by EZRA STUART ezrastuart@nationnews.com
TRIPLE JUMPERS Jadon Brome and Aren Spencer were among nine CARIFTA Games qualifiers when the Louis Lynch Championships
concluded Sunday night at the National Stadium.
OOPS! Savion Hoyte lying on the track in pain by the finish line, watched by veteran official Esther Maynard as John Clarke passes him.
(Pictures by Jameel Springer.)
Others reaching the standards for the April 20 22 Games in the Cayman Islands were Elite Distance Programme’s (EDP) Shanice Hutson and Rasheeme Griffith, Barbados Defence Force Sports Programme’s (BDFSP) Roneldo Rock and Pacers’ newcomer, Jameel Walkes-Miller.
With Kyle Gale, Vivica Addison and Vanessa Greaves qualifying on Saturday’s opening day and Tafari Bishop doing so at the Joseph Payne Classic even before the standards were announced, ten athletes have so far qualified.
Nathan Crawford-Wallis didn’t hit the CARIFTA mark but his 14.54 metres in triple jump was good enough for qualification at the North American and Central American Championships (NACAC) for Under-18 athletes.
After Spencer delivered the exact 14 metres needed for Under-17 Boys, Brome thrilled cheering spectators in the Don Norville Stand with his hop, skip and jump.
After initially being told it was 14.78 metres, two centimetres short of the 14.80 requirement for Under-20 Boys, Brome requested the use of the metal tape. The new measurement confirmed Brome’s effort was indeed 14.81 metres.
Jemuel Miller, the younger brother of last year’s CARIFTA gold medallist Jonathan Miller, was just outside thee qualifying benchmark with 14.58 metres.
Hutson, a gold medallist in the Under-17 Girls’ discus in The Bahamas last year, was the day’s first qualifier.
Now a first-year Under-20, the Coleridge & Parry schoolgirl consistently threw in the 40-metre range with a best effort of 43.75 metres. This mark will also see Hutson joining Gale as the only two qualifiers so far for the Pan American Junior Championships.
Two-time CARIFTA Under-18 gold medallist Griffith also qualified in the Under-20 Boys’ 400 hurdles.
He finished second in 53.35 seconds as Kemar Norgrove triumphed in 52.06 seconds after his twin brother Fabian Norgrove crashed into the eighth hurdle and fell coming into the home straight.
Former Grantley Adams schoolboy Rock (1:54.25 minutes) secured his qualification with a typically strong finish to overtake senior athlete Rio Williams (1.54.50), who had led throughout.
Unheralded Christ Church Foundation athlete Jameel Walkes-Miller (21.28 seconds) became the night’s last qualifier in the Men’s 200 metres.
He stormed through on the outside to take second place, behind senior athlete, Nicholas Deshong (20.92) with Gale (21.57) third in a NACAC qualifying time.
Rising Stars’ Shemia Odaine narrowly missed the requirement of 5.80 metres in the Women’s long jump with a best leap of 5.76 metres. Rhea Hoyte (63.44), despite hitting the last hurdle and stumbling, held on to win the Women’s 400 metres hurdles from Shonita Brome (63.50).
CP’s Mekhi Griffith took the Under-17 Boys’ 400 hurdles in 57.89, just holding off Rising Stars’ Marquez Cadogan (57.94). BC Trac’s Kevon Hinds (15.20) was also just shy of the 15.50 metres required for the Under-17 Boys’ shot put. There were also some injuries with Foundation and Velocity’s athlete Sarah Belle pulling up in the Women’s 200 with a knee injury, trying to catch Ashlee Lowe, who won in a season’s best 24.44 seconds.
Under-17 sprinter Aaliyah Agard was second in 24.67 seconds, shy of the required 24.30.
Rising Stars’ Savion Hoyte’s attempt to go under the qualifying time of 1:57.50 minutes in the Under-17 Boys’ 800 ended on a sad note.
He set a torrid pace in the first half of the two-lap race but dramatically fell to the ground after stopping a mere metre from the finish line, holding his midsection.
John Clarke, who was about 15 metres behind came through to win in 2:06.93 minutes and by the time Hoyte finally dragged himself across the line, 2:39.09 minutes was on the clock.
AREN SPENCER qualified in the Under-17 Boys’ triple jump.
STRONG FINISH: Roneldo Rock passing race leader Rio Williams en route to qualifying in the Under-20 Boys’ 800 metres.
Brome thrills
JADON BROME qualified in the Under-20 Boys’ triple jump.
