Veteran field athlete and former national standout Geraldine George secured silver in the women's 40-44 shot put final on the seventh day of action of the World Masters (Over 35) Outdoor Track and Field Championships yesterday in Perth, Australia.
George took the runners-up position at the Ern Clark Athletic Centre with a third round effort of 11.31 metres to finish behind the winner Vera Yepimashka of Belarus (14.20) and ahead of Finland's Kirsi Koro (10.71).
George improved on the bronze she won in the event at last year's World Championships in Lyon, France. The medal is the third for George, following her silver in the javelin on Monday and bronze in the discus on Tuesday. The national javelin record holder achieved a similar triple feat at the 2013 World Outdoor Championships in Porto Alegre, Brazil when she won the Javelin, was second in the shot put and third in the discus.
With the three medals won at this edition, the former Carifta champion has now earned 17 medals at the World Masters Indoor and Outdoor Championships. George's shot put silver is the sixth medal for the T&T contingent.
Marsha Mark-Baird remains on course for third gold medal as she is into the final of the women's 40-44 80 hurdles final. The heats, due to held yesterday, were cancelled as there were insufficient entries which mean that Mark-Baird and the other competitors who showed up will compete in the final set for today. The two-time Olympian won back-to-back Heptathlon titles on Saturday and the javelin gold on Monday. She is also expected to defend her long lump crown, later in the week.
At the end of eight day of competition, T&T athletes have won six medals (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze). Daniel Caines copped silver in the men's 35-39 100m final on Saturday. T&T is at 31st on the medal table. Hosts Australia is well ahead with 296 medals (98, 106, 82), with USA 105 (41, 28, 36), Great Britain & NI 72 (27, 27, 18), Finland 56 (23, 21, 12) and Germany 75 (20, 28, 27) rounding off the top five.
