Tafari Waldron of Cougars signalled he is ready to defend his Carifta Games Boys Under 20 5000 metres title when he broke the National Under 20 record on the second day of the National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAATT) 2024 Carifta Games Trials at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, yesterday.
Waldron completed the 12.5 laps race in 14 minutes and 57.95 seconds to lower the previous record of 14:58.46 mark set by Quinton John when he won the event at the 1991 Carifta Games held at the same venue. The Queen’s Royal student easily went under the 16:35.71 standard for the event. The victory was his second at the Trials after he took the boys Under 20 1500m on the first day clocking 4:00.81. He led the top four finishers in the race under the 4:11.49 standard.
Concorde’s Tyrique Vincent achieved the qualifying standards in four events. On the first day, Vincent got over the Boys Under 17 1100m barrier of 14.78 when he won the race in a wind-aided (4.3m/s)14.43 time. He then landed the long jump crown with a distance of 6.74m.
The Fatima College student then returned yesterday to take the high jump with a 1.84 metres clearing, getting over the 1.81 standard, and then completed the quadruple win in the triple jump leaping to 13.50m to go beyond the 12.61 standard.
The next four finishers behind him also surpassed the Carifta Games mark. Ruel McEwen (Kaizen Panthers), 13.35, QRC’s Kristian Perez, 13.03, and Dominic Maxwell of Toco TAFAC with 12.92 were the others.
Kadeem Chinapoo of Simplex heads off athletes who were double qualifiers. Chinapoo followed up his impressive win in the Boys Under 17 100m (10.58w) on Saturday with an equally stunning performance in the 200m yesterday. taking the finals in windy 21.66 seconds beating the 22.06 standard by more than half a second. He topped the semifinals in 21.67 seconds. Jenna-Marrie Thomas (IG Fastlane) secured the Girls Under 17 400m hurdles title in 1:05.33 on Sunday to add to her triumph in the 100m hurdles. In the one lap hurdles race Thomas led silver medallist Durliana Rouse of Pt Fortin New Jets (1:06.18) and third-placer D’Abadie Progressive’s Zariah Pascall (1:06.50) under the 1:06.85 standard.
Alexxe Henry (Zenith) ran away with the Girls Under 20 200m dash pulling the next four finishers under the 24.69 standard. Henry prevailed in 24.07 seconds ahead of Kaziah Peters of Simplex 24.31, 100m winner Symphony Patrick (Concorde), 24.37, Kadijah Pickering of Abilene Wildcats, 24.40 and another Simplex sprinter Sierra Joseph (24.47). All times were under the World Under 20 standard of 24.35.
However, the performances were not valid as the wind reading was 3.0m/s, over the allowable limit of 2.0.
Kayleigh Forde (One-A-Week) ran away with the Girls Under 20 1500m crown in 4:47.69, almost 12 seconds quicker than the 4:59.15 standard. In the Girls Under 20 800m finals on Sunday, Forde clocked 2:18.53 to zip under the 2:18.57 but she had to settle for second as 400m winner Natalia Eastman of Rss Phoenix was first to the line in 2:18.29.
Tenique Vincent (Concorde) qualified for the Girls Under 17 high jump and 100m hurdles on Saturday but came up short in the long jump and 200m. In the long jump, she had to settle on countback behind Zenith’s Xiah Tobias as both had marks of 5.22m.
Though they were short of the 5.42 standard, both got over the marks before the Trials. Vincent leaped to 5.83 at the North Regional Secondary Schools Championships on January 30. Tobias leaped to 5.44 at the NAAA Meet 1 on January 7. Vincent was second in the 100m hurdles in 14.78 to go under the 14.85 standard and won the high jump in 1.62 (standard 1.56). She qualified for the 200m finals but opted out.
Peyton Winter(Burnley) got over the Girls Under 17 shot put (12.18) and discus (32.94) standards with marks of 13.82 and 35.49 respectively.
Ten more athletes achieved the standard on Day two to join the 35 from Day one.
This year’s Carifta Games are set for the Kirani James Stadium in St Georges, Grenada from March 30 to April 1.
