Team Trinidad and Tobago end Carifta Games with 23 medals

TRINIDAD and Tobago capped off another successful Carifta Games campaign by capturing eight medals on the final day, at the National Stadium, in Jamaica on Monday.

TT added six silver and two bronze to their overall medal tally and concluded the track and field meet with 23 medals (two gold, 11 silvers and 10 bronze) altogether.

In the feature race, TT battled to silver in a tough boys’ 17-19 4x400m relay. Like the majority of events prior, Jamaica took pole position in 3:08.94 while Barbados finished third in 3:10.71.

Kenika Cassar, however, captured TT’s first medal on the third day as she snagged silver in the girls’ Under-17 javelin throw.

Cassar launched the spear 42.86 metres on her second attempt and finished behind Bahamian winner Dior-Rae Scott (44.57m) and ahead of Grenadian bronze medallist Suerena Alexander (42.57m).

Another TT field athlete Adriana Quamina snagged bronze in the girls’ U17 discus. She threw the disc 35.23m on her sixth and final attempt. Jamaica’s Dionjah Shaw (45.32m) won gold with a new Carifta U17 record while compatriot Rehanna Biggs (42.41m) secured silver.

Keeran Sriskandarajah, who won gold in the boys’ U17 1500m on Friday, completed the 800m in silver medal position. He clocked 1:58.45 behind winner Ainsley Brown (Jamaica/1:58.08) and ahead of third placed Rasheed Pryce (Jamaica/1:58.51).

Nathan Cumberbatch also bagged silver in the boys’ 17-19 800m. He finished in 1:51.86 while Jamaica’s J’Voughnn Blake was crowned champion in 1:49.89 and his country Adrian Nethersole got bronze in 1:51.96.

Another silver came from Shaniqua Bascombe (24.18s) in the girls’ 17-19 200m. She was beaten by Jamaican Brianna Lyston (23.16s) while Lyston’s compatriot Kaylia Kelly (24.18s) was third. TT’s Kyah La Fortune (25.34s) placed seventh.

TT also put on a brazen performance in the boys U17 4x400m final as they held out to grab silver behind Jamaica in a tightly contested race. TT stopped the clock at 3:18.89 while the in-form Jamaicans crossed the line in 3:17.85.

Before their performance in the final, the TT quartet re-enacted the late Deon Lendore’s trademark bow and arrow move in remembrance of the quarter-miler, who died in an accident in Texas on January 10.

In the girls’ equivalent, TT did not start.

And in the boys’ 17-19 5000m, Tafari Waldron earned the bronze medal. He completed the 12.5-lap event in 16.35.73. Bahamian Curtis Mitchell (16:07.57) won gold while Jamaica’s Nicholas Power (16:08.93) took silver.

Meanwhile, TT’s Keone John (14.64s) and Brian Morris (14.89s) placed sixth and eighth respectively in the boys’ 17-19 110m hurdles. Topping the field here was Curacao’s Matthew Sophhia (13.74s), Jamaica’s Demario Prince (13.88s) and Bahamas’ Antoine Andrews (13.91s) in that order.

Additionally, Shakeem Mc Kay (21.79s) was fourth in the boys’ 17-19 200m while Kaiyin Morris (22.31s) and Daeshaun Cole (22.54s) were fourth and seventh respectively in the boys’ U17 200m.

Alexxe Henry (25.62s) was sixth in the girls’ U17 200m, Kayleigh Forde (2:23.83) was eighth in the girls U17 800m.