Bolt outstanding at Carifta

JAMAICAN athlete Usain “Thunderbolt” Bolt was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy as the Most Outstanding Athlete when the 32nd annual CARIFTA Track and Field Cham-pionships ended at the Hasely Crawford Sta-dium, Mucurapo, on Monday night.

The beanpole 16-year-old captured gold medals in the four Boys Under-20 events in which he participated, and three in new Carifta record times. On Saturday night, Bolt won the 400 metres in 46.35 seconds, wiping out the 2001 standard of 46.51 set by Trinidad and Tobago’s Damion Barry. Twenty-four hours later, he guided the Jamaicans to another gold in the 4x100 relay team in 39.43, well below the 40.19 time by Trinidad and Tobago in 2001. On the final night of action, Bolt won the half-lap in 20.43 seconds, .05 seconds below countryman’s Roy Bayley’s 1987 mark. And his gold medal exploits were completed when he led his team to victory in the 4x400m relay in three minutes 9.70 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago 3:12.46 and Bahamas 3:13.72.

Bolt currently holds five Carifta marks, including the U-17 200m (21.12) and 400m (47.33) times at last year’s competition in the Bahamas. The Jamaicans also swept to glory in the remaining 4x400m relays on Monday - the Boys Under-17 in 3:19.17, with Barbados 3:21.19 and the Bahamas 3:21.25 trailing; the Girls Under-17 in 3:39.50, erasing their 2002 Carifta mark of 3:44.18, with the Bahamas 3:48.23 second and TT 3:49.29 third; and the Girls Under-20 in 3:36.20, followed by TT’s 3:40.08 and Bahamas’ 3:53.86. As anticipated, Jamaica ended the meet with the most gold medals (39) and the most medals overall (78), with the hosts following in both departments with six and 28 respectively.

The Jamaican dominance was such that they set 10 out of the 13 records set at the event. In addition to the four previously mentioned, they erased four other marks on Monday, with Romaine Gordon winning the Boys U-17 100m hurdles in 13.12 seconds, .02 seconds below countryman Matthew Palmer’s time in 2002. He was followed by teammate Akeil Facey 13.44 and Stevy Theliam of Martinique 13.70. Kimani Kirton claimed the Boys Under-20 shot put with a throw of 17.33m, ahead of the 15.39m distance in 1985 by Ronin Sharpe of Guadeloupe, with fellow Jamaican Fabian Morgan 16.78m and Martinique’s David Villeneuve 16.62-m taking silver and bronze respectively.

In the 2002 Girls Under-17, the triple jump mark of 11.58m by Jamaican La Toya Heath was bettered by compatriots Kimberly Williams (12.18m), Kimona Smith (11.98m) and Guade-loupe’s Lorrie Hamony (11.75m). Joint gold medallists Peaches Roach of Jamaica (1.86m) and Lavern Spencer of St Lucia went past the previous best of 1.84m in the Girls Under-20 high jump set last year by the 2003 bronze medallist Jamaica’s Shaunette Davidson, who also equalled her Carifta mark. And the 1979 mark of 16.16m, set by Bermuda’s Michael Sharp in the Boys Under-20 triple jump, was erased by Ayata Joseph of Antigua (16.20m), with silver going to Carles Mattis of Jamaica 15.19m and bronze to Jamal Cumberbatch of Barbados 14.80m. The next Carifta Track and Field Champio-nships will take place on Easter weekend next year in Bermuda.

TT medallists —
Gold: Rhonda Watkins (Girls U-17 high jump and long jump); Sheron Mark (Girls U-20 triple jump); Jamal James (Boys U-17 800m); Darrel Brown (Boys U-20 100m); Carlan Arthur (Boys U-20 1,500m).
Silver: Pilar McShine (Girls U-17 800m); Annie Alexander (Girls U-17 shot put); Lok Toya McShine (Girls U-20 discus); Charisse Bacchus (Girls pentathlon); Renny Quow (Boys U-17 400m); Sandino Nero (Boys U-17 3,000m); Jamil James (Boys U-20 400m); Diana Cooke, Wanda Hutson, Monique Cabral, Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Girls U-20 4x100m relay); Crystal Skeete, Abigail David, Josanne Lucas, Kyesha Hills (Girls U-20 4x400m relay); Marcus Duncan, Dion Rodriguez, Mark Phillip, Darrel Brown (Boys U-20 4x100m relay); Joel Pile, Kellon Francis, Deverne Charles, Jamil James (Boys U-20 4x400m relay).
Bronze: Wanda Hutson (Girls U-20 100m); Denelle De Verteuil (Girls U-20 800m); Josanne Lucas (Girls U-20 400m hurdles); Charisse Bacchus (Girls U-20 long jump); Cuquie Melville (Girls pentathlon); Carlan Arthur (Boys U-20 800m); Shawn Thomas (Boys U-20 long jump); Mikel Courtney (Boys heptathlon); Karla Hope, Gineille Felix, Sade St Louis, Pilar McShine (Birls U-17 4x400m relay); Kester Charles, Kern Mapp, Jamal Clinton, Kashif Williams (Boys U-17 4x100m relay).

Other Results —
Girls U-17 200m: 1.Tavara Rigby (Bahamas) 24.29 sec; 2.Shaunetta Stewart (Jamaica) 24.43; 3.Tamara Rigby (Bahamas) 24.66.
Girls U-17 800m: 1.Jodran Richards (Jamaica) 2:14.57; 2.Pilar McShine (TT) 2:15.49; 3.Nicola Ledgister (Jamaica) 2:16.71.
Girls U-17 100m hurdles: 1.Natasha Ruddock (Jamaica) 14.42 sec; 2.Tavia Burke (Jamaica) 14.51; 3.Michelle Cumberbatch (Bahamas) 15.42.
Girls U-17 javelin: 1.Amanda Edwards (Antigua) 39.06m; 2.Tracy Morrison (Bahamas) 38.48m; 3.Laurence Germany (Martinique) 37.16m.
Girls U-20 200m: 1.Tiandra Ponteen (St Kitts) 23.71 sec; 2.Nickeisha Anderson (Jamaica) 23.76; 3.Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 23.93.
Girls U-20 800m: 1.Carlene Robinson (Jamaica) 2:07.56; 2.Kayann Thompson (Jamaica) 2:07.94; 3.Denelle De Verteuil (TT) 2:14.04.
Girls U-20 100m hurdles: 1.Nadina Marsh (Jamaica) 13.89 sec; 2.Keisha Brown (Jamaica) 13.96; 3. Geraldine Lecefel (Martinique) 14.56.
Girls U-20 javelin: 1.Nathalia Vincent (Grenada) 43.53m; 2.Erma-Gene Evans (St Lucia) 43.08m; 3.Melinda Bastian (Bahamas) 40.91m.
Boys U-17 200m: 1.Mekel Downer (Jamaica) 22.25 sec; 2.Akeem Forde (Barbados) 22.27; 3.Jerraine Downie (Jamaica) 22.30.
Boys U-17 800m: 1.Jamal James (TT) 1:56.15; 2.Kemar Ellis (Jamaica) 1:56.92; 3.Melvin Weller (Jamaica) 1:57.27.
Boys U-17 long jump: 1.Joel Phillip (Grenada) 6.98m; 2.Alain Bailey (Jamaica) 6.92m; 3.Claude Paul (Netherlands Antilles) 6.75m.
Boys U-17 discus: 1.Sharif Small (Jamaica) 47.39m; 2.Tyron Benjamin (Dominica) 44.12m; 3.Raedon Gill (Grenada) 40.49m.
Boys U-20 800m: 1.Mellard Brown (Jamaica) 1:50.49; 2.Daylan Parker (Jamaica) 1:52.08; 3.Carlan Arthur (TT) 1:52.22.
Boys U-20 5,000m: 1.Cleveland Forde (Guyana) 15:27.42; 2.Jason Elleson (Jamaica) 15:35.64; 3.Kerone Fairweather (Jamaica) 16:14.24.