media_artricles :: 2018

T&T finishes 3rd at Carifta Games

Boldon’s sprinter Williams wins Austin Sealy Award

T&T hauled in its largest number of medals on the final day of the 47th Carifta Games in Nassau, Bahamas, claiming seven on Monday to tally 17 overall, four gold, six silver and seven bronze, to finish third on the medal table. Jamaica topped with 82 (44 gold/27 silver/11 bronze) and Bahamas was second with 35 (six gold/14 silver/15 bronze).

A noticeable drop from last year when the national youth track and field team picked up 22 (seven gold, five silver and 10 bronze) in Willemstad, Curacao. Then athletes battled in the Under-18 and U-20 age-groups as they had over the past four years. For this edition, the organisers reverted to the U-17 category.

It was in the U-20 division though, that T&T got its final two medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Local quartet Justen O'Brien, Che Lara, Jabari Fox and Onal Mitchelll, running that order, bagged bronze in a time of three minutes and 11.30 seconds, to finish behind the Jamaican team of Malik James-King, Dashawn Morris, Antonio Watson and Christopher Taylor, who won gold in 3:06.62 and silver-medallist Barbados (Antoni Hoyte-Small, Rasheeme Griffith, Tafari Bishop, Jonathan Jones) in 3:08.31.

The local team's success followed that of the national foursome of Shaniqua Bascombe, Rae-Anne Serville, Malika Coutain and Natasha Fox, who also won a bronze medal in 3:49.64. Winning was Jamaica's Onieka Macanuff, Garriel White, Calisha Taylor and Daniella Deer in 3:38.39. Jasmine Knowles, Angel Pratt, Ebony Kelly and Megan Moss of the host country placed second (3:48.03).

T&T also had a team (Malachi Haywood, Shakeem McKay, Jordan Pope, Saeed Pompey) in the boys U-17 4x400m relay, but they were disqualified after violating rule 170.7 (Began running before acceleration zone at change). One thing for certain coming out of the three days of action in the meet which features the best track and field athletes in the region, is that T&T is fast becoming a javelin throwing nation, with three of its four gold medals emerging from the discipline.

Veayon Joseph ignited the throwers, winning T&T's first medal of the Games. His best toss measured 55.92m to dominate the boys U-17 division.

Tyriq Horsford followed up on the second day, late Saturday, with a 68.15m-throw to seal his fourth straight gold medal in the javelin and first in the U-20 category. Horsford had won the title in the U-18 category at the previous three Carifta competitions.

Talena Murray matched the boys to perfection and mounted the top of the podium as well with her winning throw reaching 45.54m in the girls U-20 division on the final day.

Two-time Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott, will certainly be proud of the trio. He too, a former Carifta javelin champion, winning in 2009 in the U-17 age-group then followed up with victories in the U-20 (2010-2012).

T&T's fourth golden moment was delayed as it was only after Saturday's record-breaking gold medallist Kyle Gale was disqualified for a line infringement, that silver-medallist Avindale Smith was upgraded to gold in the boys U-17 400m. He clocked 47.54.

Winning silver in the T&T team were Safiya John (Girls Heptathlon), Franklyn Stanisclaus (Boys Octathlon), Savion Joseph (Boys Long Jump U-17), Bascombe (Girls 200m U-17), Konnel Jacob (Boys shot put U-20) and the U-20 4x100m relay team of Ako Hislop, Onil Mitchell, Timothy Frederick and Tyrell Edwards.

The other bronze medallists were junior "Sportswoman of the Year" Ianna Roach (Girls shot put U-20), Akilah Lewis (Girls 100m U-20), Patrice Richards (Girls 400m Hurdles U-17), Joel Andrews (Boys Octathlon) and Kymoi Noray (Girls Javelin U-20).

Jamaican Briana Williams left an indelible mark on the 47th Games as she stormed to a third gold medal to capture the treasured Austin Sealy Award for the Most Outstanding Athlete, headlining Jamaica's dominance on the final day of the region's premier junior track and field meet here Monday.

To close-off the annual Easter weekend meet, the Austin Sealy Award for the Most Outstanding Athlete, was presented to US-based Jamaican Briana Williams.

Williams, who is coached by T&T's Ato Boldon, won three gold medals in the girls U-17 division. She clocked a new Carifta Games record of 11.27 in 100m on Saturday, then was the lead-off runner of Jamaica's sprint relay team that won in a new record of 44.95, the following day and on Monday, completed the sprint double by speeding to victory in the 200m in 23.11.

T&T MEDALS

Gold
Boys 400m U-17: Avindale Smith (47.54)
Boys Javelin U-17: Veayon Joseph (55.92m)
Boys Javelin U- 20: Tyriq Horsford (68.15m)
Girls Javelin U-20: Talena Murray (45.54m)
Silver
Girls Heptathlon: Safiya John (4,364)
Boys Octathlon: Franklyn Stanisclaus (5,039)
Boys Long Jump U-17: Savion Joseph (6.89m)
Girls 200m U-17: Shaniqua Bascombe (23.75)
Boys shot put U-20: Konnel Jacob (17.27m)
Boys 4x100m relay U-20: Ako Hislop, Onil Mitchell, Timothy Frederick, Tyrell Edwards (40.29)
Bronze
Girls 100m U-20: Akilah Lewis (11.51)
Girls shot put U-20: Ianna Roach (12.91m)
Girls 400m Hurdles U-17: Patrice Richards (1:02.56)
Boys Octathlon: Joel Andrews (5,028)
Girls Javelin U-20: Kymoi Noray (41.80m)
Boys 4x400m relay U-20: Justen O'Brien, Che Lara, Jabari Fox, Onal Mitchel (3:11.30)
Girls 4x400m relay U-17: Shaniqua Bascombe, Rae-Anne Serville, Malika Coutain, Natasha Fox (3:49.64)
Medal Table
Place Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Jamaica 44 27 11 82
2 Bahamas 6 14 15 35
3 T&T 4 6 7 17
4 Barbados 3 5 5 13
5 St Vincent 2 0 0 2
6 Curacao 1 3 3 7
8 Cayman Is 1 3 1 5
9 Guyana 1 1 7 9
10 Turks/Caicos 1 1 2 4

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