Speed was just as scarce as the leading athletes during Saturday’s subdued April Classic at the National Stadium.
Sprinter Matthew Clarke, triple jumper Jadon Brome and young multi-event athlete Anika Blackman were the only CARIFTA Games athletes competing as most of the events were undersubscribed.
With at least five major clubs absent, it was left to Pacers, BC Trac, UWI Blackbirds, Proformers, St George, Princess Margaret and the unattached athletes to save the day, especially after the two previous meets were cancelled.
Clarke opted to run the men’s 400 metres and won the four-man race in 49.85 seconds from Pacers’ Shaquan Glasgow (51.49) and Shane Thorne (52.50).
Brome, who leaves today with the Christ Church Foundation School for this week’s Penn Relays in Philadelphia, struggled after a 2.3 wind-aided best effort was 14.54 metres.
Blackman took the Under-17 Girls’ high jump with a leap of 1.40 metres, the same as St George’s Ariel Soleyn and was third in the women’s 100 and 200 with times of 12.90 and 27.03.
Hannah Connell, wearing her Foundation School colours, didn’t allow her CARIFTA non-selection to keep her off the track. She easily won the women’s 200 in 25.05 seconds from Proformers’ Adeyah Brewster (26.30).
Brewster (12.46) had earlier triumphed in the women’s 100 from the High Performance Programme’s (HPP) Jamie Drayton (12.48), who was below par in winning the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.35 metres.
The men’s sprints were the best subscribed and most competitive. HPP’s Tamal Atwell (10.97) edged Pacers’ Jameel Walkes-Miller (10.98) and Rhys Phillips (11.02) in the 100 while Nicholas Jordan (22.20) took the men’s 200 from Kion Joseph (22.34). Joseph (52.00) was also beaten by Fabian Norgrove (51.79) in a two-man men’s 400-metre hurdles.
Improving UWI Blackbirds’ sprinter Jean-Pierre Hinds (22.54) won the Under-17 Boys’ 200.
Just two women and a solitary man entered the 1 500 metres while Norgrove strolled around the track twice to take the 800 in 1:54.82 from Proformers’ Miguel Nicholas (2:20.12). The only other competitor, Wibisco’s Dario Greene, didn’t finish.
Nicholas (52.96) was earlier beaten in the Under-17 Boys’ 400 by Blackbirds’ Aquon Waithe (52.65). BC Trac’s Maliah Edwards captured the Under-15 Girls’ 400 in 63.25 seconds and the long jump (4:35m).
St George’s Jamarco Gill triumphed in the Under-15 Boys’ 100 (11.84) and 400 (57.78) from BC Trac’s Josiah Cato, who had times of 12.51 and 59.32, while schoolmate Simon John (2:38.06 minutes) clinched the 800.
BC Trac’s Ratanang Barker (63.21) and Pacers’ Jade Williams (66.90) were the Under-13 Boys’ and Girls’ 400 metres winners, respectively. (EZS)
