Raheem Modeste took just 18 minutes and 24 seconds to claim the Scotiabank Women Against Breast Cancer (SWABC) 5-kilometre Road Race on Saturday (October 25) at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain.
Not too soon after, April Francis came home to break the ribbon at the finish line as the first female in a time of 22 minutes and 38 seconds. The two led hundreds of runners and walkers along the familiar Queen’s Park Savannah route, where a similar number of runners use it for their daily exercise. But this time, a mission of saving lives was attached to it.
For well over two decades, the Scotiabank Women Against Breast Cancer (SWABC) Programme has helped to educate people and raise awareness of the importance of early screening. And to date, over 22,000 women have been provided with access to free breast cancer screening, with funds raised from its hallmark events - SWABC 5K and Charity Golf Tournament.
Modeste, a winner of the Subway Road Race earlier in September in 22 minutes and 18 seconds, took the lead after the start, and despite the challenge by Kieve Gibson, Modeste took it all the way for the gold medal. Gibson’s silver medal came in a time of 19 minutes and 39 seconds.
Christopher Baldeo’s 20 minutes and 26 seconds also assured he claimed the bronze medal in the event, with the pair of Corey Joseph Samaroo and Renoki Abbott claiming the fourth and fifth positions after posting times of 20.51 and 21.14, respectively.
Meanwhile, Francis, who clinched the title last year, later dedicated it to a close friend battling cancer. A year later, however, Francis, a prominent figure in the event, returned with much anticipation on Saturday, not only to win the race but to lead an initiative of encouraging early detection, treatment, and conquering the disease.
Jahzara Williams came in for the second-place silver medal, posting a time of 23 minutes and 46 seconds, while the top three was completed by the arrival of Arya Siewrattan, crossing the finish line after 23 minutes and 47 seconds of her start.
Results
MEN
1 Raheem Modeste (18.24), 2 Kieve Gibson (19.39), 3 Christopher Baldeo (20.26), 4 Corey Joseph-Samaroo (20.51), 5 Clinton Williams (21.52), 6 Shaquille Taylor (22.25), 7 Simeon Oladele (24.29), 8 Keeron Holder (24.43), 9 Shafdhar Ali (25.05), 10 Lemuel Matthews (25.22), 11 Jonathan Chang (25:31), 12 Clynton Mann (25.39), 13 Chijioke Kalu (25.50), 14 Jonathan Sealy (25.51), 15 Delolon Jerome (25.59).
WOMEN
1 April Francis (22.38), 2 Jahzara Williams (23.46), 3 Arya Siewrattan (23.47), 4 Adrianna Garcia (24:44), 5 Alissa Ali (25.31), 6 Dana Taylor (25.40), 7 Sarah Guillen (26.04), 8 Jenna Camacho (26.04), 9 Christine Regis (27.05), 10 Claire Fortune (27.21), 11 Sasha Lowhar-Best (27.22), 12 Kimberly Farah (27.36), 13 Britney Choon-Ramsoodar (27.58), 14 Samantha Llanos (28.27), 15 Kimoy Wong (28.30)
