TORTOLA, BVI – A day’s delay because of inclement weather and a rains during the early part of competition on Saturday morning, affected the overall number of participants but did not diminish the competitive juices in the BVI Athletics Association 4th Development Series Meet, that saw two St. Croix participants joining athletes from St. Thomas, Tortola and Virgin Gorda in action.
800m on the horizon
Prepping for an 800m run after her 56.88 seconds 400m opener last week, last year’s Carifta Games U17 Girls 400m silver medalist Tarika “Tinker Bell” Moses, edged 800m National Record holder Samantha “Sam” John in her comeback—1:32.86-1:32.89.
Triple winner
Izariah Frett outclassed her U11 rivals to pull off a triple, with victories in the 80m in 11.48 seconds, the 300m in 46.73, then leapt 3.77m to win the Long Jump.
Double winners
Xiomara “Gia” Malone of Top Notch Track Club won her second successive double, but was denied a triple victory when Sprint Tech’s Dominique Moses cut the sand at 3.90m to win the U13 Girls Long
Jump as she settled for a mark of 3.72 in second. Malone edged Fast Lane’s D’Neigh Williams by .03 in the 100m, 13.85-13.88 into a -1.8 win. She leapt 1.35m to claim the High Jump.
Sprint Tech’s Jelani Norman ran 12.50 seconds into a -3.1 headwind the U15 Boys 100m and 56.92 to win the 400m. J’Quaan Smith of Fast Lane, had an U13 Boys Long Jump leap of 4.34m before running 14.02 into a -1.8 win in the 100m.
Fast Lane’s Shaquoy Stephens lowered his 100m season’s best to 10.73 seconds then ran 50.58 in the 400m.
Top Notch’s Akeem Bradshaw bounded 12.63m in the Triple Jump then ran a season’s best 52.13 seconds in 400m.
After a third place in the U11 Boys 80m, Top Notch’s Kydah Dawson won the 300m in 47.64 seconds then outdueled Sha’el Lavacia in the Long Jump to win by a cm, 4.10-4.09m.
Close finish
Sprint Tech’s Zacharia “Zakie” Frett edged teammate Beyonce DeFreitas in the U15 Girls 100m, 12.92.13.07 seconds.
After last week’s National Record in the Discus Throw, Tynell Gumbs followed by displaying her versatility with marks of 38.14m in the Discus, 38.30m in the Javelin Throw and 11.63m in the Shot Put.
The next Development Series Meet is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb 1.