Multiple CARIFTA Games gold medallist Victor Houston will be among the honourees at this year’s Joseph Payne Memorial Classic, which comes off at the National Stadium from noon on Saturday.
Houston, a two-time Olympian who also holds the national 400-metre hurdles record of 49.21 seconds, joins several outstanding Barbadian athletes, such as long-standing record-holder Orlando Greene, to see athletes compete in events bearing their names.
The versatile Houston will have his name affixed to the men’s long jump, which is slated to be contested at 2 p.m.
Even though it is early in the season, athletes will be taking aim at Greene’s 1976 national 800 metres record of 1.46.21 minutes.
That event, which will run off at 4:05 p.m., will be preceded by the Letitia Gilkes Memorial Women’s 800 Metres Open at 3:30 p.m. with the likes of Shonita Broomes, Charissa Moore, Asia Foster, Trecia Phillips and Ashley Weekes.
Roneldo Rock and Tafari Bishop, who reached the CARIFTA Games’ qualifiying standard in the Under-20 Boys’ 800, will renew their rivalry, but senior athletes Joshua Hunte, Dario Grandison and Hakeem Newton, as well as reigning CARIFTA Under-20 Boys’ champion Jonathan Jones, are also entered.
High jumper Henderson Dottin has also been added to the list of athletes who are again being recognised with field events named after them.
Other honourees are Dave Taylor (men’s discus), Akela Jones (women’s long jump), Shernelle Nicholls (women’s shot put), Desiree Crichlow (women’s high jump), Keisha Walkes (women’s discus), Alvin Haynes (men’s triple jump) and Justin Cummins (men’s javelin).
There will also be separate track and field events for primary school athletes in the Under-9, Under-11 and Under-13 age groups.
The meet will be a historic one because, for the very first time, overseas athletes from the Kaizen Panthers Athletic Club in Trinidad and Tobago will compete with a six-member team.
Initially, four athletes had confirmed their participation but experienced 25-year-old Akeem Stewart and 18-year-old Clarence Hannibal have now joined their Trinidadian compatriots.
The other four Trinidadians are three-time CARIFTA Games representative Safiya John, two-time CARIFTA high jumper Che Saunders, Franklyn Stanislaus and Kelsey Daniel, who will compete in the long and triple jumps. (EZS)
