ONLY THE photo-finish camera could separate Barbados’ two fastest junior sprinters Mario Burke and Levi Cadogan in a thrilling 150-metre race at the National Stadium, yesterday.
Die-hard athletics fans got a teaser and taste of things to come this year with a blanket finish as the two national representatives heated up another low-key Athletics Association of Barbados’ Odd Distances Development Meet.
Competing for the first time this season as the High Performance Programme (HPP) athletes took to the track, Burke and Cadogan showcased sizzling speed in a dazzling homestretch duel.
They matched each other stride for stride over the last 75 metres and crossed the line together in 15:17 seconds with Burke pushing his torso and leaning forward on the outside of Cadogan.
It took a while before Burke, the reigning CARIFTA Games Under-17 Boys’ 100 metres gold medallist, was declared the winner by 6000th of a second, being timed at 15.163 to Cadogan’s 15.169.
Nicholas Jordan (15.91) and Tre Adamson (16.04) were a distant third and fourth.
Earlier, Burke (33.29) had a more comfortable victory over Cadogan (34.35) in the Men Open 300 metres.
With Joshua Hunte resting, Pius Emilien had no competition in the Open Men’s 1200 and 600 metres, running against the clock for times of 3:25.42 minutes and 1:26.78, respectively.
HPP’s Rio Williams (3:33.96) won the Under-18 Boys’ 1200 metres and Alleyne’s Kedane Pollard (1:32.86) triumphed in the Under-18 Boys’ 600 metres.
EDP’s Kai Alleyne impressively won the Under-15 Boys’ 600 in 1:40.06 and the 1200 metres in 4:00.19 minutes and The Lodge School’s Jaiden Devonish (1:58.46) the under-13 Boys’ 600 metres.
EDP’s Elizabeth Williams won the Under-18 Girls’ 1200 metres in 4:00.09 and her clubmate Florence Fields (1:42.93) won the girls Under-18 race, beating Women’s Open winner, Aisha Bowen (1:47.73) in the process in a merged race. Anika Farmer won the Junior Girls 1200 metres in 4:59.53 minutes while Parkinson’s Tia Lewis (1:41.96) won the Under-15 Girls’ 600 metres.Â
EDP’s Sada Williams continued her winning ways from last Saturday, taking the Under-18 girls’ 150 metres (17.73) from HPP’s Jalisa Burrowes (18.46) and 300 (39.20) from Asha Cave (41.80). Parkinson’s Rachelle Jackson (45.61) won the women’s open 300 metres.
Over in the long jump pit, EDP’s Anderson Greaves, who had triumphed in the 150 metres, clocking a pedestrian 17.74 seconds, slower than Sada Williams’ time, won the Under-18 Boys event with a leap of 6.20 metres.
EDP’s Torian Waldron took the Under-15 Boys’ category with a best effort of 5:18 metres, which was just fractionally more than Shonita Brome’s winning distance of 5.07 metres for the Under-15 Girls.
Tere Griffith of Alleyne (4.18) and Kemba Bobb (4.08) won the boys’ and girls’ Under-13 long jump respectively.
Bobb (21.41) also won the 150 metres while Nathan White (20.78) triumphed in the Under-13 Boys’ 150 metres and Deandra Deane-Mason (1:49.27) the Under-13 Girls’ 600 metres.
Other winners were Keara Cozier (20.54) the Under-15 Girls’ 150 metres and Hasani Lowe (18.57) the boys’ race.
HPP’s Akayla Morris (41.99) won the Under-15 Girls’ 300 metres; Tre Hollingworth (38.33); EDP’s Rishaunna Padmore (44.98) the Under-13 Girls’ 300 metres; and Nathan Roett (36.60) the Under-13 Boys’ 300 metres.
