Guyana has produced several notable athletes across a range of sports, especially in cricket, boxing, athletics, and swimming. Many of them have competed at regional, international, and Olympic levels, bringing pride to the country.
Famous Athletes from Guyana
Cricket
- Shivnarine Chanderpaul
- One of the greatest West Indies batsmen of all time.
- Known for his unorthodox stance and long career.
- Played over 160 Test matches.
- Rohan Kanhai
- Legendary batsman; captained the West Indies in the 1970s.
- Considered a cricketing pioneer from Guyana.
- Carl Hooper
- Stylish batsman and former West Indies captain.
- Known for his all-round abilities.
- Shamar Joseph
- Emerging fast bowler who made headlines in 2024 with an incredible debut performance against Australia.
- Currently one of the brightest young talents.
Boxing
- Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis
- First Guyanese world boxing champion (WBA Welterweight title in 2001).
- A national hero.
- Gwendolyn O’Neil
- First Guyanese woman to win a world boxing title.
- Champion in the Light Heavyweight category.
- Clive Atwell
- Highly ranked in the featherweight division.
- Known for international bouts.
Athletics (Track & Field)
- Aliyah Abrams
- 400m specialist who has represented Guyana at the Olympics and World Championships.
- Trains and competes mostly in the U.S.
- Emanuel Archibald
- Sprinter and long jumper.
- Represented Guyana at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Am Games.
- Troy Doris
- Triple jumper; competed at the 2016 Olympics and placed 7th.
- Born in the U.S. but represents Guyana.
Swimming
- Hannibal Gaskin
- Swimmer who represented Guyana at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
- Specializes in butterfly and freestyle.
- Aleka Persaud
- Young swimmer who represented Guyana at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021).
- One of the country’s promising talents.
Football
- While no Guyanese footballer has reached elite international club fame, many have played professionally in Trinidad, North America, and Europe, including:
- Neil Danns – Played for Bolton, Leicester City, and Guyana’s national team.
- Emery Welshman – Played in MLS and for Guyana’s national team.
