Toco Secondary, which swept all the titles last year at the National Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships had to settle for one title when the 2019 edition concluded at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Toco won the Girls' title when it came from behind to snatch victory from Bishop Anstey High with 168 points, 17 more than the second place team. Bishop's High School of Tobago finished third with 131 points.
In the Boys category, Toco Secondary had to settle for second behind Bishop High School of Tobago. The winner's amassed 171.50 points with Toco Secondary registering 138 points. Queen's Royal College (QRC) was third with 134 points.
Janae De Gannes won triple gold, completing the sprint double and then dominated the Girls Under-15 long jump.
The Bishop’s Anstey Port-of-Spain sprinter clocked 25.01 seconds to win the 200 metres yesterday ahead of Janika Jordan of Woodbrook Secondary (25.37) and
Khadijah Pickering of St Francois (25.87), respectively to add to the gold she won on Thursday in the 100m (12.23).
In the long jump, De Gannes’ best leap measured 5.33m to reach the top of the podium with Gianna Paul of St Joseph College in second with 4.90m and third was Diamond Paul (Holy Name Point Fortin) with 4.78m.
Jeneice Hunte of St Joseph Covent also won three gold medals the same as Genesis Joseph of St Francis Boys Secondary.
Dontae Stewart of Toco Secondary picking up three individual gold medals both on the track and the field as well. He won the boys U-13 high jump with 1.25m with Keilon Jack of Bishop’s Tobago second with 1.20m and later sped across the line first in the 200m (29.50) ahead of Mikael Ash of St George’s College (30.44) and D Andre Dillon (Bishop’s Tobago) with 32.36m. The day before, Stewart was victorious in the long jump (4.19m)
There were a number of athletes that made the Carifta Games standard in their respective events including first and second place finishers in the Boys U-17 javelin, Veayon Joseph of Pentecostal Light and Life (50.65) and Toco Secondary’s Jaydon Kirton (46.76m. Their throws met the 45.00m standard. In third place was Anthony Diaz of Point Fortin East with 44.66m.
Rae Ann Serville also met the 2:15.00 Carifta standard in the 800m with a 2:14.99-clocking and in the Boys U-17 400m hurdles, Rinaldo Moore (St Anthony’s) won in a time of 55.39, meeting the 56.47-standard.
Keone John of St Anthony’s College also had three gold medals when he returned to win the 200m event today when he beat Jordan Noel of Queen’s Royal College in the time of 22.76 seconds. Noel recorded the time of 23.17.
Many athletes scored doubles including Serville, who also won the Girls O-17 400m in 54.34, Moore, who also topped the Boys U-17 110m hurdles, Karessa Kirton won the 100 and 200m events for U-17 Girls. The same feat was accomplished by Kion Benjamin in the O-17 Boys category. Kayleigh Forde and Tafari Waldron also completed doubles in the 800m and 1,500m events in U-15 Girls and Boys categories.
Forde of St Joseph's Convent Port-of-Spain clocked 2:29.55 and 5:18.09 in her win while Waldron of South East Port-of-Spain won in the respective times of 2:18.65 and 4:50.79.
Christie Marie- Maharaj also did the trick in the U-17 Girls 800m (2:27.58) and 1500m (5:27.41).
Shakeem McKay of Queen’s Royal College won the U-17 Boys 200m in a time of 22.28. He was comfortably ahead of Miguel Taylor of Scarborough in the time of 22.86. Anthony Diaz of Point Fortin East was third in 22.87.