NASSAU – World junior champion Fedrick Dacres of Jamaica dismissed the competition to predictably win the senior boys’ discus as the CARIFTA Games got underway yesterday morning at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Dacres, who was also a world youth champion, threw 61.27 metres, but did not trouble the record of 63.11 metres set by compatriot Chad Wright three years ago.
Teammate Chadrick Dacosta took silver with 55.61m and bronze went to Eldred Henry of the British Virgin Islands with 52.06m.
Barbadian Tristan Whitehall, who threw 53.08 metres to qualify, did not get close to that mark, fouling several throws before finishing sixth with 47.20 metres.
Jamaica also copped first and third in the Under-17 girls’ high jump. With a clearance of 1.68 metres, Britny Kerr took gold from Bermuda’s Sakari Famous (1.65), while Shiann Salmon won bronze with 1.60m.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Chelsea James not only won back-to-back gold medals in the Under-17 girls’ shot put, she also broke Claudia Villeneuve’s 14-year record in the event. With a best put of 14.48 metres, James erased the Martiniquan’s old mark of 14.29 metres which has stood since 1999.
Janell Fullerton of Jamaica took the silver with 13.75 and Brashae Woods claimed the hosts’ first medal, bronze, with 12.60m.
Reigning CARIFTA champion Anderson Peters of Grenada shattered his own mark to take gold in the Under-17 boys’ javelin. With a throw of 64.01m, he replaced the 60.5 metres he did last year in Bermuda. Compatriot Mickel Joseph was third with 57.24m, while Travis Ferguson of The Bahamas won silver with 58.76m.
The multi-events also got underway yesterday morning.
In the girls’ heptathlon, Andriel Strachan of The Bahamas won the 100m hurdles in 15.07 from Jesthea Saunders (15.20) and defending champion Gleneve Grange (15.22) of Turks and Caicos and Jamaica, respectively.
Grange came back to lead the shot put with 12.91m from Gaza Raida of Guadeloupe with 10.13 and Dominica’s Chelsey Linton who did 9.51m.
Bahamians Charles Sealy and Desmond Major clocked 14.84 and 14.87 seconds, respectively to take the top spot in the 110 metres hurdles for the heptathlon, but it was Gayell Engeso of Suriname who won the long jump with a leap of 6.84m.
The semi-finals of the 400 metres were also held in the morning, but there were no heats in the 100 metres, with two rounds set to run off yesterday evening.