Marcano, Abraham reign at CariFin aerobics burnout

VETERAN competitor Falomi Marcano of First Citizens successfully defended her title in the popular CariFin Games 2025 at Central Bank Plaza, Port of Spain, recently.

The 7th event in this year's nine-card series saw 120 financial professionals push their physical limits in one of the most anticipated and dramatic competitions of the CariFin calendar.

Marcano notched her second consecutive burnout win and what she estimates to be her fifth to seventh victory overall in the competition. Marcano endured an impressive one hour and seven minutes before being crowned champion, with her First Citizens colleagues erupting in celebration.

In the men's division, Kirk Abraham of Central Bank emerged victorious with a time of one hour, six minutes and 25 seconds, followed by Josiah Riley from the Ministry of Finance in second place with a time of 48 minutes and 35 seconds. Josiah Charles, also from the Ministry of Finance, secured third place with a time of 47 minutes and 28 seconds. Marvin Springer of Scotiabank finished fourth with a time of 47 minutes and 12 seconds, while Matthew Williams of Unit Trust Corporation rounded out the top five with a time of 40 minutes and 28 seconds.

The women's competition was equally fierce, with Adona Francois of Sagicor claiming second place with a time of one hour, five minutes and 59 seconds before receiving a red card and leaving the floor. Esla Anthony secured third place with a time of one hour, three minutes and 38 seconds. Kai Emmanuel of Unit Trust Corporation finished fourth with a time of one hour and 43 seconds, while Chennelle Millette of the Ministry of Finance rounded out the top five with a time of 55 minutes and 54 seconds.

The competition reached its climax when the battle narrowed down to just Marcano and Abraham on the floor, with the instructor pushing both competitors to their limits in a bid to determine the ultimate champion.

"Honestly, the crowd really, really motivated me today," said Marcano in a post-event interview. "Because I knew that my coworkers, colleagues were there and came out and they were cheering me — that gave me the extra 'oomph' to just push forward and try and win this thing."

The victory highlighted Marcano's passion for movement.

"I love aerobics. My passion is movement. I think that's my calling — movement," she saidd. "I would jump to do aerobics right now, even though I have just done aerobics. I would jump to dance. I would just jump to move because I think that movement is life."

For Abraham, the competition marked his first participation in CariFin Games. "Honestly, I don't really train," he revealed. "My thing is just during lunchtime at the bank, I go to the gym, do basic weightlifting and a little cardio."

Abraham credited his colleagues, wife, and children for encouraging him to participate. "A lot of my colleagues were behind me. They noticed that I'm very active and energetic when it comes to sporting events."

The burnout, led by head instructor Thorne Fernandez and his team, combined high-energy moves with strategic point-scoring across multiple categories, including event wins, participation levels, senior personnel involvement, uniformity, team presentation, and team spirit.

With Scotiabank currently holding the 2025 CariFin Champion Trophy, the competition remains fierce with just two events left on the calendar. The current overall standings after six events show Scotiabank leading with 614.17 points, followed by Central Bank (595.40), Ministry of Finance (586.22), Unit Trust Corporation (548.36), First Citizens (524.75), SAGICOR (504.68), and TT Mortgage Bank (446.00).