AS the 2008 Barbados CARIFTA Games team celebrated one of the best performances in ten years on the infield, head coach Alwyn Babb praised them for their effort this past weekend at the 37th Games.

Babb was naturally pleased as he and the rest of the management team watched the athletes who were dancing on the infield, taking pictures and making or renewing friendships with others from across the region.

The team finished with 26 medals – the seven gold matching last year's performance, along with ten silver and nine bronze.

"Given the inexperience of some of the members of the team, I think that this year they performed way above expectations," said Babb.

"The fact that they came off of Inter-school Sports and the concern of whether they would've recovered in time to give a performance, and then we had the setback of not arriving a day early to adjust, I think they performed exceptionally well.

"Every single athlete in the area that they were given the responsibility of representing Barbados gave their best, and we covered every area."

Babb stressed that it was a balanced team which picked up medals in the field, on the track, in the jumps, and at the middle distances.

Although there were no medals in the sprints, those who made the finals also improved. He said this pointed to the fact that athletics in Barbados, on the whole, was improving.

His biggest surprise came from Akela Jones, the baby of the team, who took silver in the Under-17 Girls' high jump.

"I think to see Akela as a 12-year-old clear 1.71 metres was indeed a great surprise.

"There was much concern about her fear of the bar when it gets above 1.60, but with the help of the coaches who were on the side, she went over 1.71 and could've gone much higher, but again there is that fear which is associated with young athletes and their development. Once she gets over that, she is going to be a phenomenal jumper."

Babb was also pleased for the Under-20 Boys' 400m relay team of Jerry-Lee Davis, Shekeim Greaves, Reynaldo Bailey and Rico Tull who got bronze. The coach said while the sprinters weren't as competitive in the individual events, it proved that four good sprinters could be, "with some work".

Throws coach Stephen Skinner also praised the throwers, especially the first-timers, as well as Deandra Dottin who broke the national record to win gold in the Under-20 Girls' javelin.

Kierre Beckles set a CARIFTA and junior national record in the Under-20 Girls' 100-metre hurdles.