Senior Multimedia Reporter
nigel.simon@guardian.co.tt
T&T’s Nikoli Blackman made it two gold medals from as many finals when he won the men’s 100m freestyle final on the second night of finals at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games at the National Aquatic Centre in Balmain Couva, last night.
Overall, T&T’s medal tally stood at four after fellow swimmer Zarek Wilson won silver in the men’s 50m backstroke and Janae De Gannes, silver in the women’s long jump final at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo as the track and field segment of the games began.
The winner of this country’s first gold medal in the men’s 200m freestyle on Sunday night in a new personal best time of one minute, 49.94 seconds, the former St Anthony’s College and Fatima College student, repeated his triumph in the 100m freestyle final in a time of 49.60 seconds, well clear of Scotland’s Matthew Ward who took silver in 50.26, while Bahamian Marvin Johnson Jr, got bronze in 50.41.
The other finishers in the final were England’s Reuben Rowbotham-Keating in 50.63 followed by Scotland’s Stefan Krawiec (50.84), Cayman Islands’ Allison James (50.98), New Zealand’s Kevin Zhang (51.09), and England’s Nick Finch (51.14).
Earlier in the morning heats, the 17-year-old Blackman who departs next week to pick up studies at the University of Tennessee in the USA, returned to the pool less than 24 hours later to top the men’s 100m freestyle heats overall in 50.62 to win the seventh and final heat ahead of fellow qualifiers, Rowbotham-Keating (51.13), Krawiec (51.17), and Finch (51..22).
Ward qualified as the winner of heat six in 50.69 and was joined by James (50.94), and Tyler Melbourne-Smith of Wales who clocked 51.26, but opted out of the final, while Johnson Jr won heat five in 50.82 to earn his spot in the final.
The 17-year-old Wilson, who trains with Dynamo Swim Club, in Atlanta, Georgia, and has committed to the University of Alabama got to the wall in the men’s 50m backstroke final in 26.18 seconds to trail champion and new games record holder Matthew Ward of Scotland who touched the wall in 25.51 to lower his previous record established in the morning heats, while Bahamian Nigel Forbes earned the bronze medal in 26.32.
The other finishers in the final were Scotland’s Dean Fearn (26.44), Northern Ireland’s Brandon Biss (26.67), New Zealand’s Jasper Cornish (27.12), Namibia’s Jose Canjulo (27.24), and Singapore’s Zackery Tay in 27.62.
In the morning preliminary heats, Wilson competing in the second of four heats was second to the wall in 26.51 seconds, to finish behind Forbes who won in 26.46 with Singapore’s Reagan Cheng third in 26.57, to be the eighth and final qualifier to the final.
Ward, who raced to victory in a new games record of 26.57 in the fourth and final heat was the top qualifier, and in the process bettered the 2015 time of 25.93 set by South African Zane Wadell in Somoa.
Fearn topped heat three in 26.71, with Canjulo second in 27.19, and Tay in the third spot in 27.32 while Biss was second in heat four in 27.06 while Cornish was the third and final qualifier from heat four in 27.24.
Today, Willson tackles the 100m butterfly, and then the 50m freestyle on Wednesday while Blackman will also contest the 50m freestyle.
Neaves pedal to sixth
in Road Race
At the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, San Fernando, T&T’s Jadian Neaves had an impressive sixth place finish in one hour, 33.55 minutes in a bunch finish with 13 other cyclists, the same time given to countryman Justin Boynes, who was 17th in the men’s Road Race.
Northern Ireland’s Oisin Ferrity pedalled his way to the gold medal in one hour, 33.05 minutes, the same time as silver medalist Max Bufton of Wales, while Malaysia’s Newjoe Lau rode to the bronze medal in one hour, 33.25 minutes.
In the women’s event, T&T’s Ashleigh Thomas rode her way to a 15th-placed finish in one hour, 44.04 minutes.
Australians Keira Will and Lauren Emily Bates, both crossed the line in a similar time of one hour and 29 minutes to secure the gold and silver medals respectively while Ruby Oakes of the Isle of Man got the nod ahead of South African Jessie Munton, for the bronze, with both riders credited with the same time of one hour, 32.47 minutes as well.
The trio of riders were also the top three finishers in the 10-kilometres Time Trial on Saturday, with Bates taking the gold medal on that occasion.
Today, Neaves and Titus Bharat will compete in the men’s 3000m Individual Pursuit as the track events begin while Alexia Wilson faces the starter in the women’s Points Race as well as the Sprint qualifiers alongside Makaira Wallace, with Syndel Samaroo, and Danell James, listed to contest the men’s Sprint qualifiers at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva,
Johnson and Roberts taste victory at Black Rock
At the Black Rock Facility, Tobago, T&T beach volleyball teams, Meeka Johnson, and L’fe Roberts and Jahreef Miguel and Jerome Morrison had mixed results in their round-of-16 main draw matches.
The pair of Johnson and Roberts went under to New Zealand’s Kiana Stevenson, and Tineke Hinton 9-21, 9-21 but rebounded to beat Vanuatu’s Stephanie Joel, and Eleno Moule 21-18, 18-21, 17-15 after saving two match points in the third set at 13-14, and 14-15 in their ninth to 12th semifinal to set up a meeting with Rwanda’s Claire Uwase, and her sister Hygette Uwase for the ninth spot today from 5 pm.
In the other ninth to 12th semifinal, the Rwandans swept Cayman Islands’ sisters, Brianna Delapenha, and Anjia Delapenha 21-14, 21-11.
And in the men’s competition, T&T’s Jahreef Miguel, and Jerome Morrison were edged out by Rwanda’s Tristan Kayiranga and Francois Mugisha 17-21, 21-11, 11-15 in the round-of-16, and then suffered a 14-21, 26-28 loss to Sri Lankans Nisal Hawarige and Oliver Warnakulasuriya who they defeated 21-15, 21-14 in pool play on Saturday.
With the loss, Miguel and Morrison will meet Gambians Sanusi Jawara, and Bubacarr Semega for the 11th spot.
Ruggermen, women
to play for 5th spot
At Shaw Park Sporting Complex, in Scarborough, the T&T men’s rugby sevens team enjoyed their first win in three matches, beating Caribbean rivals Jamaica 22-14 after trailing 5-7 at the half-time interval.
For T&T, Jaheim Walton scored two tries while Thomas Wieczorek and Shane St Louis added a try each, and Aaron Stanley, two of four conversions to cement the win.
Jamaica had taken the lead through a try conversion from AnthonyPencle who repeated the same feat in the second half to account for all his team’s points in the contest.
However, in their final match of the day, the local boys suffered a 0-57 drubbing against Canada with Stephen Webb leading the way for the North Americans with three tries and six of nine conversions.
The duo of Briar Baron and Sebastian Lambert added two tries each for Canada while Morgan Di Nardo and Reece Thompson added one each in the lopsided victory.
Today, the T&T boys will meet Scotland in their final pool match from 9 am ahead of their expected fifth to sixth spot playoff from 1 pm versus Jamaica.
The local women’s rugger sevens teams ended without a win from their four matches after going under to Kenya, 0-48, and Canada in their final two round-robin matches yesterday.
In the opener, Kenya was inspired by three tries from Ann Kishep and two from Margaret Wanjiru with the trio of Sharon Mathaka, Janet Oyare, and Linda Kagwiria getting one each while Jackline Kagwiria also got four of five conversions.
And in their final pool match against Canada, T&T women were steamrolled 59-0 with
Charlotte Hilton scored three tries, and Elle Douglas, Kiki Idowu, Elise Pye Adia, Brooklyn Roddham, Zina Umeh, and Kennedi Stevenson all added one each.
Douglas also helped herself to three conversions from four attempts, and Ava Ference, three conversions from a similar four efforts at the target.
Today, the T&T girls will meet Wales in their final pool match from 9 am in what is expected to be a preview of their fifth to sixth spot playoff from 1.30 pm.
