Daija Reid and her Zenith clubmate La’Shiya Biggart were the highest-placed T&T athletes at the end of the first day of the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Age-Group Championships at the Barranquita Stadium in Santiago de Caballeros, Dominican Republic on Saturday.
Reid was in fourth position in the girls’ Under-13 pentathlon after the completion of the 60 metres, long jump and ball throw. The Scarborough RC Primary student amassed 1,656 points with compatriot Ryanna Regis (Mercury) down in 24th with 1,352 points.
Reid clocked 8.21 seconds in the 60m to score 813 points, cleared 3.92m (408) in the long jump and had a best throw of 39.03m (441) in the cricket ball throw. Regis had marks of 9.03m (641), 3.54m (326) and 33.82m (383), respectively.
Symiah Strachan of the Bahamas led the standings with 1,767 points ahead of Joleen Tomlin (1,757) of Saint Maarten and Jamaican Daniela Clarke (1,686).
The competitors were carded to square off in the high jump and 800m yesterday.
Biggart completed day one of the girls’ U-15 heptathlon in the eighth spot with 1,729 points. The Zenith lass crossed the line in the 80m in 10.33 seconds (736), cleared 1.45m (582) in the high jump and recorded a distance of 7.79m (410) in the shot put.
Her clubmate Makayla Cupid stood at 20th with 1,594 points–10.38 (727), 1.20m (389) and 7.24m (379)–in the respective disciplines.
Bahamian Keyezra Thomas was ahead on 2,114 points while host nation representative Patricia Sine was next in second with 2,064 with Jady Emmanuel of St Lucia in third with 1,890.
T&T’s Biggart and Cupid were set to contest the 60m hurdles, long jump, cricket ball throw and 1,000m, yesterday.
In the boys’ U-15 heptathlon, Michal Paul (Concorde) and Aaron Radgman (Zenith) finished the first day in 11th and 17th positions, respectively. Paul collected 2,121 points after his 10.30-second effort in the 80m flat to gather 742 points. The Fatima College pupil then scaled over 1.70m (779 pts) in the high jump and had a best throw of 11.69m (600 pts) in the shot put. Radgman netted 2,054 points (9.95 sec/8.10 pts; 1.60m/702 pts; 10.42m/5.42 pts).
Othniel Gillings (British Virgin Islands) was on top of the standings after the first day of events with 2,355 points. Anguilla Tyrique Jackson (2,237) followed behind in second with St Lucia’s Ricardo Mann in third (2,218). The remaining events (80m hurdles, long jump, cricket ball throw and 1,200m) were to be contested yesterday.
Kerlon Henry (Rss Phoenix) was down the field after the first day of the boys’ U-13 pentathlon. The Signal Hill Primary School student sped to 8.20 seconds in the 60m to hit 808 points and leapt 4.46m (510 points) and was in 20th position before the final event on day one, the cricket ball throw. Henry recorded 41.32m in that no mark but no scores were issued to any of the competitors at the end of the day’s action.
T&T’s other entrant Jahfari Edwards (Mercury) was in 27th place tallying 1,120 points in the two opening events - 8.86 (676) in the 60m and 4.13m (444) in the long jump.
The boys’ U-13 pentathlon was carded to end with the long jump and 1,000m events, also yesterday.
