Barbados is starting to fare a lot better on the Gold Coast. Teenaged squash players Meagan Best and Amanda Haywood rebounded to win their respective plate and consolation finals before Ramon Gittens advanced in the semi-finals of the men’s 100 at the Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.
They proved to be the highlights of a much improved showing for Team Barbados, who also had credible performances from gifted cyclist Amber Joseph and skeet shooter Michael Maskell.
Facing Sri Lankan Mihiliya Methsarani in a highly competitive plate final, Best pulled out a gritty 11-6, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10 victory to seal the deal.
This was after her St Michael schoolmate Haywood rolled over Cay Eilidh Bridgeman in a relatively easier 11-3, 11-8, 11-9 win.
Gittens then threatened to give Barbados another finalist after coming second in his heat to qualify for the men’s 100 metres semi-finals by running 10.50 seconds behind England’s Adam Gemili (10.24).
But the seasoned speedster got out to an uncharacteristically slow start, having never made up ground on Yohan Blake (10.06) and Gemili (10.11) to finish seventh in a time of 10.44
Fellow sprinter Stephen Headley didn’t make it out of his opening heat after clocking 10.70 in Heat 3 to place fourth.
Joseph, a Pan American and Caribbean Junior road race gold medallist, had to settle for 16th place in her first 10km scratch race appearance at this Commonwealth Games level.
Elliot didn’t make it out of the qualifying stages of the women’s skeet while Olympic shooter Michael Maskell currently sits in sixth position in the men’s equivalent.
Olympic swimmer Alex Sobers is scheduled to return to the pool at the Optus Aquatic Centre today to contest Heat 4 of the men’s 50 metres freestyle before Shane Brathwaite starts his quest for another medal in the men’s 110 metres hurdles.
Boxer Jabali Breedy will face England’s Brendan Irvine in a men’s 52kg bout after the Bajan Gems play long-time netball rivals Jamaica in a Pool A contest. (JM)
