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Tuesday 29 March 2005 Trindiad & Tobago - Needing just nine medals to equal its best showing ever at the CARIFTA Junior Track & Field Championships, the hosts of this years games Trinidad & Tobago instead went overboard, with 13 podium finishes on the final day of competition at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago. Jamaica topped the table with 59 medals, but the big story was the home team. Mile honours split Trindiad & Tobago (T&T) took gold in the under-17 women's and men's 4x400m relays. Individual one-lap champion Britney St Louis crossed the line in 3:44.05 after taking over from Sade St Louis, Kelly-Ann Romeo and Cadajah Spencer, with Jamaica (3:46.42) and Bahamas (3:49.39) second and third in the women's race. The individual champion led T&T again in the men's race. Kervin Morgan turned in a fantastic run to finish in 3:15.09, a new Games record by over three seconds. Morgan's team was second when he got the baton, but he gave the crowd of 3000 its money's worth, leaving Jamaica (3:15.39) and Bahamas (3:18.71) trailing. Jamaica came back in the U-20 races. Jamaica took gold in 3:36.91, T&T (3:44.08) silver, and Bahamas (3:45.93) bronze. T&T (3:10.32) would have been disappointed to settle for silver in the men's race, with 400m champion and silver medallist Renny Quow and Jamil James, but Jamaica held on for a 3:09.94 win. Sprint doubles sealed Antigua-Barbuda's Daniel Bailey came into the XXXIV CARIFTA Games with a mission, and he completed it with victory in the U-20 men's 200m dash. World Junior Championships finalist Bailey ran 21.36 seconds to hold off Jamaica's Mekel Downer (21.49) and Trinidad & Tobago's Marcus Duncan (21.64). Similarly, T&T's (and, more specifically, Tobago's) Kelly Ann Baptiste came to do the double. To do so, she had to beat Jamaica's World Youth Champion, Anneisha McLaughlin. But Baptiste (23.25) did just that, just edging the Jamaican (23.28) and leaving Grenada's Sherry Fletcher (24.03) in third. Yohan Blake did the 100-200 double as well, in the U-17 men's division. The Jamaican posted a 22.19-second finish, ahead of T&T's Kervin Morgan. Jamaica's Latoya King (23.68) and T&T's Britney St Louis (23.98) denied Antigua-Barbuda's Anika Jno- Baptiste (24.07) what would have been a second gold medal. Hurdles swept After taking all the intermediate (300m and 400m) Hurdles titles, the Jamaicans added gold medals in all of the sprint Hurdles races as well. They got underway with Natasha Ruddock (13.72), who took a third consecutive U-17 women's 100m hurdles crown, ahead of teammate Shermaine Williams. Keiron Stewart continued the impressive Hurdles trend for the North Caribbean giants, streaking over the sticks in 13.41. In an incredibly tight race, he was trailed by Martinique's Livan Midonet (13.47) and Montano Palicious (13.47) of the Bahamas, in third. World Youth Championship silver medallist Lotoya Greaves successfully defended her U-20 women's 100m Hurdles title, crossing the line in 13.82 seconds. She was followed across by compatriot Kimberly Laing (14.35) and Alexandria Oembler (14.45) who took third for Bahamas. 2004 CARIFTA 400m Hurdles champion Markino Buckley (14.34) made a successful transition to the shorter distance. He captured the U-20 men's 110m Hurdles for Jamaica, into a slight headwind. Barbados' Ryan Brathwaite (14.64) was second, with Martinique's Stevy Telliam (14.74) taking third. Jamaica takes Austin Sealy Award The 800m run produced a meet record, as U-17 men's 1500m champion Theon O'Connor completed a middle distance double for Jamaica. He held onto his two-lap title in 1:53.72, with compatriot Andre Thomas (1:56.63) second. O'Connor was named most outstanding performer and received the Austin Sealy Award. Natoye Goule, O'Connor's fellow countrywoman, also did the middle distance double, as Jamaica again went 1-2 in the 800m run. Goule came across the line in 2:14.16, just holding Teneisha Davis (2:14.44) off by a couple of steps. Barbadian Latoya Smith (2:15.13) was third across the line. The US Virgin Islands took their first gold medal at these Games through Snany Eugene. Eugene (2:12.75) won the U-20 women's race. The Bahamas men, through Ramon Miller (1:54.53) and Codero Charles (1:54.86) also did their part to show that Jamaica does not yet hold exclusive sway in the middle distances. Rounding out track action, Event U-20 men's 1500m champion Andrae Drummonds dominated the men's open 5000m run. The Jamaican ran 16:08.27, well ahead of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States duo of St Lucia's Shawn Adams (16:28.36) and St Vincent & the Grenadines' Junior Ashton (16:38.52). Jumps produce more doubles In the field, Martinique ruled the U-17 women's Triple Jump. Keisha Willix got a just-legal tailwind of 1.9 m/s to record her best effort of 12.29m, whilst Myriam Lixfe (12.25m) had a tailwind of 2.1 m/s, just over the allowable limit. 13-year-old British Virgin Islander Chantel Malone (11.09m) was third. Alain Bailey commanded the senior event with a best effort of just 14.60m, winning for Jamaica. Bailey had just two good jumps, and forewent his last two trials. Barbados' Barry Batson had a consistent series, and was actually not far off the mark at 14.54m, two centimetres ahead of T&T's Dellon Williams. Gerrade Brown (6.64m) added a Long Jump title to the Triple Jump crown he already owns from earlier this weekend in the U-17 division for the Bahamas. Jamaica's Darrell Simpson, who led through the first two rounds of this event, fouled his last two attempts and ended with a 6.59m mark as his best recorded performance. The meet's final vertical jump produced another double winner and a national junior record. Rhonda Watkins added High Jump gold to her Long Jump title, clearing the bar on her last try at 1.82m to set a new mark for T&T. Bermuda's Latroya Darrell (1.74m) and Jamaican Shantel Thompson (1.71m) were second and third. Barbados dominate throws Three more gold medals went to Barbados in the field. Shamaria Davis took the U-17 women's Javelin Throw, with a best effort of 38.19m. Davis' teammate, Deandra Dottin, threw 37.21m to finish ahead of T&T's Lavonne Charles, who threw 35.73m for the bronze medal. Kyann Maynard added another win for Barbados in the U-20 women's event. Maynard flung the spear 45.22m on her last good attempt, after three disappointing efforts, all under 42m. Martinique's Laurence Germany (45.07m) was a close second, with Tracey Morrison (44.08m) third for Bahamas. Another Barbadian, Sheldon Roach, took the U-17 men's Discus Throw. The Shot Put silver medallist, Roach got the platter out to 48.45m to record a convincing 2m win over Richard Ibeh (46.36m) of the Cayman Islands. Ibeh's best throw was on his last attempt, as he literally threw himself into a spot on the podium. The U-20 men's Shot Put produced another CARIFTA record. Gregory Gamyr (18.11m) and David Villeneuve (17.35m) both overthrew the record of 17.33m, established just two years ago by Jamaica's Kimani Kirton. Gamyr and Villeneuve were well ahead of Jamaica's Camoi Hood (17.16m) who had his best effort on his last throw. Jamaicans drop off from 2004 Jamaican's 12 Day 3 victories gave them a total of 59 medals (29 gold, 19 silver, 11 bronze), well short of the CARIFTA-record 79 they took in Bermuda last year. It would have been an even more interesting meet if Grenada had not sustained hurricane damage in late 2004. Despite the blustery, wet atmosphere on much of the opening day, the National Amateur Athletics Association of Trinidad & Tobago will have been very pleased with the show it put on these past three days. The NAAA will have been happier still with the performances of its young charges. T&T commanded a record 36 (13-14-9) medals, with Barbados' strong performances in the field events (6-6-3) pushing them into third place. The Bahamas (5-7-18), Martinique (4-8-3) and Antigua-Barbuda (3-0-1) rounded out the top six participating nations. Terry Finisterre for the IAAF ENDS
