Brown cops Carifta hat-trick

DARREL BROWN ran away with his third successive Boys Under-20 100 metres gold but pulled up after the race with cramps in his right leg as the 32nd annual Carifta Track and Field Championships began on Saturday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste failed in her bid to secure a gold medal double for the home team  in the Under-20 category but Carlan Arthur copped the third gold medal for the hosts when he won the Boys Under-20 1,500m. The star of the night was Brown, who is expected to be fit to continue in the three-day meet, when he avoided the distraction of a false start to take gold in 10.20 seconds, followed by Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles 10.37, Jamaican Tesfa Latty 10.40 and Trinidad and Tobago’s Dion Rodriguez, who stuttered at the start, 10.50. But, to add to Brown’s agony, his time will not stand as a CARIFTA mark due to the wind gauge of 3.8. The 18-year-old World Junior 100m title holder holds the competition’s best time of 10.22 which he set in the Bahamas last year.

Baptiste, in lane five, and arch-rival Wanda Hutson, in lane three, had slow starts and were unable to catch Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart who strolled to victory in 11.41 seconds, with teammate Sherone Simpson taking the silver medal in 11.44 and the diminutive Hutson bronze in a personal best time of 11.68. Baptiste was a distant fifth in a slow 11.77. Arthur, a 18-year-old student of Tranquillity Government Secondary, withstood a strong challenge from Bahamas’ Alex Sawyer and St Lucia’s Ran Joseph to claim the boys Under-20 1,500m in four minutes 3.29 seconds, with Sawyer 4:03.32, Joseph 4:03.81 and 2002 champ Cleveland Forde of Guyana 4:04.44 trailing.

Entering the boys U-20 400m final with the fastest semi-final time, Jamil James held a slim lead after 300m but, at the bend, Jamaican star Usain “Thunderbolt” Bolt flew past the bunch to win in a new Carifta record of 46.35 seconds, lowering national champ Damion Barry’s mark of 46.51 set at the 2001 event in Barbados. The 16-year-old James took the silver medal in 47.34 seconds with Andretti Bain of Bahamas bronze in 47.39. Two silver medals for TT in the U-17 category came in the Boys 400m, with Renny Quow clocking a personal best time of 48.97 seconds, behind Jamaica’s Joseph Robertson 48.54, with Akeem Forde of Barbados third with 49.60; and in the Girls 1,500m, with the dreadlocked Pilar McShine setting a PR of 4:38.67 in a race won by Jamaican Jodran Richards 4:37.72 with Guyanese Jennifer Chichester third in 4:48.06. As expected, Jamaica’s quartermiler Anneisha McLaughlin romped to victory in the Girls Under-20 event, withstanding the challenges of St Kitts and Nevis’ Tiandra Ponteen 52.76 and Jamaica’s Davita Prendergast 53.96.

Jamaica took gold in two Girls Under-17 finals — the 100m final with Samantha Henry 11.71 defeating Bahamas’ Tamara Rigby 11.79 and fellow Jamaican Shaunetta Stewart 11.89; and in the 400m with Annabella Reid 53.81 edging teammate Sonita Sutherland 53.90. Bahamas’ Tavara Rigby was a distant third in 54.92. Carles Mattis of Jamaica cleared the bar at 2.09 metres to take the Boys Under-20 high jump gold with Omar Wright of Cayman Islands and Grenada’s Garvin Peters sharing silver with a best attempt of 2.03m. But Dominica’s Tyron Benjamin captured his island’s first victory in the Boys Under-17 shot put with a throw of 15.17 metres, with Grenadian Deon Charles 14.56m and Barbadian Ramon Harewood 13.71m trailing; while Martinique also picked up a solitary gold medal through Elysee Vesanes in the girls U-20 long jump in 6.28 metres, ahead of Jamaica’s Kedene Geddes 6.23m and national all-rounder Charisse Bacchus 6.13m.

“The Spice Isle” Grenada also had a lone gold medal courtesy Neilon Joseph’s 4:13.52 in the boys U-17 1,500m final, with Roderick Rock of Barbados second with a time of 4:15.69 and Robert Watson of Jamaica 4:17.00. Jamaica finished one-two in the Boys Under-17 100m final with Renaldo Rose victorious in 10.65 seconds, Jerraine Downie silver in 10.72 and Barbados’ Ramon Gittens 10.92; while another Jamaican Kayann Thompson took the Girls Under-20 1,500m in 4:31.75, well ahead of Caribbean queen Janil Williams of Antigua 4:37.08 and countrywoman Vanessa Whyttle 4:38.03.

Charisse Bacchus entered yesterday’s final events in the girls’ open pentathlon (long jump and 800m) in second spot with 2,164 points, behind Jamaican Nadine Marsh 2,453 with counterpart Tammilee Kerr third on 2,158. And Wilbert Walker of Jamaica also held a comfortable lead in the boys’ heptathlon after four events (with the high jump, discus and 1,500m left) with 2,944 points, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Mikel Courtney 2,795 and Bahamian Roosevelt Curry 2,769.