Cleveland Forde (born April 3, 1985), is a Guyanese track runner who specialized in various middle-distance and

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling *Long-distance operator *Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths *Long-distance trail *European long-dista ...

disciplines. Forde holds national records for Guyana in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

and

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

disciplines. He represented his country at the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations. Alongside Olympic ...

in 2007, the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the In ...

in 2007 and 2008, and the

2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008. This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of th ...

. He has also run for Guyana at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

(2006, 2010) and the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

(2007). His sole senior international medal is a bronze at the

2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The 21st Central American and Caribbean Games (Spanish: ''XXI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe, Mayagüez 2010'') took place in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, from 18 July 2010 to 1 August 2010. Bid It was understood that Mayagüez was going to b ...

. He won several regional medals in his youth at the

CARIFTA Games The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games were first held in 1972 and consist of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track ev ...

Running career

Youth and junior career

Forde made his first appearance in major international competition at the

2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the second edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics, World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Debrecen, Hungary 12–15 July 2001. Results Boys Girls Medal ta ...

, although he was the youngest in his 3000 metres heat and was last by a margin of fifty seconds. His first international medal came at the

2002 CARIFTA Games The 31st CARIFTA Games was held in the Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, on March 30-April 1, 2002. A report on the results was given. Participation (unofficial) Detailed result lists can be found on the CFPI and on the "World ...

where he won the gold medal in the 5000 metres. He would go on to compete at the

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and 2004 CARIFTA Games, both times finishing in first place in the 5000 m (he also managed fourth, then second in the 1500 m). He also won bronze medals in both the 5000 m and

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

at the

2002 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics The 15th Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships were held in the National Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados between 5–7 July 2002. A discussion of the results is given. Usain Bolt of Jamaica set a total of 6 new championship record ...

. He also ran in those events at the

2002 South American Junior Championships in Athletics The 34th South American Junior Championships in Athletics were held at the Estádio Olímpico do Pará in Belém, Brazil from August 1–3, 2002 in conjunction with the 7th South American (ODESUR) Games. Athletes from the Netherlands Antil ...

, but at this higher level competition was seventh in the 5000 m and failed to finish the 10,000 m. He was the fourth placer in the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the

2003 South American Junior Championships in Athletics 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, then came ninth in the

2003 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 12th Pan American Junior Athletics Championships were held in Bridgetown, Barbados at the Barbados National Stadium, National Stadium on 18–20 July 2003. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt had the outstanding performance equalling the 200m World ...

later that year. Forde was chosen to compete at the

2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics were held in Grosseto, Italy on 12–18 July. Results Men Women Medal table Participation According to an unofficial count through an unofficial result list, 1261 athletes from 168 count ...

but ultimately did not participate.

Senior career

Forde set a Guyanese national record in the 5000 m when he finished first in 14:07.08 minutes at the

2006 South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics The 2nd South American Under-23 Championships in Athletics were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the Centro Nacional de Alto Rendimiento Deportivo (CeNARD) on November 10–12, 2006. The championships were held as a part of the 2006 South Am ...

. He came fifteenth in the 5000 m at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

. He made his global debut as a senior athlete in 2007, beginning with the

2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 24, 2007. The races were held at the Mombasa Golf Course in Mombasa, Kenya. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encom ...

, at which he placed 97th overall. He later ran in the 5000 m at the

2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, () under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member feder ...

, but was second-to-last place overall and over a minute slower than the next fastest runner. He gave similar performances at that year's

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, finishing tenth in the 10,000 m and eleventh in the 5000 m. Two more top level events followed the year after: at the

2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 30, 2008. The races were held at the Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All race ...

he was further down the order in 154th place, but managed to set a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

best of 1:10:20 hours at the

, where he was 58th. Forde ran a 5000 m personal best of 14:08.95 minutes at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games, taking the bronze medal in the process – his first as a senior athlete. He also set a 1500 m best of 3:50.47 minutes for sixth place. Forde ran his fastest 1500 m race in 3:44.23 minutes in the men's 1500-metre race at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, setting a national records and barely missing a berth in the final round. He was slower in the 5000 m Commonwealth race, coming 18th. His form was not as good at the

2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The event served as classifiers for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and took place from July 15–17, 2011. It was the fourth time ...

, at which he was seventh place in the 1500 m and fourth in the 5000 m. He ceased track competitions after this point and began competing in lower-level

road races Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily closed public ...

in his region.Jefford, Edison (2013-09-13)
Forde’s foes offered new opportunity
Kaieteur News. Retrieved on 2014-01-14.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forde, Cleveland Living people 1985 births Guyanese male middle-distance runners Guyanese male long-distance runners Commonwealth Games competitors for Guyana Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes from Georgetown, Guyana Pan American Games competitors for Guyana Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games South American Games gold medalists for Guyana South American Games silver medalists for Guyana South American Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 2002 South American Games Competitors at the 2006 South American Games Competitors at the 2014 South American Games Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Guyana Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics 21st-century Guyanese sportsmen