Chat-bout.net - Jamaica again! - Ja bag 66 medals in CARIFTA Games

Jamaica again! - Ja bag 66 medals in CARIFTA Games

Jamaica rolled to yet another regional junior track and field championships last night as they topped the medals tables at the 40th Lime CARIFTA Games that came to an end at the Montego Bay Sports Complex last night.

Despite winning only 66 medals, Jamaica dominated the final session in front of a sold-out grandstand on a day that was overcast and cool, in contrast to the brilliant sun and heat of the previous two days.

Jamaica's head coach Leacroft Bolt said the team had performed above expectations and said he was pleased by how the youngsters acquitted themselves.

"There were no disappointments this week," he said. "Given the time we had to work with, we did very well."

Bolt singled out newcomer Jevaughn Minzie who he said volunteered to run the 4x400m an hour after the 200m final as well as Gleneve Grange, who he said took a "calculated gamble" with her taking part in four events including the Pentathlon.

The home team ended the three-day event on a high, winning three of the four 4x400m relays with only the Under-20 boys, who finished third, failing to get the gold.

The Under-20 girls quartet smashed the meet record with a time of three minutes 31.47 seconds, under the previous three minutes 31.90 seconds held by Jamaica since 2006.

The team of 400m winner Olivia James, who led off with 51.54 seconds, Jeneve Russell (53.60), 800m winner Semoya Campbell (53.35), and Chris-Ann Gordon (52.75) beat Trinidad and The Bahamas.

The Under-17 girls team of Kissi-Ann Brown (53.53), Yanique McNeil (53.75), Kimone Green (57.40), and Peta-Gay Williams (56.39) ran three minutes 41.33 seconds as Barbados and The Bahamas took the other medals.

The boys Under-17 team of Kadeesh Willis (47.64), Minzie (48.51), Keneil Harrison (48.38) and Rohan Walker (50.34) ran three minutes 15.14 seconds to finish ahead of Trinidad and The Bahamas.

Jamaica got off to a fast start on yesterday's final day, winning six medals in the morning session, including three gold medals and a National Junior Record in the Under-20 boys' shot put.

Ashinia Miller highlighted the early session with a Jamaica National Junior Record of 19.47m on his way to winning the Under-20 shot put.

His effort surpassed the event record of 18.67m set last year by Trinidad's Quincy Wilson when he took the silver and broke the Jamaican NJR 19.19m that he set in February.

The Boys Champs Class One gold medallist told the Observer the new mark was a result of the new technique he had adopted this season, the spin that replaced the glide technique he used last year.

Traves Smikle, the discus gold medallist was second in a personal best 18.58m, while Trinidad's Akeem Stewart finished third with 16.86m.

Led by Stefan Fennell's gold in the Boys' Under-20 110m hurdles, Jamaica won three of the four sprint hurdles as Yanique Thompson took the Girls Under-17 and Chrisdale McCarthy the Girls Under-20.

Fennell, a World Junior and Youth Olympics representative last year, won in 13.79 seconds with teammate Omar McLeod third in 14.10 seconds, sandwiching Barbados' Tryrell Forde (13.89 seconds).

Thompson, who won gold on the girls Under-17 4x100m relay team on Sunday, won the Under-17 100m hurdles in 13.76 seconds as teammate Peta-Gay Williams took third in 14.01 seconds behind Barbados' Shakera Hall (13.82 seconds).

Chrisdale McCarthy held off two Barbadians to win the Under-20 girls 100m hurdles in 13.97 seconds as early leader Megan Simmonds, a medallist in the Under-17 last year, fell at the seventh hurdle.

New Jersey based Khari Bowen introduced himself to the Jamaican track public with a brilliant run in the Under-20 5,000m, winning by a wide margin in 15 minutes 07.58 seconds in his third time running on the island.

Orane Wint was third in 15 minutes 35.47 seconds behind Barbados' Mathew Wright who clocked 15 minutes 29.59 seconds.

Barbados won three of the 800m gold medals as red-hot favourite Jerrad Mason lowered the Boys Under-17 event record to a fine one minute 51.79 seconds from one minute 53.72 seconds set in 2005 by Jamaica's Theon O'Conner.

Silver medallist Ashley Riley of The Bahamas was also under the old mark with one minute 53.57 seconds, while Jamaica's Kevon Robinson stole the bronze with one minute 54.55 seconds after another Barbadian John Haynes and the Cayman Islands' Jorel Belafonte got tangled up about 10 metres from the line and fell onto the in field.

Belafonte, who attends school in Jamaica, then angrily approached the Bajan afterwards and had to be led away.

Cindy Forde ran a well-timed race to pass Jamaica's Alethia McLaughlin about 10 meteres from the finish line to win in two minutes 14.66 seconds, while McLaughlin finished in two minutes 14.75 seconds with her teammate Lisa Buchanan the winner of the 1500m on Saturday, getting third in two minutes 17.09 seconds.

Antonio Mascoll won the Boys' Under-20 race in one minute 50.21 seconds, while Jamaica's Simoya Campbell, running in her first international competition, took the girls' Under-20 title in two minutes 08.77 seconds.

Jamaica won two medals in the girls Under-20 200m, behind winner and favourite Athonique Strachan of The Bahamas in 23.17 seconds after equalling the record (22.93 seconds) on Sunday with Shericka Jackson taking the silver in 23.48 seconds and Celia Walters taking the bronze in 24.26 seconds.

Odail Todd was third in a close boys Under-20 in 21.35 seconds behind the Turks and Caicos' Delano Williams- 21.04 (1.1m/s wind) and Trinidad's Moriba Morain running in lane eight getting the silver in 21.05 seconds.

There were two silver medals in the Under-17 200m finals when it appeared Jamaica would get at least one win. Jevaughn Minzie led with about 20 metres to go when he turned to his right, allowing Machel Cedenio of Trinidad to get to the line ahead of him in 21.49 seconds to 21.60 seconds.

Jonielle Smith, a gold medallist in the 4x100m relay on Sunday was also second in the girls Under-17 in 24.14 seconds behind The Bahamas' Carmiesha Cox in a fine 23.96 seconds.

Gleneve Grange ended her long weekend's work by winning her third gold and fourth medal overall when she won the Under-17 discus with a best throw of 40.98m with teammate Paul Ann Gayle taking the silver with 38.88m, while Trinidad's Marielle Pierre won the bronze with 34.57m.

Kellion Knibb won her third silver medal of the championships when she took second place in the Under-20 Javelin throw when she recorded 45.38m from just two legal throws to place behind French Guyana's Alexie Alais (47.24m) with Martinique's Myriam Sacama-Isidore third (42.15).

Knibb had also won silver medals in the shot put and discus events earlier.

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