Jade Bailey narrowly missed qualifying for the World Championships on Sunday night at the Barbados National Track and Field Championships as she reclaimed the 200m title she lost two years ago.
After Saturday’s false start, Bailey stayed back in the blocks and waited for the starter. It was an even break as Shakera Reece picked up the stagger on Katrina Weir. Reece and Bailey entered the turn together and Bailey led coming out, but it lacked any explosion.
She pulled away from Reece with consummate ease on the homestretch, but started easing down about 20 metres from the line which cost her precious time and resulted in 23.39 seconds.
The time surpassed the 23.70 for the CAC Seniors and the 23.50 for the Pan Am Games, but came up short of the required 23.00 (A) or 23.30 (B) needed for the World Championships.
She walked back towards the stands, acknowledging the applause.
Reece was second in 23.78 seconds and Weir took third in 24.49 to make up for her disqualification in the 100 metres.
With Andrew Hinds, Ramon Gittens, Stephen Headley and several others out of the men’s race, last year’s “B” winner Rico Ward refused to be caught, finishing first in 21.56 seconds. Jerry-Lee Davis was second in 21.62 and St Vincent’s Courtney Bascombe third in 21.64.
Levi Cadogan won the “B” final in 21.78 second, while Ariel Jackson won the women’s “B” in 25.42.
Kion Joseph proved his recent string of victories over Tramaine Maloney was no fluke when he won the national title in a very good time of 52.86 seconds in the 400m hurdles. Joseph likes Maloney to be ahead of him and he was drawn in lane 4 with Maloney in six.
There wasn’t much separating them over the first 300m and it was in the final turn where Joseph caught Maloney.
Maloney was second in 53.01 seconds, both qualifying for Pan Am Juniors. CARIFTA Under-17 gold medallist Dario Scantlebury was third in 54.20.
The 800 metres also saw some very good times. Sonia Gaskin led the women’s 800m from start to finish, and with very little competition, ran her best time at home of 2:11.91. Cindy Forde, the CARIFTA Under-17 gold medallist couldn’t catch her, but kept second place in a new personal best of 2:13.06, down from 2:14.66, while Shani Adams was third in 2:13.22,her season’s best.
Anthonio Mascoll started the second heat of the men’s 800m which was mysteriously run as a timed final. Pulling the field along in about 54 seconds on the first lap, he suddenly dropped out of the race along the backstretch and John Haynes pounced on the field, producing a personal best 1:53.13 to qualify for the World Youth Championships in France. Jamar Maynard was second in 1:54.72 and Christian Rock third in 1:55.82.
The highlight of the field events was the new national championships record of 6.16 metres by Akela Jones in the long jump, coming on the very last attempt. Romario Antoine also set a new meet record of 15.56m in the Under-18 boys’shot put.
Barry Batson was just nine centimetres off qualifying for the CAC Seniors when he won the men’s triple jump with 15.81 metres. CARIFTA gold medallist Shamar Rock was second with a new personal best of 14.43 and Hakeem Belle third with 14.27m.
Justin Cummins won the men’s javelin with 65.64m, holding off St Lucia’s Albert Reynolds (65.35m). Thorrold Murray cleared 2.10m to win the high jump and Dominica’s Melissa Alfred threw 44.44m to win the discus.
