media_artricles :: 2015

T&T manager satisfied with Carifta effort

Trinidad and Tobago manager, Lucretia Warner-Burns is pleased with her team’s 22-medal performance at the 44th Carifta Games, in Basseterre, St Kitts, on the weekend.

“Yes, I’m quite satisfied with the effort,” Warner-Burns told the Express. “My prediction to my technical team...I told them that I predicted 22 medals. Some of my technical team members said to me we should target 30 medals, but I wasn’t too comfortable with that because of our young team. We had two children under the age of 14. With the composition of the team and the strength of the team, I did not foresee us getting more than 22 medals.”

The manager said it was very gratifying to see T&T athletes produce PBs (personal bests) at Carifta 2015.

“There were athletes coming out of the trials that did not make the standard for their events, and the (NAAA) executive took it upon themselves to give them that sort of opportunity. I felt that giving athletes at a tender age the opportunity to come forward on this big stage, they rise to the occasion with competition...I was very pleased with the PBs that we accomplished.”

Warner-Burns was particularly buoyed by the record-breaking performance from 15-year-old throwing phenom Tyriq Horsford. The Tobago teen produced a massive 70.73 metres effort to strike gold in the boys’ under-18 javelin. The monster throw is a Carifta Games record, as well as a T&T under-18 record.

Warner-Burns said that when she saw the spear land beyond the arc that marked the previous Carifta record, 67.67m, she felt compelled to call for the steel tape—used to verify record-breaking distances.

“I had to shout, ‘I need the steel tape’ because at some competitions they forget to bring the steel tape. I shouted out to the officials ‘I need the steel tape, I will not move until I see it.’ They brought the steel tape, and I was pleased to know that he did in fact break the record in the javelin throw.”

There were six T&T gold medallists at Carifta 2015—Horsford, Isaiah Taylor (boys’ under-18 shot put), Portious Warren (girls’ under-20 shot put), Andwuelle Wright (boys’ under-20 long jump), Kayelle Clarke (girls’ under-20 200m) and Akanni Hislop (boys’ under-18 200m).

T&T also earned eight silver medals, as well as eight bronze, and finished fourth on the medal table, behind Jamaica, Bahamas and Barbados.

“Team T&T, you made us proud,” said Warner-Burns. “Despite the challenges we faced on our arrival in St Kitts, we rose to the occasion.”

Last week Thursday, some of the T&T athletes had to wait close to six hours in the Marriott Hotel lobby before being assigned to rooms.

“They always say to every bad beginning there will always be a good ending. I congratulate the team, and also the management team. The medical team did a fantastic job, and the support of the technical team...I want to say at this juncture, thank you, thank you, thank you. And thanks to the media.”

Carifta 2015 Medal Table

Gold Silver Bronze Total
Jamaica 41 25 19 85
Bahamas 8 13 10 31
Barbados 7 4 5 16
T&T 6 8 8 22
Grenada 1 3 4 8
St Kitts & Nevis 1 2 6 9
Suriname 1 1 0 2
Guadeloupe 0 2 3 5
BVI 0 2 1 3
Bermuda 0 1 2 3
Martinique 0 1 2 3
Antigua & Barbuda 0 1 0 1
St Maarten 0 1 0 1
St Vincent 0 1 0 1
St Lucia 0 0 2 2
Anguilla 0 0 1 1
Turks & Caicos 0 0 1 1
Dominica 0 0 1 1
Cayman Islands 0 0 1 1

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