HAMILTON, Bermuda, Apr 10, CMC – Impressive sprinter Luan Gabriel handed Dominica its first ever track gold medal when she clinched the Under-17 200 metres title, as the curtain came down on the 41st CARIFTA Games here Monday night.
She raced to a time of 24.35 seconds to take the tape ahead of the Jamaican pair of Saqukine Cameron (24.51) and Aneka Brissett (24.79) who finished second and third respectively.
Gabriel entered the final as the fastest qualifier, clocking 24.09 in the semi-finals which was good enough to set a new national record.
Only last year, she set a new national record of 24.67 seconds, competing at the Falcon Games in Tobago.
Gabriel clinched bronze at the last CARIFTA Games staged in Montego Bay last April.
Bahamian Anthonique Strachan, meanwhile, completed the sprint double in the girls Under-20 division for the second straight year when she won the 200 metres handsomely.
Strachan, who doubled in Montego Bay, clocked 22.85 seconds to beat fellow countryman Shaunae Miller (23.18) into second, while Jamaican Shericka Jackson clocked 24.03 to claim bronze.
Turks and Caicos Islands’ Delano Williams also repeated his success from last year, winning the boys’ Under-20 200m crown in a time of 20.83 seconds.
The Bahamian duo of Blake Bartlett (21.08) and Teray Smith (21.18) followed home Williams.
Meanwhile, Trinidadian Jonathan Farinha was impressive in taking the Under-17 half-lap, as he sped to a time of 22.06 seconds.
Bahamian Cliff Resias (22.06) and Barbadian Mario Burke (22.23) were second and third respectively.
In the sprint hurdles, Jamaican Yanique Thompson confirmed her status as the junior queen when she won the Under-17 event for the second straight year in a time of 13.67 seconds.
Trinidadian Jeminise Parris claimed silver in 14.30 seconds while Guadeloupe’s Elsa Plante snatched bronze in 14.43 seconds.
In the Under-20 category, Barbadian Sade-Mariah Greenidge turned the tables on her archrival Chrisdale McCarthy of Jamaica.
Greenidge, who finished second last year behind McCarthy, was timed at 13.61 seconds as she took the tape first. McCarthy, meanwhile, clocked 13.62 while Barbados grabbed yet another medal as Shakera Hall took bornze in 13.89. French hurdler Wilhem Belocian showed the step up in age group was no challenge for him as he won the Under-20 boys title in a time of 13.63 seconds.
Belocian, the Under-17 champion last year, finished ahead of the Jamaican pair of Stephan Fennell (13.66) and Yannick Hart (13.88).
Jamaican Jaheel Hyde triumphed in the Under-17 event, taking victory in 13.96 seconds to lead a Jamaica one-two with Michael O’Hara second in 13.97.
