CARIFTA Games’ athletes Anika Blackman and Matthew Clarke displayed their quality with solid performances when the 22nd Austin Sealy Athletics Classic climaxed at the National Stadium on Sunday night.
With Sir Austin in attendance for the second straight day, the 14-year-old Blackman, who competed only in the 100 metres hurdles at the Games in The Bahamas, showed she can handle the 400 hurdles as well.
Competing against fellow CARIFTA athlete Kenneah Romney ofSt Kitts’ Outer Limits club, the Princess Margaret schoolgirl easily won the Under-17 Girls’ event in 1:09.22 minutes. Romney clocked 1:11.55.
Blackman returned to win the 200 in 26.42 seconds from her Proformers clubmate Adeya Brewster (26.46) and Elite Distance’s Rickyla Fagan (26.72) after running 26.36 in the heats.
Clarke, who failed to reach the sprint finals at CARIFTA, won the Men’s 200 in 21.38 from fellow CARIFTA sprinter Kuron Griffith (21.61) and BSSAC sprint double winner Josiah Atkins (21.72).
It took the photo finish cameras to separate eventual winner Shemia Odaine of Rising Stars by the narrowest of margins and Quantum Leap’s fast-finishing Rhea Hoyte in the Women’s 200 as both were clocked at 24.72 secondsÂ
In the Under-17 Boys’ 200, UWI Blackbirds’ Jean-Pierre Hinds sped away from St Kitts’ Outer Limits’ K’Anthony Benjamin (23.03) to cross the line in 22.47 seconds.
There was also a keen contest in the Men’s 400-metre hurdles where Kion Joseph (51.53) prevailed over Fabian Norgrove (51.80). Rising Stars’ Jaden Callender took the Under-17 Boys’ race in 58.92 seconds.
Rising Stars’ Skye Spencer-Layne and Elite’s Tyjah Bishop triumphed in the Under-13 Girls’ and Boys’ 200 in 27.19 and 25.93 seconds, respectively. Elite’s speedy Aaliyah Agard (25.12) and Rising Stars’ improving Jadon Pearce (23.75) did likewise among the Under-15s.
In a pedestrian Men’s 800, Alex Golding (2:02.55) passed Joseph Parris (2:02.69) over the last ten metres to win while Proformers’ six-footer Miguel Nicholls (2:04.04) held off Savion Hoyte (2:06.01) to take the Under-17 category.
Deshawn Douglas of St Kitts’ Outer Limits impressively won the Under-15 Boys’ two-lap 800 in 2:16.22 minute while Tiara Stewart (1:49.22) nipped her Elite clubmate Tionce Walrond (1:49.22) on the line in the Girls’ 600.
On the field, Justin Adams-Yearwood (38.73) edged CARIFTA athlete Seth Edwards (38.60) in the Under-20 Boys’ discus while Romario Antoine (46.07) took the Men’s section.
Antonio Weekes with a hop, skip and jump of 14.40 metres, won the Men’s triple jump.
Tenielle Chapman-Goodluck followed up Saturday’s triumph in the Under-15 girls’ shot put by also winning the javelin with a throw of 29.93 metres.
BC Trac’s Imani Austin and Alex Duguid-Green were the Under-15 and Under-17 Boys’ winners with 38.53 and 40.40 metres, respectively. Rising Stars’ Antonio Farrell had a best clearance of 1.95 in the men’s high jump while Shanice Hutson won the Women’s shot with a put of 10.55 metres. (EZS)
