Team Barbados has surpassed the number of medals earned at last staging of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships and there is still one more day of competition left at the Aquatic Centre.
To date, the Bajans have won 29 medals over the three days, three more than the whole of the 2019 championships.
And one of those leading the push is Jaiya Simmons who continues to have a debut to remember. She won two more gold medals on Monday night, taking her tally to nine gold so far.
In the girls’ 11-12 200 metres Individual Medley (IM) she touched the wall in 2 minutes 36:56 seconds, finishing ahead of Jamaica’s Alexandria Cogle who came home in 2:41:44.
Her second gold medal was in the 100m freestyle where she narrowly beat fellow Barbadian Heidi Stoute with a time of 1:01:13. Stoute finished with 1:01:76, earning a silver medal to go with the gold she picked up on Sunday.
Tariq Greenidge improved on his overnight tally as well, winning two gold medals in closely contested races.
In the boys’ 11-12 200m IM, he tied with Joey Schvartz of St Martin. The latter cut the narrow lead Greenidge held and they swam stroke for stroke over the last 100 metres. Not even the clocks could separate them and both were timed at 2:28:45.
Greenidge also won the 50m breaststroke (35:08), edging Jamaica’s Kai Radcliffe (35:11). Zachary Burke came fourth in this event with a time of 36:06 and Brennan Watson also placed fourth in the 200 IM.
Watson thought he won gold in the 200m butterfly when he finished with a time of 2:37:90 but was disqualified for touching with one hand. The rule states “the touch shall be made with both hands separated and simultaneously at, above, or below the water surface”.
The winner of that event is now Bahamas’ Dijion Simmons with a time of 2:38:69. Nikolai Sisnett was sixth with 2:50:58.
Adara Stoddard won a bronze medal in the 15-17 girls’ 200m IM with a time of 2:30:22, while Amelie Baker was fifth in that event with a time of 2:35:52.
Barbados girls’ captain Keilani Talma won a bronze medal, clocking 2:28:75 in the girls’ 15-17 200m butterfly and Jake Chee A Tow also finished third in the boys’ event with 2:10.95. Christopher Pollard was eighth with a time of 2:18:50. (JC)
