By Neto Baptiste
Carifta first-timer, Gerilin Barnes, will never forget her first time competing at the regional youth games after the Princess Margaret School (PMS) student captured gold in the girls’ under-17 long jump on Sunday at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas.
Barnes covered a distance of 5.60 meters to out jump Jamaica’s Sashana Johnson who won silver with a leap of 5.57 meters and Guadeloupe’s Hilaire Oceane Saint who finished third with a distance of 5.54 meters.
There was success for Maliek Francis as well when he captured silver in the boys’ under-17 javelin competition with a throw covering a distance of 50.45 meters. The Antigua Grammar School student was bettered only by Dominica’s Addison Alickson James with a throw of 60.16 meters.
Guadeloupe’s Tristan Carias was third with a distance of 49.48 meters.
Also, Naomi McDonald came close to a third place finish when registering a throw of 13.06 meters to finish fourth in the girls’ under-17 shot-put event on Saturday.
Jamaica’s Dionjah Shaw was first with a throw of 14.48 meters with T&T’s Peyton Winter second with 13.66 meters. Bahamas’ Terrell McCoy was third with 13.31 meters.
McDonald, who attends Jennings Secondary School, was competing at her first Carifta Games.
Meanwhile, there were creditable performances by several of Antigua and Barbuda’s athletes across a number of finals on Saturday.
Competing in the 100 meters boys’ under-17 final, Kasiya Daley clocked 10.94 seconds to finish fourth, missing the silver medal by just .20 parts of a second. Cleon Joseph finished sixth in 11.00 seconds.
There was a fourth place finish as well for Ajarni Daley in the 100 meters boys’ under-20 final. Daley clocked 10.52 seconds in the race that was dominated by Devonte Howell of the Cayman Islands in a time of 10.30 seconds.
In the girls’ 100 meters under-20 final, Geolyna Dowdye registered a time of 11.88 seconds to finish fourth. Antigua and Barbuda’s LaNica Locker finished seventh in a time of 11.97 seconds.
Meanwhile, Alyssa Dyett leaped a distance of 11.29 meters to finish seventh in the girls’ under-20 triple jump.
Cleon Joseph was slated to compete in the under-17 boys’ 200 meters final on Monday evening while LaNica Locker and Geolyna Dowdye were slated to compete in the girls’ under-20 final also in the 200 meters.
