http://www.iaaf.org/WYC05/news/Kind=2/newsId=28981.html
Sunday 27 March 2005 Trinidad & Tobago - When the CARIFTA Junior Track and Field Championships were last held in Trinidad & Tobago, the home team had a record haul of 32 medals. That was in 1998, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, in the capital city, Port-of-Spain. Fast start for twin islands This year, although Jamaica is having its own way as usual, with a total of 18 medals so far, the home team is on record pace again after the first day of competition at the XXVIV Games. Trinidad & Tobago picked up 12 medals yesterday (Sat 26 March) on the first day of three at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, on the tiny tourist island of Tobago. The home team was indebted to terrific performances by athletes who are really at home in Tobago. Inhabitants of Trinidad's sister island are known as Tobagonians. Had they a separate flag to fly they would have done so proudly on Saturday, though they surely did justice to the red, black and white of the twin island republic's banner. Louisiana State University freshman Kelly Ann Baptiste hopes to do the sprint double in front of her home crowd. She achieved the first half of that double by winning the under-20 women's 100m dash. Kelly Ann crossed the line in 11.39 seconds, well ahead of Grenada's Sherry Fletcher (11.72). The U-20 men's 400m dash was an all-T&T affair, as another Tobago native, Renny Quow, clocked 46.61 to beat teammate Jamil James (46.81) and Jamaica's Leford Green (47.52) into second and third. James is the son of Trinidad & Tobago head coach Trevor James, and a student at the University of South Carolina. Sprint repeaters The U-20 men's 100m held no surprises. Antigua-Barbuda's Daniel Bailey turned in a 10.36-second performance to defend his title against T&T's Marcus Duncan (10.53), who in turn just held off hard-charging Andon Mitchell (10.54) of Grenada. Bailey, too, will be aiming for a sprint double, as he is favoured in the men's 200m. Jamaica took two gold medals in the sprints. Sonita Sutherland confirmed her class by repeating as U20 women's 400m champ, though her winning time this year (54.22) was over a second slower than the 53.11 she recorded in Bermuda in 2004. Anastacia Le-Roy made it 1-2 for Jamaica, just withstanding French Guyana's Marie Angelique Lacorde. Notable track results from the U-17 division included a women's 100m gold medal for Antigua-Barbuda's Anika Jno-Baptiste, clocking 11.76 seconds to beat a pair of Trinbagonians, Jurnelle Francis and Marsha Louis. Jamaica's Yohan Blake won the men's race, with Barbados' Xavier Roach and St Kitts-Nevis' Withley Williams second and third. Upset and history made There was a big upset in the field. St Lucia's Darvin Edwards, having cleared 2.13m and 2.15m high jumps already this year, missed consecutive attempts at 2.08m in Tobago, and had to settle for joint second. Jamaal Wilson of the Bahamas was the only athlete to make 2.08m; another Edwards, Jamaica's Tarik, shared second. Trinidad and Tobago's Rhonda Watkins repeated as U-20 women's Long Jump champion, clearing the same distance (6.29m) she won with last year. Second was Anguilla's Shara Proctor, who took second in the U-17 division last year. Her sixth-round effort of 6.24m kept her well ahead of 2004 U-17 champion Lyvie Paola Laurent (5.78m) of Guadeloupe. 13-year-old Chantel Malone of the British Virgin Islands made history in the U-17 women's Long Jump, clearing 5.25m for bronze. She is the first BVI woman to medal at CARIFTA. Arantxa King of Bermuda (5.98m) won the event on her first trial. Jamaica's Francine Simpson (5.49m) was second. More for Jamaica Jamaica got still more gold in the middle distance and throwing events. Jamaica won all four 1500m events. Natoya Goule won the U-17 women, with Teneisha Davis second. Theon O'Connor won the U-17 men; Andre Thomas was third. Jodian Richards won U-20 women; Petrona Layne third. Andrae Drummonds took the U-20 men's 1500m, with Kayon Smith third. Back in the field, Steve Hammond emerged as the Caribbean's best young thrower, taking the U-20 men's Discus Throw with a best effort of 51.32m, whilst teammate Camoi Hood (46.81m) was third. Adonson Shallow of St Vincent & the Grenadines (49.69m) split the Jamaicans, improving dramatically from last year's ninth-place finish. Southwest Missouri State sophomore Keisha Walkes won the U-20 women's Discus Throw for Barbados. The only athlete over 40m, her winning throw of 45.03m is a new national junior record. T&T's Annie Alexander warmed up for her pet event, Shot Put, by taking second, with Martinique's Marie-Christin Vulcain further back in third. Terry Finisterre for the IAAF ENDS
