Fort-de-France (Martinique), April 20 (IANS/CMC) Jamaican sprinters swept the marquee 100 metres finals at the 43rd CARIFTA Games, on a very windy night at the Stade Pierre Aliker.
However, they will have to wait until the Under-18 boys final is re-run on Sunday morning before they can fully celebrate, reports CMC.
Jevaughn Minzie, who raced to a wind-aided 10.14 seconds in winning his semi-final, returned to clock 10.18 – the only legal winning time Saturday night – to take the gold medal in the boys Under-20. The wind was 1.7m/s.
“This victory means a lot, my first since coming to Carifta Games in 2011, so it’s a good way to end my CARIFTA Games 100m career,” said Minzie.
The 18-year-old said he was not done yet, however, and stressed he was now looking forward to greater things in the 200m.
“I am looking to get the record,” he said, referring to World and Olympic champion Usain Bolt’s time of 19.93 seconds, set in Bermuda ten years ago.
Barbados’ Levi Cadogan followed home Minzie in 10.25 seconds to clinch silver while Trinidad and Tobago’s Jonathan Farinha’s 10.27 seconds, was enough to give him bronze.
In the corresponding girls final, Jonielle Smith benefitted from a generous 5.1m/s wind to win her final in a time of 11.17 seconds, ahead of Aaliyah Telesford of Trinidad and Tobago who clocked11.42, and Kedisha Dallas, also of Jamaica, in 11.44.
Afterward, Smith said winning gold was one of her goals coming into Carifta, so “to achieve that I am really, really happy at this point.”
In the Under-18 category, Waseem Williams of Jamaica thought he had taken gold in a time of 10.36 seconds but will now have to produce the same form at 8:50 am Sunday, to see if the result stays the same. He was helped by a wind of 2.3m/s.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Kimone Shaw stunned her field to come up trumps in the Under-18 girls final, clocking 11.42 seconds to take gold.
Supported by a healthy 3.3 m/s wind, she sped to the finish ahead of Janae Ambrose of Bahamas who picked up silver with a time of 11.62 seconds. Nelda Huggins of the British Virgin Islands finished third in 11.64.
Jamaica excelled further on the field when Chelsea James, who finished second in the discus in the morning session, returned to take the Under-18 shot putt final with a throw of 16.12 metres. Her teammate Janel Fullerton, who had earlier won the discus, was second with a mark of 14.42m.
–IANS/CMC
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