NASSAU – Gold remained elusive on the final day of the 2013 BTC CARIFTA Games, but Barbados won nine more silver medals to finish fourth in the tables with 20 medals comprising four gold, 14 silver and two bronze at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium yesterday.
Michael Nicholls’ bronze in the Under-17 boys’ 110 metres hurdles didn’t go towards the official tally since there weren’t competitors from at least five countries in the event.
Once again, Jamaica topped the table with 68 medals (28-25-15), followed by Trinidad and Tobago (9-1-10) on 20 and The Bahamas with 31 (8-12-11). Jamaica were disqualified in the senior boys’ 4x400m relay and up to Press time, the results of the protest were not available.
Akela Jones and Mario Burke shared the honours for Barbados on the final day, both winning two silver medals.
Jones cleared 1.80 metres in the Under-20 girls’ high jump behind new record holder Jeanelle Scheper of St Lucia (1.87) and came back in the 100 metres hurdles with a personal best time of 14.10 seconds behind Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds who won in 13.89 seconds.
Burke, who was hoping to strike double gold, came off the bend flying in the Under-17 boys’ 200 metres, but could not hold off Jamaica’s fast-finishing Michael Manley, who won in a wind-aided 21.35 seconds.
Burke’s time was 21.42 second and Jaheel Hyde of Jamaica was third in 21.45.
He also ran an awesome anchor leg in the 4×400 metres, overturning a gap of almost 20 metres for silver in 3:16.38.
Levi Cadogan was a non-starter in the Under-20 boys’ heats and that race went to Teray Smith of The Bahamas with a stiff 3.4 wind aiding his 20.58, nipping Jamaica’s Jevaughn Minzie (20.64) and Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago who did 20.69.
Jamaica’s Natalliah White did the Under-17 girls’ double in 23.65.
Barbadians Ariel Jackson (23.68) and Shavonne Husbands (23.79) who were fourth and seventh, respectively, did personal best times. Bahamian Shaunae Miller set the stadium alight again with a gold medal time of 22.77 seconds.
In the Under-17 girls’ hurdles, Tristan Evelyn would have been hoping to get her race together to come close to her debut time of 13.89 seconds. She lost her rhythm, finishing fourth in 14.77 seconds behind Jamaicans Rushelle Burton (13.96) and Janeek Brown (14.30) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Jemenise Parris (14.64).
Nicholls took the bronze (exhibition) in 15.04 as Jamaicans Jaheel Hyde and Roje Jackson-Chin clocked 13.86 and 14.14 seconds, respectively, while Juwan Augustin-Mayers was fourth in 15.47.
Guadeloupe’s Belocian Wilhem, the defending champion, won back-to-back gold medals in the Under-20 boys’ event with an improved time of 13.49 seconds. Jamaica’s Omar McLeod took the silver in 13.57 and Rueben Walters of Trinidad and Tobago won his second bronze with 13.66 seconds.
Charles Greaves also took silver in the Under-20 boys’ triple jump behind Jamaica’s Clive Pullen (15.44) with 15.26m, while Shamar Rock was sixth with 14.41m.
Tristan Whitehall set a new junior national record of 17.02 metres in the shot put, which was won by Hezekiel Romeo of Trinidad and Tobago with 18.66m.
Two more silver medals came in the 800 metres where Akeem Marshall did 1.58.77 behind Jamaica’s Shevon Parks (1.58.62) and Sonia Gaskin had a personal best 2:06.84 behind Jamaica’s Simoya Campbell who was timed at 2:06.22.
Jerrad Mason was fourth among the senior boys in a time of 1:54.99. Trinidad’s Mark London won his second gold medal in 1:51.34.
Faheema Scraders of Bermuda won the Under-17 girls’ race in 2:11.62. The Under-20 girls’ 4×400 metre relay team was second in 3:41.89 behind Jamaica (3:34.36), while the Under-17 girls were sixth.
Debutante Hayley Matthews, who came into the games throwing 38.25 metres, had a personal best 40.30 metres in the Under-17 girls’ javelin.
Dominica’s Shanee Angol took the gold with 43.89 metres, erasing Deandra Dottin’s six-year record of 42.90 metres and Daneliz Thomas of the Cayman Islands won bronze with 37.99m.