Triple jumper Princess Brown and 800m specialist, Joanna Archer added CARIFTA Games bronze medals to their resume yesterday as Team Guyana completed a successful sojourn here in The Bahamas where the 47th edition of the event was held.
The heroics of the two debutants and the Girls U-20 4x400m relay team, brought the nation’s final medal count to nine. Guyana, represented by 17 athletes, ended the meet with a gold medal compliments of long jumper, Chantoba Bright, a silver and seven bronze medals.
Brown had a career best day in the pit, hopping, skipping and jumping to 11.97m to snatch the final podium spot behind Jamaicans, Ackelia Smith 12.58m and Velecia Williams (12.31m).
Archer ran a personal best 2:11.62s in the two-lap event, shaving off almost two seconds off her previous PB.
The lanky Archer earned bronze after overtaking two athletes by turning on the jets in the final 150m. However she could not catch the two Jamaicans, Shaqueena Foote (2:07.56) and Chrisanni May (2:09.0).
Guyana’s U17 800m runners, Kissanna Glen, Shakuqa Tyrell and Murphy Nash tried their best but simply were outclassed by the premier Regional athletes. Glen, Tyrell and Nash finished in fifth, 10th and fifth in their races.
Meanwhile, Daniel Williams equaled his 200m PB of 21.21s but finished fifth in the final of the Boys U-20 half lap event. He finished behind Jamaican phenom, Christopher Taylor (20.38s), Bahamian, Joel Johnson (20.90s), Xavier Nairne of Jamaica (21.07s) and Timothy Frederick (21.20s) of Trinidad and Tobago.
Kenisha Phillips also finished fifth after clocking 24.14s in the final of the Girls U-20 200m event.
In the penultimate track event of the night, the Girls U-20 4x400m, the quartet of Archer, Bright, Kezra Murray and Phillips had luck on their side and were promoted from fourth to second after Team Jamaica (the team that crossed the line first) and Team Bahamas were both disqualified for dropping the baton and lane violations.
The local Girls U-17 quartet barely missed the podium, finishing fourth in the 4x400m event.
Notes: Guyana’s 2018 medal was one better than last year’s, however in 2017, Guyana bagged four gold medals, a silver and three bronze medals.
It was not all about winning medals however, as numerous personal milestones were established by our young ambassadors, many of which made their CARIFTA Games debuts.
The 2019 Flow CARIFTA Games is scheduled to be held in the Cayman Islands. Guyana pitched their bid to host the Region’s premier age group track and field event in 2020 at this year’s CARIFTA Games Congress.
The local contingent is scheduled to return home on tomorrow.
