Five athletes from defending Zonal Secondary Schools champion Tobago are among a list of 14 athletes who have attained the qualifying standards of the 2013 Carifta Games in Bahamas from March 30 to April.
Reigning Carifta champions Chelsea James, Kenejah Williams and Andwuelle Wright lead the way for the Tobagonians.
James won the Carifta girls under 17 shot title put last year in a games record of 14.02m and is looking to defend her crown. The Signal Hill Secondary thrower made the mark in the girls under 17 shot put and discus, while Williams, the boys under 17 shot put winner got over the required distances in the boys under 20 shot put and discus. Wright, the boys under 17 long jump gold medalist sailed over the standard in the boys under 17 long jump.
James (Tobago Falcons) surpassed the girls under 17 shot put and discus standard of 12.00m and 32.00m respectively at the first NAAA Development Meet at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on January 12. She captured the shot put with a personal best of 14.18 and also bettered the World Youth mark of 13.50. She was first in the discus with a distance of 32.29.
James' Tobago Falcons club mate Wiliams also got marks in the shot put (15.00) and discus (46.00) in the boys under 20 age group. The Scarborough Secondary fourth form student took the shot put with a throw of 15.74 and the discus (47.34). Another Scarborough Secondary student Shaquille Waithe (Zenith) was over the boys under 20 javelin 54.00 qualifying barrier with a 55.34 winning effort. A third Tobago Falcons athlete Edson Moses jumped over the 1.85 boys under 17 high jump distance with 1.86. Toco TAFAC's Ayana Glasgow equaled the girls under 17 high jump mark of 1.65 in the aborted girls heptathlon event. Her club mate Cherise Murray was one of two to go over the girls under 20 discus distance of 38.00. Arch-rival Shaunna Downey (Burnley) won the event with 40.62 ahead of Murray (38.66). Reubin Walters (Memphis) took the boys under 20 110m hurdles in 14.28, faster than the 14.70 standard.
Murray also notched a qualifying mark in the girls under 20 shot put (12.50) at the Second Development Meet at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on January 19. The 2010 CAC Junior champion won with a distance of 13.02 . Clubmate and last year's top female athlete at the Secondary School's championships, Akidah Briggs joined the list of qualifier when she took the girls under 17 javelin with a throw of 34.70 after narrowly missing out the 34.00 standard in the first Development meet.
Hezekeil Romeo won the boys under shot put with 16.26 (standard-15.00). At the third Development Meet, also held on the Ato Boldon Stadium, on January 26, Downey again met the girls under 20 discus mark with 38.96 while Walters dipped under the boys under 20 110m hurdles mark for a second time with 14.36. Shaian Charles (D'Abadie Progressive) joined James as a qualifier in the girls under 17 discus with a 37.71 toss. Wright (Signal HIll Secondary) got the required distance of 6.50 in the boys under 17 long jump at the Fourth Development Meet on February 3 with a second place finish of 6.53 behind Chad Richards (Oasics) who won with a leap of 6.94. Briggs qualified for a second event, the girls under 17 shot put with a distance of 12.73 (12.00). In the boys under 20 discus Micah Mc Nish (George Clarke Striders) got the implement out to 46.97, over the 46.00 standard. The results of the track events were not available for the Fourth Development Meet while Walters was the only track athlete to attain a Carifta standard in the Third Meet. At the first twoMeets the athletes competed in non-conventional events (60, 150m, 300m, 600m and 1000m) which are not contested at the Carifta Games.
At the 2012 Carifta Games Tobago won four of six gold medals won by Trinidad and Tobago with James, Williams, Wright and Mark London emerging winners and all are eligible for this year's meet. Olympic men's javelin champion Keshorn Walcott and Jonathan Farinha were the other gold medallists for T&T. Tobago also captured its 20th straight National Secondary Schools Track and Field title. Toco won the top co-ed and girls champion school titles in 2012.
