media_artricles :: 2015

Benoit, Clarke hunt gold at Carifta

Omari Benoit leaps into action today with hopes of securing T&T’s first medal of the 44th Carifta Games which opened yesterday with the customary parade of countries at the Silver Jubilee Stadium in Basseterre,St Kitts.

Benoit will compete in the boys’ Under-20 High Jump event starting at 9.10 am. The Tobago Falcons athlete will be looking to improve on his personal best of 2.09 metres he recorded at the Barbados Relay Festival on February 14 bettering his previous pb of 2.06 which he reached in qualifying for the Caribbean’s premier junior track and field championship.

Some 50 minutes later, Kenejah Williams will seek to toss his way to a gold medal in the boys’ Under- 20 shot put event, which he just missed out in last year’s edition held in Martinique, winning silver.

T&T sprinters and hurdlers in both the Under-20 and Under-18 divisions will also take to the track to close off the morning session.

US-based Kayelle Clarke, the defending champion in the girls’ Under-20 200m, arrived Thursday night, from her training base in New Mexico.

The New Mexico Junior College freshman will line up in the girls’ Under-20 100m heats from 10.15 am along with Kadesha Prescott. Xavier Mulugata and Francis Louis will race in the boy’s version of the race.

Akeera Esdelle and 13-year-old Deleth Charles, the youngest member of T&T’s 68-member contingent, will attempt to progress to the final in the girls’ Under-18 100m. For the boys are Akanni Hislop and Tyrell Edwards.

Aaron Lewis and Tauren George will see action in the 400m hurdles semifinals while Kobe John and Cheziah Phillip will run in the boy’s and girls Under-18 divisions, respectively.

The leading athletes from 26 countries across the region will do battle in the Under-18 and U-20 categories over the Easter weekend.

Yesterday, teams had their first practice sessions for the showpiece which organisers expects to attract large crowds, with St kitts hosting Carifta for the second time in seven years.

The hosts will field a 37-member contingent and will be hoping to increase their haul this year, after picking up three medals last year when the meet was staged in the French Caribbean island of Martinique.

As usual, powerhouses Jamaica will be expected to dominate the Games, with their 78-member strong contingent tipped to be the ones to beat yet again.

Their squad will be headlined by the outstanding Jaheel Hyde, the World Junior 400 metres and Youth Olympic Games 110m hurdles champion.

Jamaica won 89 medals last year – 42 gold, 34 silver and 13 bronze – and will be going all out to better that mark. The powerful Jamaicans have won all but five of the meets over the Carifta Games history.

T&T finished second to Jamaica last year with 25 medals.

Barbados, meanwhile, who did well to pick up 16 medals in Martinique, will have a 26-member squad to the Games.

Included is Sada Williams, the reigning girls U-18 400 metres champion; Rivaldo Leacock, who took silver in the boys U-18 400m hurdles and Hayley Matthews, who also claimed silver in the girls U-18 javelin.

The highlight of the Games will come tonight when the marquee 100 metres for both boys and girls are contested.

Tomorrow will be headlined by the sprint relays across all categories, with the 200m finals climaxing the championship on Easter Monday.

Today, however, in the evening session, quartermilers Jamol Pierre and Jesse Fredericks in the boys U-20 category; Jacob St Clair and Judah Taylor (boys U-18); Thyle- Marie Scott (girls U-20); and Renee Stoddard and Anika Wolf (girls U-18).

Ashton Gill and Iley Bruce are in the boy U-20 boys 1,500m final while Akidah Briggs takes part in the girls U-18 javelin event.

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