Salcia Slack after running 2:14.53 in the 800m for the girls' Pentathlon open - 2008 CARIFTA Games (© Anthony Foster)
Four Games’ records were broken on Sunday's (23) penultimate day of the 37th CARIFTA Games here at the Bird Rock Stadium.
Bahamian Nejmi Burnside accounted for the day's first record when he ran 52.81 seconds in the boys' Under-17 400m Hurdles. Burnside's time bettered the 52.97 Jamaica's Ricardo Melbourne produced for gold in 1998. Barbados' Tyrell Forde (55.08) and Trinidad & Tobago's Omar Charles (55.29) were second and third respectively.
In the girls' Under-20 sprint relay, the Bahamas' quartet of Sheniqua Ferguson, Krystal Bodie, Cache Armbrister and Nivea Smith, backed by over 4000 cheering fans, raced to a 44.36 seconds win to beat the previous mark of 44.42 held by Jamaica since 2003.
Jamaica with 100m champion and World Junior bronze medallist Carrie Russell on anchor, finished second in 44.90, while Barbados were third in 45.75.
Jamaica's K'Don Samuels and Salcia Slack accounted for the day's other records, which came in the boys' Under-20 Pole Vault and girls' open Pentathlon respectively.
Samuels cleared the bar at 4.60 metres to beat the 21-year-old mark of 4.26m - held jointly by B. Johnson of Bahamas and M. Godfrey of Jamaica, while Slack tallied 3935 points in the five-event discipline to secure her record, which bettered the previous her countrywoman Nadina Marsh's 3868 points achieved in 2003.
"It feels good and it makes me feel very proud of myself," admitted a delighted Slack. "It's my last year as a junior so I decided (that) I wanted to leave something, so I was aiming to break this record," said the 18-year-old.
Slack also finished second in the girls' Triple Jump with 12.81m. Keisha Willix of Martinique won the event with a leap of 12.91m.
Meanwhile, Andre Peart and Kerion Stewart secured a one-two finish for Jamaica in the 400m Hurdles Under-20 boys' event. Peart won in 51.81 ahead of Stewart (53.05) while Trinidad & Tobago's Jahue Gordon (53.18) was third.
In the girls' Under-20 400m Hurdles, Janiel Bellille of Trinidad & Tobago won in 58.08 ahead of Jamaica's pair of Shana-Gaye Tracey (58.17) and Nikita Tracey (59.69). In the 300m Hurdles, Danielle Dowie stormed to victory in 42.63 seconds to beat Barbados' pair of Kenrisha Brathwaite (43.61) and Sade Mariah Greenidge (44.61).
Peta-Gaye Reid of Jamaica won the girls' Under-17 High Jump with a leap of 1.74m. She beat Akela Jones of Barbados (1.71m) and Deandra Daniel of Trinidad & Tobago (1.65m).
In the Under-17 boys' Triple Jump, Trinidad & Tobago's Elton Walcott (14.66m) beat Jamaica's pair Jonathan Reid (14.17m) and Julian Forte (13.59m), who finished second and third respectively.
In the girls' 3000m open, Jamaica's Neisha Morgan, who trailed Guyanese Alika Morgan up to the final 100m, found something extra metres from the tape, to secure a close victory in 10:15.22. Alika Morgan was second in 10:15.28.
Jamaica won both girls' Discus Throws. Genneva Greaves (44.68m) beat her teammate Candicea Bernard (40.29) for the girls' Under-20 title, while Monique Henry (34.02m) beat Barbados' Kyshona Knight (32.86) in the Under-17 category.
Peta-Gaye Reid (1.74m) beat Akela Jones (1.71m) in the girls' Under-17 High Jump.
Entering today's final day, Jamaica lead the medal's table with 16-gold, 18-silver, 9-bronze ahead of Trinidad & Tobago 7-gold, 4-silver, 6-bronze and Bahamas 6-gold, 2-silver, 6-bronze.
Anthony Foster for the IAAF
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