TT smash CARIFTA 400m medley record

TT shattered the 2015 record of 4:38.34 which was set by Elisabeth Timmer, Anahi Schreuders, Keeley Maduro and Florence Kock of Aruba.

Guadeloupe were second in 4:38.56 with Martinique taking bronze in 4:40.84.

Bahamas topped the points table at the end of Day Two with 406 points, with Guadeloupe in second (347). Trinidad and Tobago (309), Cayman Islands (306.5) and Barbados (284) rounded off the top five teams. While Team TTO did slip one notch on the points table to 3rd, their dominance in the 50 metre butterfly events did not go unnoticed with three gold, one silver, one bronze, two national records and nine personal bests, in the space of nine swims.

Gabriela Donahue picked up her third individual gold in the 13-14 girls .age group stopping the clock at 29.02 seconds, ahead of Guadeloupe’s Lucia Francois (29.17), with St. Lucia’s Katie Kyle taking the bronze (29.46).

Donahue erased team captain Amira Pilgrim 13-14 National record of 29.41 of which was set on the CARIFTA stage in 2014. Jahmia Harley was 6th in 29.75. Donahue, together with her contribution to relays, has amassed 27 points thus far, the most by any TTO female.

Pilgrim, two events later in her bronze medal swim, did some record breaking of her own in establishing a new 15-17 girls national record of 28.38. The old record belonged to Kristin Julien (28.56), and was set at the 2013 World Junior Championships.

The 15-17 female 50 butterfly was won by Mika Heideyer of Martinique (28.12) with Elinah Phillip of British Virgin Islands taking silver (28.13).

Racine Ross of TT was 5th in 29.04.

Kael Yorke followed up on his 100 fly victory to capture gold in the 15-17 50 fly in 25.23. In what has been the closest medal race for the competition so far, 0.02 seconds separated gold from bronze. Teammate Jeron Thompson captured silver in 25.24 while Steven Aimable of French Guiana copped bronze in 25.25. Yorke has amassed 18 points thus far, the most by any TTO male.

Kadon Williams had a magnificent swim to win the 11-12 male gold in the 50m butterfly in a personal best 28.75. 11-12 female Zoe Anthony (31.26) and 13-14 male Aqeel Joseph (27.20) were the other 50 butterfly finalists and placed 5th and 6th respectively in their age groups.