Gilkes would have been a medal favorite in the 200 m (which Don Quarrie won) at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, but Guyana joined the African boycott over New Zealand's rugby team's tour of apartheid South Africa.

He applied to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for permission to run as an individual under their flag but was denied the request.

[5] He enjoyed success for both colleges at the NCAA (USA Collegiate) championships, including a win at 220 yards in 1974:[6][7] Gilkes joined Fisk University when it started a student transfer program with his native country of Guyana in 1972.

[10] Gilkes was ranked in the top ten 100 and 200 m sprinters in the world from 1974 to 1979, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.

Gilkes when in the United States was eligible at that time to compete in the USA National Track and Field Championships.