media_artricles :: 2017

Joseph, Fox stand out at Juvenile Champs

Darius Joseph (Eastonians) and Natasha Fox (Pt Fortin New Jets) were the stand-out performers at the 2017 NGC/NAAATT National Juvenile Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on the weekend.

Both won three gold and one silver medal each. Joseph copped the Boy's Under-14 80m hurdles, 300m hurdles and 100m titles and was second in the shot-put. The lanky sprinter dominated the hurdles races setting new championship records in the heats and finals and also improving on the silver medals he won last year.

In the 80m hurdles on Saturday he clocked 12.92 seconds to top the heats, breaking the 12.99 record set by Brian Morris last year. He was even faster in the finals, stopping the clock at 12.74.

In the 300m hurdles prelims he crossed the line in 44.74, erasing Morris' 45.31 from the record and was quicker in the finals taking the gold in 43.90. His performance in the heats was impressive as the race was run using eight flights of hurdles instead of seven. He ended the first day with two gold medals as he took the 100m crown in 12.2 seconds. In the shot-put on day two, he secured silver with a distance of 10.67 and missed more medals as he was fourth in the 200m and long jump and seventh in the javelin.

Fox secured the Girl's U-14 300m hurdles (47.24), the 200m (26.14) and 400m (1:00.55) and came close to a fourth gold in the 60m hurdles taking silver (10.68). In the 60m hurdles the winner, Kayla Caesar of Memphis Pioneers, took the gold.

Fox retained the 400m crown and improved on her fourth place finish in the 60m hurdles last year.

Cougars Athletic Club took the overall title. The green and black clad youngsters emerged as the top club for the seventh consecutive year amassing 367 points to finish first on the points table. Cougars also finished at the helm of the medal tally with 27 medals with 13 gold, eight silver and six bronze.

The Kelvin-Nancoo and Abeyola Akowe coached team was the best of some 40 clubs which competed with a dominating performance. The winners collected ten more gold medals than the second place Memphis Pioneers 21 (3/10/8). The battle for third was won by Simplex 10 (3/4/3) narrowly ahead of Abilene Wildcats 9 (3/4/ 2), Toco TAFAC 9 (3/ 3/ 3), Point Fortin New Jets 7 (3/ /3/1), Zenith 10 (3/2/5) and Eastonians 4 (3/1/0).

Leading the way for Cougars were Isaiah Germon and Janika Jordan, who won the two gold medals and one bronze each. Germon claimed the Boy's Under-14 shot-put crown for the second year with a distance of 11.49 metres and then added the discus title (22.93). He missed on third gold when he had to settle for third in the javelin (27.17). ?

Jordan landed the Girl's U-12 60m (10.63) and 150m (19.96) honours in championship record times and took third in the 400m (1:07.71). Octavia Cambridge won the Girl's U-14 1,000m and took silver in the 800m. Clinton Lewis retained the Boy's U-10 ball throw crown. Aaliyah Adams (Girl's U-14 shot-put), Kareem Sanchez (Boy's U-12 long jump) and Antonia Burton (Girl's U-12 800m) were the individual winners for the champions.

Cougars showed their class in the relays capturing four of the five titles. They swept the mixed sprint relays winning the U-10 4x50m (28.94), U-12 4x100m (52.20) and U-14 (49.19) and the Boy's U-14 sprint medley (1x2x3x4) in 2:16.71. The Girl's U-14 sprint medley team dropped the baton at the second exchange and finished in fifth behind winners Simplex (2:31.37).

Runners-up Memphis Pioneers secured three titles courtesy Caesar, Cyril Sumner (Boy's U-14 400m) and Janae Murray Girl's U-14 long jump. In the relays, Memphis Pioneers were second in the mixed U-10 4x50m, U-14 4x400m, Girl's U-14 sprint medley and third in the mixed U-12 4x100m and Boy's U-14 sprint medley. Jernisa Kadoo (Girl's U-14 100m), Nikita Gosine (Girl's U-10 ball throw) and the Girl's U-14 sprint medley earned gold for third placed Simplex.

Jabari Branche (Boy's U-12 150m), Amaya Mitchell (Girl's U-12 400m) and Faith Adonis (Girl's U-14 javelin) were winners for Abilene Wildcats. Branche led an Abilene Wildcats sweep as Enoch Joseph and Giovanni Bobb-Semple were second and third respectively. For Toco TAFAC Patrice Williams (Girl's U-12 ball throw), Joshua Gonzales (Boy's U-12 ball throw) and Tyler Shears (Girl's U-14 high jump) were winners.

Cahsani Mark (Boy's U-14 javelin), Ce'Lese Adams (Girl's U-14 discus) and Janae De Gannes (Girl's U-12 long jump) also copped titles for Zenith while Kaii Williams (Boy's U-10 60m) and Nathaniel Charles (Boy's U-10 80m) sped to gold for Tobago Jaguars.

Kyle Williams (Boy's U-12 60m/400m) was a double champion for Burnley while Ben Bannister (Boy's U-12 800m) and Teheliah Francois (Girl's U-10 long jump) produced gold for Mason Hall Police Youth club. Girl's U-10 60m and 80m champion Jenna-Marie Thomas copped the two golds for her club IG Fastlane. Joshua Mascall (Boy's U-14 800m and long jump) put his Fyzabad Athletic Stars on the gold medal table.

Other gold medals at the meet were: Tyrique Vincent of ZC Athletics in the boys U-10 long jump, Giana Paul of D'Abadie Progressive (Girl's U-12 high jump), Christiemarie Maharaj (Girl's U-14 800m), Aaron Antoine of Neon Wolves (Boy's U-14 high jump), Jaidi James of Tobago Falcons (Boy's U-12 high jump) and Jesaiah Greenidge of Concorde (Boy's U-14 200m).

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