NASSAU, Bahamas — With confirmation to host the 50th CARIFTA Games in 2023, the Bahamas’ 54-member team will return from Kingston, Jamaica, with second place with 17 medals, including four gold, at the top regional junior track and field competition, The Tribune reported on Tuesday, April 19, in an article written by Brent Stubbs, Senior Sports Reporter.
Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg accompanied Team Bahamas to the games over the weekend where the deal was sealed to bring the event to the Bahamas for the ninth time.
The previous times the three-day competition was staged here was in 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1992, 2002, 2013 and 2018. Next year’s return of the event is expected to coincide with the Bahamas’ 50th Independence celebrations.
Guyana, which originally scheduled to host the games, will now host the 51st edition in 2024.
Jamaica, hosting the games in its return after the two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, picked up where they left off by clinching their 44th title and their 35th straight. The last time they lost was to the Bahamas in back-to-back victories in 1983 in Martinique and 1984 in the Bahamas.
Before their home crowd at the Independence Park in Kingston, Jamaica, in sweeping all eight relays, Jamaica posted a total of 97 medals, including 47 gold, 32 silver and 18 bronze.
The Bahamas, led by the sterling performances from world junior leader and national record holder Keyshawn Strachan and Dior-Rae Scott in the under-20 boys and under- 17 girls javelin and Curtis Mitchell in the under-20 boys 5,000m, got second place with four gold, six silver and seven bronze for a total of 17 medals.
DAY THREE: Medals (two gold, four bronze)
Southpaw Dior-Rae Scott inked her name in the record books as well as she tossed the under-20 girls javelin 146-feet, 2 1/.4- inches or 44.57 metres on her third attempt to claim the third gold for Team Bahamas as the final day of competition got underway on Monday morning.
Scott’s heave surpassed the games’ record of 140-9 (42.90m) that was established by Deandra Dottin of Barbados in 2007. Her teammate Kemera Strachan was hoping to join her big brother Keyshawn Strachan on the podium, but she fell short in fourth with 130-9 1/4 (39.86m).
In one of the few events, Jamaica didn’t get a medal as Kenika Casser got the silver with 140-7 1/4 (42.86m) and Suerena Alexander of Grenada got the bronze with 139-8 (42.57m).
Another gold came from Curtis Mitchell (5,000m) in a sensational sprint on the home stretch of the gruelling 12 1/2 laps as he powered 16:07.67 over Nicholas Power of Jamaica in 16:08.93.
Antoine Andrews got out to a quick start, but clipped the fourth flight of 10 hurdles and slipped to bronze in 13.91. Curacaos’ Matthew Sophie got the gold in 13.74 and Jamaica’s Demario Prince picked up the silver in 13.88.
Zoe Adderley, one of the youngest members of Team Bahamas, added a bronze medal when she cleared 37-6 3/4 (11.45m) in the under-17 girls triple jump. Teammate Lanaisha Lubin was fifth with 37-1 1/4 (11.31m). See complete article in The Tribune at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/apr/19/carifta-bahamas-2nd-17-medals/
