HAMILTON – Pius Emilien emerged the unlikely saviour, winning Barbados’ lone medal on the first day of the 2012 LIME CARIFTA Games at the National Sports Centre yesterday.
In a desperate dip at the line, Emilien edged teammate Raheem Skinner to take the bronze in the Under-17 Boys’ 1 500 metres in 4 minutes, 23.73 seconds.
Emilien had been slightly off pace all season in trying to qualify but he ran a smart race by staying with the lead pack, while Skinner was further in the back.
Jamaicans Webston Pennant (4:18.92) and Orville Dixon (4:20.38) were in a race with themselves for the top.
Over the final 80 metres Skinner began to challenge for the bronze but left it a bit too late, finishing in 4:23.80. He collapsed at the line and had to be taken off.
A gold medal was there for the taking and all of the Barbadians were on their feet at the start of the Under-17 Boys’ 100 metres final.
Barbados’ Mario Burke and Michael O’Hara of Jamaica both advanced to the finals of their respective semis with the same 10.70 seconds [a personal best for the former] so the stage had already been set for a highly anticipated showdown.
Burke was leading but when he felt Bahamian Cliff Resias draw up on his left, he completely lost form more than 20 metres from the finish and began leaning. He was fourth overall in 10.71 seconds, out-leaned by Resias (10.67), O’Hara (10.68) and Trinidadian Nicholas Douglas in 10.71 – all with a wind factor of 3.6.
Shauna Helps of Jamaica won the Under-17 Girls’ race in 11.66 seconds (4.6 wind), followed by Nelda Huggins of The British Virgin Islands and Saqukine Cameron of Jamaica in 11.77 and 11.90, respectively.
The Bahamian medal haul continued with defending champion and Austin Sealy Award winner Anthonique Strachan stopping the clock in 11.22 seconds (4.4) in the Under-20 Girls’ race.
Compatriot Carmeisha Cox was second in 11.54 and 11.71 gave Jamaican Monique Spencer the bronze medal.
Chants of “false start”, “false start” rang across the stadium at the end of the Under-20 Boys’ race where Barbadian Deon Hope pulled up and hopped across the line in 11.57.
Jonathan Ferguson of The Bahamas was disqualified with a false start, but Jamaica’s Jevaughn Minzie got what can only be generously called a flyer. He was way ahead of the gun and almost ran away with it before defending champion and teammate Jazeel Murphy chased him down to win in a wind-aided 10.31 seconds (wind 5.7) .
Minzie was second in 10.33 and Shane Jones of The Bahamas third in 10.41. A protest was lodged by The Bahamas and Anguilla.
In earlier events, Sonia Gaskin was unable to carry her form from Inter-School Sports into a medal here, finishing fifth in the Under-20 Girls’ 1 500 metres in 4:58.42, eight seconds slower than at home.
Gold went to Jamaica’s Simoya Campbell in 4:49.56 and Guadeloupe’s Magalie Penelope (4:53.13) out-leaned Bermuda’s Taylor-Ashley Bean (4:53.14) to take the silver.
Orane Wint of Jamaica won the Under-20 Boys’ race in 4:06.05, but it was St Lucia’s Edgar Marbeq who stole everyone’s hearts, chasing him down to take silver in 4:06.34. Trinidadian Mark London was third in 4:09.64 with a late run.
Chantai Smith of Jamaica pulled away from Bermuda’s Faheemah Scraders over the last 150 metres to take the Under-17 Girls’ mile in 4:51.36. Scraders gave the hosts their first medal of the games as she was second in 4:55.46.
Tia-Adana Belle was fourth in 59.93 and Tiana Bowen sixth in 61.24 in the Under-17 Girls’ 400m that was won by Yanique McNeil of Jamaica in 55.82 seconds.
Ramarco Thompson was fifth among the Under-17 Boys in 51 seconds. Had he been able to duplicate his 49.72, he would have taken gold, as Bahamian Jeneko Cartwright was first in 50.04. Ariko Small was seventh in 52 seconds.
Debutante Ariel Jackson was fifth in 59.30 seconds. Like Belle, she left her best of 55.30 at home and that would have been a silver medal. Bahamian Rashan Brown won gold in 54.92, 55.35 gave Jamaica’s Olivia James silver, and teammate Genekee Leith took bronze in 56.08.
Bahamas took their third quarter-mile gold through O’Jay Ferguson, who won the senior boys’ race in 47.32. Barbadian Nikolai Gall was seventh in 50.92.
In the field, BVI’s Tynelle Gumbs won the Under-17 javelin with 41.46 metres and Bahamian Racquel Williams the Under-20 Girls’ shot put with a best of 13.08 metres.
