Leah Bannister won a bronze medal to take the Barbados count to eight – three gold, two silver and three bronze – yesterday morning at the Catherine Sports Complex, home of the 40th LIME CARIFTA Games.
Bannister had the worse start, fouling her first two throws in the Under-20 Girls’ discus.
There were only nine competitors, and in order to secure her place in the final, she did a standing throw of 33.62 metres which put her in fourth place. On the next attempt, she produced 38.09 which moved her up to third and there she remained, about five metres below her best.
Jamaica did a one-two.
Sashagay Marston won the gold with 45.26 metres and Kellion Knibb silver with 42.49 metres.
However, it was the reverse for Chazelle Cumberbatch who saw a bronze medal slip from her grasp in the very last round of the Under-17 Girls’ javelin. Her throwing shoulder was strapped and she seemed out-of-sorts with the release although the run-up looked good. Her best throw of 33.10 metres, below her best of 36.89 metres, put her in third place, but in the final round, Dominica’s Chelsey Linton had a flat throw coming off a five-step release which sailed 33.98 metres to jump to silver, pushing Cumberbatch to fourth place.
Her final throw was no good and she held her face in her hands, disappointed with her efforts.
Gleneve Grange of Jamaica, who is also competing in the pentathlon, won with 35.36 metres and Akidah Briggs of Trinidad was third with 33.74 metres.
In the other final, Romario Antoine was fifth in the Under-17 Boys’ shot put with a throw of 13.60 metres, but Jamaica’s Christopher Brown shattered the record of 16.99 metres which was set last year, throwing 17.42 metres. Trinidad’s Shervorne Worrell (15.28 metres) and Kenejah Williams (15.05m) took silver and bronze, respectively.
The multi-events continued, while on the track, all four of thehalf-milers advanced although there was a slight scare when Jerrad Mason almost fell off the track onto the infield as runners jostled for the coveted positions in the final.
Cindy Forte, the 1 500 metres silver medallist had the second fastest time of 2:19.49. Mason (2:01.20) and John Haynes (1:59.76) are through in the Under-17 Boys’ race.
Anthonio Mascoll looked easy in 1:55.97, the fastest time, and 1 500 metre bronze medallist Ibrahim Hinds is also in the final with 1:57.76.
There were no medals for Barbados in the 100-metre sprints late Saturday night. But the race of that category was to see the return of Jazeel Murphy after sitting out injury for most of his Under-17 years. He returned bigger and faster and powered out of the field to stop the clock in 10.27 seconds. The Bahamas upset the form book by taking the other races.
Devynne Charlton won the Under-17 Girls’ dash in 11.91; Delano Davis the boys’ race in 10.75 seconds and Anthonique Strachan the senior girls’ event in 11.38 seconds.
