 countries. Eighteen of them did not finish.[1] To date he is the only Guyanese ever to compete for Guyana in the Marathon at the Summer Olympic Games.[1]

As Prowell was training for the 1968 Summer Olympics, he set his personal best record of 2:39:11 in a Marathon on 4 February 1968 at a track event in St. George's, Grenada. Leading up to the Olympics he also won a Gold Medal in the Marathon at the 1968 Texaco Southern Games in San Fernando, Trinidad followed by a Gold Medal in the 3000 m race at the annual Inter Estate Athletics Championships in Guyana.[8] Notable runners Boyo Changur placed second and Gladstone Hopkinson placing third.[13]

Guyana sent five men to the 1968 Summer Olympics. The West Indies Champion, 32 year old Harry Prowell was a favorable contender in the Men's Marathon. However, the high altitude of Mexico, City affected the race and it was referred to as one of the slowest marathons in Olympic history.[14] With the unfavorable conditions, Prowell placed a respectable 50th place with a time of 2:57:01.4.[1] Roughly 18 minutes more than his marathon time of 2:39:11 set earlier in February of that year.

1970 British Commonwealth Games

His last international event came with his participation in the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.[5]

Guyana National Awards

Harry Prowell was awarded Guyana's National Sportsman of the Year in 1969[7] and received the Order of Service of Guyana (Grade II) known as the Golden Arrow of Achievement in 1970.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill. "Guyana at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 "We are failing our young people miserably in the sporting arena". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Pragmatism, rhetoric and a lack of vision". Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill. "Harry Prowell Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  5. 1 2 Template:Cite Athletes (Track and Field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games
  6. ↑ "Guyana Men National Track and Field Outdoor Record (as of Sept. 4th, 2003)". Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Guyana National Sportsman of the Year P.88". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Harry Prowell P.299" (PDF). Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "The World beyond Georgetown:La Bonne Intention". Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "Sports achievements must motivate us to greater heights". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill. "The World Factbook: Guyana". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "Harry Prowell". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "Let's honour our first Carifta gold medalist, Gladston". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "OLYMPICS; Hot-Weather Marathon Concerns the Athletes". Retrieved 31 July 2017.
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