2006 CARIFTA Games - Guadeloupe (© Organisers)
Jamaican has won the medal race at the CARIFTA Junior Track & Field Championships for 21 years; they are a lock to do so again in 2006. Jamaica added 14 medals on Sunday (16 April) after the second day of competition at the Rene-Serge Nabajoth Stadium in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, taking its tally to 41. The record of 76 medals was set in 2003, but Jamaica took just 59 medals when the Games returned to Trinidad & Tobago. With Barbados, Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago nipping at Jamaica’s heels, can the champions pull it back together on Monday?
Another distance win for Trinidad's Nero
The day after setting a new 1500m record in the under-17 division, Gavyn Nero was back at it on Sunday. Trinidad & Tobago’s teenage sensation, with a run of 8:53.42 in the 3000m, repeated by taking over 17 seconds off the 9:10.97 set by Antigua-Barbuda’s James Baird in 2002. Two thirds of the way to an intended middle distance trifecta, Nero was pushed every step of the way by Jamaica’s Kemoy Campbell, so much so that just a split second separated the two at the finish line. In 9:18.74, Bermuda’s Matthew Spring was a distant third.
Stacy-Ann Bell repeated as girls 3000m run champion, but the Jamaican’s 11:39.95 was more than 90 seconds slower than she ran in Bacolet. The under-20 1500m silver medallist was never challenged, though – the Antigua-Barbuda duo of Kenryca Francis and under-17 1500m bronze medallist Linda Blackett took second and third. Their times of 12:14.68 and 12:20.17 would have been exceedingly uncompetitive just one year ago.
Jamaica dominates over the sticks
Shana-Gaye Tracey was third in last year’s under-17 300m Hurdles final, and Kierre Beckles was a distant seventh, but their growth in the past 12 months was evident as they finished first and second for Jamaica and Barbados respectively. Tracey ran 41.64 to her rival’s 41.76, both well ahead of Krystal Bodie. Bodie’s 42.13 gave her a comfortable third place finish for Bahamas.
In the under-20 400m Hurdles, Sherene Pinnock successful defended her title, running 57.50 to beat Trinidad & Tobago’s Janeil Bellille (59.76) into second place. Having already gone as fast as 57.03 this year, the fastest time in the world by a junior, Sherene is aiming for a sub-56 run this year. Moving up from the under-17 division, where she was a silver medallist in 2005, Natalya Beneby of the Bahamas ran herself into a bronze medal with a 1:00.96 performance.
In the men’s race, Josef Robertson was below his best – he ran a national junior record 50.24 last month in Jamaica, and has designs on this year’s World Junior Championships. But at Les Abymes, all he needed was 52.47 to hold off Bahamian Caryle Thompson and Barbadian Ricardo Todd. Thompson ran 53.37 and Todd posted a finish of 53.41 for the silver and bronze medals.
In relays, Jamaican four-for-four
Saturday, Jamaica swept the 100m titles, and three out of four quarter-mile gold medals. Remaldo Rose returned the 100m title to Jamaica after six years, then he anchored a team that included 200m finalists Yohan Blake and Garfield German, along with lead-off man Winston Barnes, to a 39.81-second finish. Jamaica’s time was a second better than that of Barbados, whose team beat Trinidad & Tobago into third by five hundredths of a second.
Under-20 champion Schillonie Calvert led Samantha Henry, Anastacia Leroy and anchor Naffene Briscoe across the line in 44.91 seconds. Sheniqua Ferguson, the individual silver medallist, led her Bahamas team to a time of 45.27 and silver. Tina Rolle, T'Shonda Webb and Cache Armbrister comprised the remainder of that team. Rounding out the medals, Trinidad & Tobago (45.72) was led by individual bronze medallist Semoy Hackett, along with Jurnelle Francis, 400m Hurdles medallist Janeil Bellille and Reyare Thomas.
The under-17 division saw identical position finishes for the boys and girls. Danielle Jeffrey and Carrie Russel, first and second in the individual 100, ran the second and fourth legs for Jamaica’s girls. Along with Kedesha Simpson and Jura Levy, they sped to a 45.66 win. Sparkyl Cash, Nivea Smith, Carlene Johnson and Printassia Johnson ran 46.17 for Bahamas, just holding off Michelle Lee Ahyee, Cadajah Spencer, Cassie Caprieta and Nyoka Giles in 46.21 for Trinidad & Tobago.
Dexter Lee stopped the clock at 41.39 seconds for Jamaica, after receiving the baton from Ricardo Powell, Ramone McKenzie and Darrion Bent. Jamaica needed every split second, as Aaron Wilmore, Karlton Rolle, Shawn Lockart and Warren Fraser ran 41.62 for Bahamas. Trinidad & Tobago, with Joel Romain, Joel Dillon, Kendal Bacchus and Sherman Allsop, ran 42.22 seconds for the bronze medals.
Jamaica, Bahamas share jumps honours
Four jumps were decided on Sunday. Bermuda’s LaTroya Darrell improved her best mark to 12.44m in the Triple Jump, but repeated as silver medallist in the event. Everyone was playing catch-up to Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams, who put in a winning mark of 12.94m on her opening trial. Lorrie Harmony’s 12.39m was close to sewing up the silver medal for Guadeloupe until Darrell’s performance in the next-to-last round.
Just as they had on Saturday, Bahamas had a triumphant moment in the jumps, this time in the boys under-17 Triple Jump. Gerard Brown repeated as champion, his best attempt, 14.71m, followed by a foul on his final trial. Compatriot August Campbell opened by hopping, stepping and jumping his way to 13.90m, but he was unable to provide his teammate with a stiff challenge. On his last trial, Jamaica’s Shayon Daniels set a mark of 13.83m for bronze.
Misha Gaye DaCosta cleared 1.75m for gold in the under-17 girls High Jump. The Jamaican teenager outlasted Guadeloupe’s Georgia Bordy and Trinidad & Tobago’s Dandra Daniel. Bordy and Daniel each cleared 1.68m for second and third respectively.
Only two athletes were able to negotiate the opening height in the boys open Pole Vault. Jamaica’s Lorenzo Johnson eventually won the event with a best height of 3.80m, clearing on his second attempt. He overcame Trinidad & Tobago’s Kriston Caraballo, who took 3.70m for the silver medal.
Modest performances in the Throws
Trinidad & Tobago's Annie Alexander repeated as under-20 Shot Put champion, though with a mere 14.88m – she will probably need to add at least a metre to better her 10th place finish from the 10th IAAF World Junior Championships. But her personal record is 15.74, so that is entirely possible. Martinique's Myriam Lixfe, last year's under-17 champion, added two metres to her 2005 winning throw. Her 14.43m throw came on her last trial, and she was comfortably ahead of Stella Virolan, whose 13.89m was good enough for bronze.
An event that has never been especially strong, the girls under-17 Discus Throw, saw Barbados’ Akilah Martin winning with 34.02m on her opening throw. Collecting the silver medal for the Cayman Islands with a best throw of 32.69m on her last trial after sitting in second place for most of the competition was Alexandra Terry. Third with a mere 31.90m was Trinidad & Tobago’s Akeela Bravo. Surprisingly, the French Caribbean did not figure.
The quality of the boys under-17 Javelin Throw was much greater this year than the last. Ramon Burgess of Barbados repeated, with a best throw of 57.97m, but the six-footer’s personal record of 63.34m would have smashed the 59.38m CARIFTA mark. Trinidad & Tobago's Jerren Franklyn threw 52.62m for second. Through the first five rounds, August Campbell was no better than fifth, but his final throw of 52.19m put him in medal position, as he took bronze for Bahamas.
In the senior division, Guadeloupe’s Jonathan Dennis launched the spear 56.61m for gold. The young Frenchman led the event from his first throw, 56.16m, with Trinidad & Tobago’s Kerron Brown seemingly in medal position as well. But in the third round, Rohan Gill threw 55.31m to stake a claim on the silver medal for Barbados. Grenada’s Kenton Olive, with a best effort of 54.19m in the penultimate round, captured the bronze.
Combined events tradition upheld for Spice Isle
Grenada’s Joel Phillip showed that he is truly ready to carry on from Alleyne Lett and Keron Francis in the boys Heptathlon. Capping off the opening day with a strong performance in the 200m dash, the defending champion held a small lead over Trinidad & Tobago’s Kerron Brown, in spite of Brown’s 57.29 in Javelin Throw. But a winning height of 2.04m in High Jump saw Phillip out to a 451-point advantage. Brown made up ground again in Discus Throw, with a best effort of 44.35m, but Phillip consolidated his win, 5074 to 4432, by winning the 1500m run. Taking third place for Grenada was Kurt Felix, with a score of 4311.
The girls Pentathlon was a straight contest between a pair of Bahamians, Shannise Wright and Andrea Moss, with Venice Fredericks winning just one event, the 800m run, and failing to split the northern Caribbean duo prior to that. She ended with 2700 points. The gold and silver medals came all the way down to the final event, however. Wright scored 3326, Moss tallied 3206, with each winning two of the first four events. Wright, going into the 800 with a 39-point lead, won by some seven seconds, but had Moss won, positions could have been reversed.
Terry Finisterre for the IAAF
