Barbados' Kierre Beckles at the 2008 CARIFTA with Austin Sealy award (© Freelance)
Barbados' Kierre Beckles, the Games' top performer, was among four record breakers on Monday's final day (24) of the 37th CARIFTA Games here at the Bird Rock Athletics Stadium.
Jamaica's three decade dominance continued as they finished atop the medal table with 69 medals – 29 gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze. Trinidad & Tobago finished second with 30 (10G, 10S, 10B) while Bahamas (8G, 3S, 12B); Barbados (7G, 10S, 9B) and Martinique (5G, 3S, 6B) completed the top five teams.
Beckles impressive
In the girls' Under-20 100m Hurdles final, Beckles raced to an impressive 13.43 seconds clocking to erase Jamaica's Shermaine Williams' one-year-old mark of 13.51. Jamaica's Rosemarie Carty was second in 13.63, while Bahamian Krystal Bodie finished third in 13.72.
Beckles walked away with the Austin Sealy award after been voted the Games' Top Performer. She was delighted with for performance and already has her eyes set on this summer's 12th IAAF World Junior Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland, 8 - 13 July 2008.
"I am very proud of my performance," she said.
However, she added: "I was going for a 13.2, but it was close ... so come the World Juniors I feel I will get there or even close to 13.1," added Beckles, who also expressed satisfaction with her award.
And three other Games’ record breakers too
Other record breakers on the day were Jamaica's World Youth representatives Natoya Goule and Kemoy Campbell, along with Bahamian Aaron Wilmore.
In the boys' 5000m open, Campbell destroyed a large field on his way to an impressive 14:46.51 seconds clocking, which beat the Grenadian Maurice Williams' 27-year-old mark of 14:58.23. Christian Rock of Barbados (15:57.99) was second.
Goule, who had earlier won the 1500m gold, ran a personal best 2:05.90 to beat Mellisa De Leon's of Trinidad & Tobago 10-year-old mark of 2:06.83. She completed the 800m/1500m double by defeated Trinidad & Tobago's pair of Afiya Walker (2:10.20) and Jessica James (2:11.07).
Goule was pleased with her performance. "This race was comfortable," she said. "I could have pushed more, but I did not want to blaze too much and don't get to PR, but 2:05.90 ... I am very proud of myself."
"I know my coach (Jerry Holness) will be very proud also," she added. "I wanted to run 2:06 at the Jamaica High School Championships, but did not, so I am glad that I came here and get it (PR).”
The day's fourth record was in the boys' Under-17 100m hurdles. Aaron Wilmore, who ran unchallenged, took victory in 12.88 to beat the previous mark of 13.12 set by Romaine Gordon of Jamaica in 2003.
Wilmore beat Tyrell Forde of Barbados (13.13) and Jamaica's D'Omar Boyden (13.49) finished second and third respectively.
Very windy (5.2m/s) 20.16 for 200m
In the boys' Under-20 200m, Ashmeade, supported by a 5.2 mps wind, stormed to victory in 20.16 seconds ahead of World Youth 200m champion Ramone McKenzie (20.33) and Trinidad & Tobago's Kendall Bacchus (20.78).
Ashemade, who won the 100m silver and 200m bronze at last year's World Youth Championships, was happy with the end result. "I went out there just to do my best, and despite the fact that I was feeling a little pain, I was able to do my best, so I am satisfied."
"One-two for Jamaica and I am very happy for that," he added.
In the girls' Under-20 200m, Bahamian Nivea Smith (23.01) beat St. Kitts and Nevis' (23.11) and Jamaica's Jura Levy (23.28 PR). Grenada's Kirani James (21.38) completed the 200m/400m double when he defeated Moriba Morain of Trinidad & Tobago (21.74) and Jamaica's Earl Lee (21.89) in the boys' Under-17 200m.
In the boys' 110m Hurdles, Jamaica's Keiron Stewart dominated from start to finish to win in an impressive 13.50 seconds, one hundredths of a second outside his own national junior record, done last year for silver in Turks and Caicos.
Stewart, running in a negative wind, defeated his teammate Warren Weir, who celebrated Jamaica's one-two even before he crosses the line in 14.13 seconds.
Barbados' Kenrisha Brathwaite (14.04) beat Jamaica's Samantha Elliott (14.17) in the girls' Under-17 100m Hurdles.
Middle distance double
In the 800m events, Jamaica won all but the boys' Under-20, which went to Trinidad & Tobago's Gavyn Nero (1:51.94). Nero beat Jamaica's Theon O'Connor (1:52.49) and Bermuda's Aaron Evans (1:52.61) to capture the 800m/1500m double.
Chantal Duncan (2:13.46) and Ristananna Tracey (2:13.77) gave Jamaica a one-two finish in the girls' Under-17 800m while Javere Bell (1:56.12) and Waquar DaCosta (1:58.99) finished first and third for Jamaica. Anthonio Mascoll of Barbados (1:56.68) was second.
In the infield
Robert Collingwood of Trinidad & Tobago won the boys' Under-20 Shot Put with a 16.23 metres effort to beat Grenada's Shakir Simons (15.93m) while Jamaica's Rajae Gayle (48.54m) won the U17 Boys' Discus Throw.
Turks and Caicos' Wendrico Seymour scored a surprise win in the boys' Under-17 Long Jump at 6.86 metres while T&T's Kyron Blaise (15.76m) beat Jamaican Tarik Batchelor (15.49m) in the Under-20 boys' Triple Jump.
Jamaican relay monopoly
Meanwhile, Jamaica ended the three-day in impressive fashion with victories in all four 4x400m relays.
In the Under-17 girls, the quartet of Petra Fany, Shericka Jackson, Danielle Dowie, and Sandrae Farquharson started things off with victory in 3:39.62 ahead of St. Kitts & Nevis (3:49.13).
The boys' Under-17 team of Nolan Williams, Rolando Reid, A-Shawni Mitchell and Javere Bell won in 3:19.26 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:21.20).
In the Under-20 section, the girls' quartet of Kayon Robinson, Shana-Gaye Tracey, Nikita Tracey and Alecia Cutenar won in 3:39.12 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:43.63) while the boys' team made of 110m Hurdles champion Keiron Stewart, Ramone Mckenzie, 200m champion Nickel Ashmeade and 400m hurdles winner Andre Peart finished in 3:09.71 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:11.34).
Anthony Foster for the IAAF
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