Barbados put in another unbeatable performance to cop the overall crown and several individual titles at last weekend’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Multi-Event Age Group Championships in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
With 27 290 points, Barbados topped 19 other countries to win the biennial competition for the third consecutive time. The Bahamas were the closest rivals, second with 27 027 points. They were followed by Trinidad and Tobago (26 704), St Kitts-Nevis (26 311) and Puerto Rico with 25 606 to round out the top five.
Two athletes, Ramarco “Remarkable” Thompson and “Super” Mario Burke also grabbed the headlines in the local paper with record-breaking performances as Barbados won three of the four age groups.
Thompson made significant improvements, surpassing his personal milestone of 5 000 points with 5 264 to win the Boys’ 13-to-14 age group. He broke the 80m dash record, lowering it from 9.36 seconds to 9.23 before Burke followed soon after with a stunning 9.09 seconds.
Thompson went on to set another record of 1.88 metres in the high jump, erasing the 1.78 by Dudly Boeldak of Curacao set two years ago. He and Burke both clocked 11.44 seconds in the 80m hurdles, shattering another Boeldak record of 11.73 seconds.
Despite fighting the effects of shin splints, Thompson was consistent, placing ninth in the shot put (12.12m); sixth in the baseball throw (74.57) and seventh in the long jump with 5.73m.
Burke was sixth overall with 4 745 points in the division after placing fifth in the long jump with 5.87m, but fell off the pace in the high jump and baseball throw.
Danielle Scantlebury also showed tremendous improvement to win the girls’ division with 3 894 points. Among her best performances were a fourth place (10.52 secs) in the 60m; 9.66 secs in the 60mh; and 4.92m for sixth in the long jump. She was eighth in the 800m.
Burrowes, who attended the CARIFTA Games earlier this year in Jamaica, was unfortunate to suffer a left ankle injury. She had been among the leaders in the division but after picking up the injury was unable to compete in the long jump and 1 000 metres.
She still earned 2 625 points.
Indeed, had she been fit, she and Scantlebury could have swept the top two places and Barbados’ margin of victory would have been much wider.
Tanice Watson’s record of 1.58m in the high jump was broken, raised to 1.61m, but Jerrad Mason’s 3:22.11 in the 1 200m is safe for another two years.
Tiana Bowen was the Girls’ 11-to-12 champion with 2 919 points. Bowen was fourth in the 80m dash in 8.26 seconds and the long jump (4.74m); second in the high jump at 1.49m and in the 800m in 2:28.01.
Cristanna McConney was 25th overall. She was one of several athletes who broke the record in the 60m dash, clocking 8.24 seconds to be second overall. She was fifth in the long jump (4.72m) and high jump (1.35m), but finished down the line in the baseball throw.
She did not finish the 800m and ended with 2 202 points.
Christopher Taitt was the runner-up in the boys’ section with 3 012 points. He was third in the 60m dash (8.09) and long jump with 4.84m; won the baseball throw with 61.34m and was tenth in the high jump at 1.35m.
Ryan Vickers gave a very commendable performance and was 18th overall with 2 629.
Barbados also swept both of the combined 4x100m relays. The 13-to-14 team clocked 47.65 seconds, with The Bahamas a distant second in 48.03 and Guadelope third in 48.67.
The 11-to-12 quartet also won gold in 49.97 seconds. St Kitts (51.74) nipped Trinidad (51.75) for second place.
