Rising Stars shine in Canada

Rising Stars Track and Field Club completed a successful tour of Canada last month, returning with more than 30 medals from two competitions.
Kierre Beckles, who left the island yesterday for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, won the women’s 100 metre hurdles in 13.47 seconds at the Athletics Ontario Junior and Senior Championships.
Teammate Sade Sealy, who also competed under the Rising Stars banner, won the 400 metres in 54.12 seconds after a time of 54.86 in the heats.
Rivaldo Leacock set a personal time of 55.24 seconds in the 400-metre hurdles (91cm), competing in the Youth category to win that event.
Shamar Rock won two of the five gold medals at the meet, leaping to a personal best 14.95 metres in the triple jump and also took the long jump with 7.05 metres.
Rising Stars also finished third out of 47 teams with 13 gold, 10 silver and five bronze medals at the Flying Angels International Classic in Toronto.
Leacock won two individual gold medals in the Youth section, taking both the 400 metres and 300 metres hurdles. He won the one-lapper in 50.69 seconds and the 300 metres hurdlles in 38.73.
Juwan Augustin-Mayers, who was runner-up to Leacock in 44.02, won the 110 metres hurdles in 14.77, as well as a bronze medal in the 200 metres in 23.12.
In the same age group, Rock was a double silver medallist with 6.75 metres and 13.84 metres, respectively in the long jump and triple jump, while Aaron Worrell was also a runner-up in the high jump, clearing 1.60 metres.
Ryan Vickers won the 80 metres hurdles in the Youth division in 12.25 seconds and Antoni Hoyte-Small was third in 13.47. Vickers also picked up silver in the 200 metres, racing to the finish in 27.37 seconds.
Timeka Jordan’s two individual silver medals came in the senior sprints where she did 12.38 seconds and 25.53, respectively in the 100 and 200 metres.
Akem Callender won the senior boys’ 100 in 11.55 seconds and was third in the 200 in 23.97.
Among the younger children, Jean-Paul Hibbert clocked 15 seconds flat to win the 100 metres for the Mites. He was second in the 200 metres in 33.84 seconds, while Unique Cox won the girls’ race in 34.38.
Shem Williams won the long jump in the Atom section with a leap of 4.60 metres and his second medal, a bronze, came in the 100 metres where he clocked 13.45.
Renita Sandiford won a silver medal in the Atom girls’ 400 metres in 1 minute.08.88 seconds and the final bronze medallist was Romari Archer with 5.40 metres in the Tyke’s shot put event.
Five of the six relays teams also won gold medals, while several other athletes advanced to the finals but did not win medals.