media_artricles :: 2017

Horsford, St Fort lead day 2 Carifta qualifiers

Reigning Under-18 javelin champion Tyriq Horsford yesterday booked his spot to the Carifta Games carded for Curacao over the Easter weekend (April 15-17), joining defending Girls 100m winner, Khalifa St Fort.

Both Horsford and St Fort, who won gold medals in those events at 45th edition of the youth meet held in Grenada, last year, put on some dominating performances at the National Gas Company-sponsored Carifta Trials held over the weekend at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

Yesterday, Horsford of Zenith surpassed the Carifta standard of 59.00 metres on each of his legal attempts in the Boys Under-18 javelin event, measuring 67.90m in the first throw, 67.44m in his third attempt, his best of 70.94 in the fifth toss and 63.05 in his final effort. The other attempts he fouled. St Fort returned to the track in the Girls U-20 200m, already setting the stage as to what to expect in the city of Willemstad, where the track and field Athletics championship which was created in 1972 by Austin Sealy (Barbados), will be held.

St Fort, who on day one retained the Girls U-20 100m title with a comfortable 11.30-second victory in her season debut, breezed to the line in 23.64 in the 200m, surpassing the 24.00 standard. Similarly in the 100m dash, the World Junior 100m bronze medallist, was again the lone sprinter to meet the standard as she did in the 100m (standard 11.80), the day before.

Other former Carifta medallists in Adell Coltrust, Che Lara, Vandell Joseph and Anya Akili also booked their spot for the annual athletics competition.

Coltrust, who won bronze in Boys U-18 100m last year, clocked 21.69 to finish second to be among an Abilene trio that made the qualifying standard. Winning was Avindale Smith in 21.24 and third was Che Lara in 21.88. Lara had won bronze with the U-18 4x400m team in Grenada.

Joseph is another former bronze medallist in the U-18 javelin, which he bagged in 2015. Yesterday, the Zenith athlete finished runner-up in the Boys U-20 category with a best effort of 57.96m. Taking the top spot was his teammate Odell Joefield with 58.32m to both meet the qualifying standard of 57.00m.

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