Barbados finished sixth at the 19th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Junior Track and Field Championships which ended Sunday in El Salvador with 18 medals, six of each kind.
Although the team won only one more medal than the 2010 edition in the Dominican Republic, there was a slight improvement on the quality of the medals as the team only won three gold and five silver medals on that occasion.
Jamaica were once again at the top of the tables with 44 medals (20-15-9), followed by Mexico (11-6-2-19); Trinidad and Tobago (8-6-9-23), Puerto Rico (7-10-7-24) and Cuba with 12 (7-4-1).
The Bahamas were seventh overall with 28 medals, comprising five gold, ten silver and 13 bronze.
In the final session on Sunday evening, Barbados won two gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
Shakera Hall won the Under-18 Girls’ 100 metres hurdles in a new championship record of 13.53 seconds, shattering the 13.72 set by Kierre Beckles back in 2006. She edged Jamaica’s Tishanna Montieth who was second in 13.55, while Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas was third in 13.77.
CARIFTA gold medallist Sade-Mariah Greenidge also won gold in 13.49 seconds, leaving more daylight between her and Jamaican Chrisdale McCarthy (13.69) and another Jamaican, Samantha Scarlett, who took bronze with 13.78.
Dario Scantlebury placed sixth in the Under-18 Boys’ 110-metre hurdles in 14.15 seconds which was won by Trinidad’s Reubin Walters in 13.49 seconds.
Tia-Adana Belle won her second silver medal with 55.92 seconds in the Under-18 Girls’ 400 metres. The gold went to Jamaica’s Tiffany James in 55.09 and 56.13 gave St Kitts’ Renika Daniel the bronze medal.
Also winning a second silver medal was Anthonio Mascoll with a time of 47.10 seconds in the Under-20 Boys’ 400 metres behind Cuba’s Yoandys Prado (46.17) and ahead of Bermuda’s Shaquille Dill (47.16).
Mascoll also won bronze in the 4×400-metre relay with Kion Joseph, Tramaine Maloney and Nikolai Gall in 3:10.73 behind Jamaica (3:08.94) and The Bahamas (3:10.31), respectively.
Jerrad Mason was fifth in the Under-18 Boys’ quarter-mile in 48.75 seconds as Trinidad’s Machel Cedenio struck gold in 47.36 and compatriot Theon Lewis silver in 48.11. Jose Perez, the 800 metres champion, was third in 48.21 seconds.
Mason won a silver medal as part of the Under-18 Boys’ 4×400-metre relay team comprising Scantlebury, Mario Burke and Levi Cadogan in a time of 3 minutes 14.31 seconds. Jamaica were first in 3:11.66 and it took the cameras to separate Puerto Rico (3:14.772) from The Bahamas (3:14.775) for bronze.
Neither of the javelin throwers was able to reach 70 metres which would have given them silver and bronze behind Trinidadian Keshorn Walcott who set a new Under-20 record of 82.83 metres.
Instead, Caymanian Alexander Pascal sneaked in to take silver with 68.84. Nicoliai Bovelle took bronze with 68.20 metres and Janeil Craigg finished fourth with 68.13 metres.
