The trio of Janae De Gannes, Kadeem Chinapoo, and Tafari Waldron all won gold medals for T&T to close out the 51st edition of the Carifta Games at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium, Grenada, last night.
De Gannes lived up to her billing as the gold medal favourite in the Under-20 Girls Long Jump by taking gold medal with a record leap of 6.50 metres on her first attempt to better Yanis David 6.48 metres set in 2016 also in Grenada.
Jamaica’s Rohanna Surdlow finished second with 6.30m, and Bahamian Lanaisha Lubin, bronze with a best of 5.90m while T&T’s other entrant, Naomi Pierce was sixth with a best of 5.77m on her sixth and final attempt.
Chinapoo added to T&T’s golden haul when he topped the 200m Boys Under-17 final in 21.78 seconds beating Jamaica’s Oshane Jervis (22.16), and British Virgin Islands’ Tiondre Frett (22.18) in a close third.
Waldron repeated as champion in the Under-20 Boys 5000m in astonishing fashion with a time of 15 minutes, 01.60 seconds with Bermuda’s Jake Brislane a distant second in 15:42.42 and T&T’s Omare Thompson adding another medal for his team in securing third in 16:03.43.
USA-based Sole Frederick had to settle for the silver medal in the Under-20 Girls 200m final in 23.07 seconds, losing out to Jamaica’s Shanoya Douglas who in a tight finish in 23.03 with Jamaica’s Sabrina Dockery (23.13) just edging out the other Frederick sister defendin champion Sanaa (23.24) for the bronze.
In the Under-17 Girls 100m hurdles final, T&T’s Jenna-Marie Thomas had to settle for the silver medal with a time of 13.74 seconds, to trail Jamaica’s Malaysia Duncan who won in 13.63 while Curacao’s Zsa-Zsa Frans took bronze in 14.21 with T&T’s other finalist Tenique Vincent, fifth in 14.72.
In the morning session, Thomas qualified for the final as the runner-up in heat two and third fastest overall with a time of 14.01 seconds, to trail Jamaican Angel Robinson (13.82) while Vincent also secured a spot in the final as the third-placed finisher in heat one in 14.75, the sixth best time overall, and behind Duncan who won the heat in 14.26, and Frans, who clocked 14.33 for the fourth best time.
The local boys quartet of Makeelan Woods, Shezlon Gordon, Michal Paul, and Khordae Lewis had to settle for silver in the Under-17 Boys 4x100m relay in 3:21.24 behind champions Jamaica while host Grenada took the bronze while the Under-20 Girls relay team secured a silver medal as well.
T&T’s Keneisha Shelbourne secured a bronze medal in the Under-20 Girls High Jump with a best height of 1.70 metres, after failing to clear the 1.73m marker.
Jamaica took gold and silver with Rasheda Samuels, the winner at 1.78m and Dejanne Bruce, the silver at 1.76m
T&T’s Keeran Sriskandarajah got bronze in the Under-20 Boys 800m in one minute, 52.91 seconds, with his countryman Jahfa Woodley, fourth in 1:53.63 minutes while Jamaica’s Kemario Bygrave won gold in 1:51.43, and Grenada’s Deangelo Brown second in 1:52.81.
The local Under-17 Girls 4x400 relay quartet of Kyah Hyson, Tenique Vincent, Shian Lewis, and Jenna-Marie Thomas were elevated from fourth to third spot with a time of three minutes, 54.49 seconds and Barbados was disqualified while Jamaica was an easy winner in 3:41.84, with Bahamas taking silver in 3:47.13.
In the 4x400m Boys Under-20 relay, the T&T quartet of Dashaun Lezama, Daeshaun Cole, Keone John, and Kyrell Thomas placed third in heat two in three minutes, 15.31 seconds to qualify third best behind Jamaica (3:13.52), and Guyana (3:15.14), and fifth best overall ahead of the final.
Grenada qualified top in 3:12.09 and Bahamas, third in 3:12.51 after their one-two finish in semifinal heat one.
T&T’s Addalia Sylvester was fourth with a best of 35.73m in the Girl’s Discus Throw, with compatriot Peyton Winter, fifth with 32.72.
In the Under-17 Boys 110m hurdles, T&T’s Omari Brown (14.20 seconds) and Tyrique Vincent (33.75) were fifth and seventh respectively.
T&T’s Shian Lewis was fourth in in the Under-17 Girls 800m in two minutes, 21.36 seconds and in the boys equivalent, T&T’s Brion Scott was fifth in two minutes, 00.28 seconds. And in the Under-20 Girls, 800m T&T’s Kaleigh Forde was seventh best in 2:16.67 minutes.
T&T will play host to the 2025 Carifta Games Track and Field Championship.
