Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist Janae De Gannes was the star performer at the National Association of Athletics Association of T&T (NAAATT) Development Meet number two at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain from February 3-4.
On the first day of the meet, De Gannes unleashed a big jump of 6.40 metres in the girls' Under-20 long jump. The distance is a new personal best (pb) for the Concorde club member, improving on her 6.25m she established at the opening NAAA meet at the same venue on January 7. The 6.40m mark pushes De Gannes to second on the T&T women's U-20 long jump all-time list behind national record holder Dr Rhonda Watknis's 6.56m set in 2006.
The 2023 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U-18 long jump and 4x100m champion's new pb also surpassed the qualifying standard (6.20) for the 2024 World U-20 Track and Field Championships set for Lima, Peru in August. However, her 6.40m and 6.25m jumps may not be accepted as the Hasely Crawford Stadium track is no longer certified by the world governing body for track and field, World Athletics, as of December 31, 2023.
Reigning NACAC U-18 Girls shot put gold gold medallist Peyton Winter (Burnley) was among several athletes who attained the qualifying standards in two events for this year's Carifta Games set for St George's Grenada from March 30 to to April 1.
Winter hit the standards for the girls' U-17 Shot put and Discus throws. She got over the shot put barrier of 12.18 with three of her four efforts on Sunday. Her best mark of 13.37 came in the first round. The Barataria North Secondary student also recorded 12.23 and 13.18. The 2023 Carifta girls' U-17 silver medallist was shy of her season's best of 13.99 at the Walcott/Lendore/Ahye North Regional Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships on January 30.
In the Discus on Saturday, Winter threw the implement out to 33.42, going over the 32.94 standard.
Tyrique Vincent (Concorde) and Omari Browne (Neon Wolves) were the other double qualifiers. Vincent won the boys' U-17 long jump with a distance of 6.74 ahead of Browne's 6.54m. Their distances were above the 6.34m Carifta standard. However, Vincent was below his 7.02m pb set at the North Regionals on January 30. Browne, too was just short of 6.66m pb set at the Richards/Cedenio/Borel South Regionals on January 24.
Vincent then topped the boys' U-17 triple jump field with a pb of 13.39m leading the top four finishers over the 12.61m Carifta standard. Reuel McEwen (Kaizen Panthers), 13.08m, was second ahead of Toco TAFAC's Dominic Maxwell (13.01m) and Akinde McKenzie of Mercury (12.62m) followed behind.
Browne got the better of Vincent in the boys' U-17 110m hurdles speeding to a pb of 14.61 in the boys' U-17 110m hurdles, zipping under the 14.78 Carifta standard. Vincent was second in a pb of 14.99.
Kayleigh Forde, the 2022 Carfta Games silver medallist, led her One-A-Week clubmates to a sweep of the U-17 and U-20 1,500m races.
Forde won the girls' U-20 1,500m in a pb of 4:50.91, dipping under the 4:59.15 Carifta girls' U-20 Carifta standard for the second time this season. She ran 4:57.77 at the North Regionals. Forde also won the 800m in 2:20.11 on Sunday. Aniquah Bailey took the girls' U-17 1,500m in a Carifta qualifying time of 4:54.43, her second clocking under the 5:07.73 standard. Bailey sped to 4:54.31 at the NAAA Meet No 1.
Thompson took the boys' U-20 race in 4:08.99. The 2023 NACAC bronze medallist improved on the 4:09.47 time he posted on January 7. Both times are faster than the 4:11.49 Carifta standard. He completed a distance double when he won the 800m (1:57.27).
Samuel topped the boys' U-17 1,500m field in 4:32.24, missing the Carifta standard 4:17.48. However, he returned to get the 2:02.00 boys' U-17 800m standard, clocking 2:01.39.
Carifta girls' U-17 4x100m gold medallists Keziah Peters (Simplex) and Symphony Patrick (Concorde) and Abilene Wildcats' Kadija Pickering all blazed under the girls' U-20 200m's 24.69 Carifta qualifying time. Peters was first to the line in 24.40 ahead of Patrick (24.60) and Pickering (24.68).
Kyrell Thomas (Cougars) and Daeshaun Cole (Abilene Wildcats) pushed each other under the boys' U-20 200m mark of 21.55. Thomas got to the line first in 21.44 with Cole behind in 21.50 as they both set new pbs.
Another Cougars athlete Isaah Alder to the required Carifta time for the boys' U-17 3000m yet again after he ran 9:50.26 to finish third in the men's 3,000m race. Alder was faster than the 9:56.85 standard. He also ran 9:35.14 at the NAAA Meet No 1.
Jayden Nedd nailed the boys' U-20 discus 46.80 standard for the third time for the season getting the implement out to 47.50. The St James Secondary student threw 47.73m at the NAAA meet one and 48.18m at the Mercury Ignite Meet on January 14.
The next meet on the local track and field calendar is the Stewart-Quow-Baptiste Tobago Regional Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet from February 7- 8.
