LAST WEEKEND’S Louis Lynch Championships provided track and field fans, coaches and administrators with solid evidence of the athletes who will be making the journey to St Kitts for this year’s CARIFTA Games at Easter.
While it is still early days, 13 athletes reached the qualification standards set by the Athletics Association of Barbados (AAB) during the two-day meet.
There were also three athletes who qualified in two events, including last year’s Under-18 Girls’ 400 metres gold medallist Sada Williams, who has moved into the Under-20 age group.
Williams clocked a lifetime best 53.38 seconds in inflicting a second straight defeat on the more seasoned Sade Sealy.
She also qualified in the 200 with a blistering 23.83 seconds, leaving Tristan Evelyn in her wake.
Hurdler Rivaldo Leacock and distance runner Joshua Hunte were also double qualifiers.
It was heartening to see shot-putters Dequan Lovell, Daryl Sobers and Triston Gibbons as well as multi-eventers Ayana Morgan and Antonio Weekes qualifying in the heptathlon and octathlon, respectively.
On Saturday, it was a joy to see both Raheem Skinner and Hunte crossing the line together to qualify in the Under-20 Boys 1500 metres.
Jonathan Jones also reached the Under 18 standard in this race.
Sprint hurdler Michael Nicholls easily qualified, as well as Evelyn, but the surprise was St Leonard’s schoolboy Jaquone Hoyte, who ran an impressive personal best of 10.58 in finishing second to Levi Cadogan in the 100 metres heats to surpass the 10.75 Under-18 Boys’ qualifying standard.
A number of athletes came close to qualifying and no doubt will eventually do so in upcoming qualifying meets.
The likes of Stephen Griffith, Kalvin Marcus, Akeem McCollin, Romarco Thompson and Wade Garner weren’t far off and it won’t be surprising if they make the grade as well as others who are yet to peak.
Among the women, both Elizabeth Williams and Anya Williams, with stiffer competition, could join the list of qualifiers after comfortable wins in the women’s and Under-18 Girls’ 800 metres, respectively. Elizabeth also narrowly missed out in the 1500 metres.
The returning Mary Fraser, who was the only Under-18 girl in the 3000 metres, should also reach the qualifying standard of 10:52 minutes, after clocking 10.52.74.
Joseph Parris is another who can book a ticket to Basseterre after running 9.55.51, which is just outside the required 9:15 minutes.
Dario Grandison wasted a chance to have a go at the 16.05 minutes needed in the 5000 when he surprisingly opted to run the 800 but once he remains focused, he should join Hunte as the second qualifier for this event.
Josiah Atkins could also qualify in the the Under-18 Boys’ 200 metres.
Of course, Mario Burke, who didn’t qualify over the weekend but had done so earlier in the year, will be another Barbados will be hoping to deliver in a big way.
