Safiya John, Asha James and Anson Moses struck double gold for perennial defending champions Tobago on the first day of the 2015 National Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
Tobago athletes amassed 21 gold medals, 14 silver and 17 bronze to end day one on 52 medals well ahead on the medal standings. The number could have been higher as the 4x100m relay events were rescheduled to Thursday morning due to the late start on Wednesday.
John copped the girls under 16 80m hurdles in 12.87 seconds ahead of fellow Tobagonian Schrese Trim (14.46) and moved to the high jump where she was victorious with a 1.55m. The Scarborough Secondary student began her quest to cop the Top Female Athlete of the Meet Award for the second year. Trim bounced back from the defeat to topped the field in 400m in 59.41.
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| Khemani Roberts in action in the girls under 20 high jump on the first day of the Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on April 15. |
James landed the girls under 18 discus throw (24.40m) before securing the javelin crown with 43.40m, short of her 45.12 effort to win Carifta Games silver medal in the event in St. Kitts Nevis over the Easter weekend. Moses, like John, took the hurdles/high jump double in the boys under 18 division securing the 100m hurdles gold with a time of 15.95m. In the high jump he topped the field after clearing 1.70m. Carifta gold medallists Tyriq Horsford, Akanni Hislop and Andwuelle Wright were all in winners' row for Tobago. Horsford captured the boys under 16 javelin event with a mark of 66.04m.
At the Carifta Games the 15 year old Parlatuvier resident threw the iron spear out to 70.73m in the boys under 18 event to break the meet record and defeat his older competitors. Hislop ran away with the boys under 18 100m honours in 10.62 seconds, quicker than boys under 20 winner Xavier Mulgata of Port-of-Spain (10.87). Wright soared to the boys under 20 long jump gold with a 7.21 m distance. Tobago won four of the six sprint hurdles races.
Port-of-Spain (POS) zone lies in second with 26 medals (8, 11, 9), just ahead of North East 28 (8, 11, 9). Leading the way for POS was Shaquille Singuineau who took the boys over 18 shot put (15.02) and discus (41.47) throws. Youth Olympic finalist Jeminise Parris captured the girls under 100m hurdles title for POS in 14.55 while Kobe John secured the boys under 18 110m hurdles (14.90), out dipping Joel Atwell (Victoria) by 0.02 seconds for the top prize. Carifta bronze medallist Clement Campbell also was victorious for POS in the boys under18 long jump (6.48m).. POS competitors landed third of the six 1500m runs.
Ayana Glasgow fought off Carifta silver medallist Tobago’s Khemani Roberts to clinch the girls over 18 high jump to claim one of eight crowns for North East. Both cleared 1.70m but Glasgow got the nod for gold as she cleared the height with less failures.
Carifta champions Isaiah Taylor and Portious Warren bagged two of the three St. George East’s gold medals. Taylor was first in the boys under18 shot put with with 15.30m, well short of Carifta record throw of 17.56. Portious Warren was the winner of girls under shot put with a 13.52m effort effort ahead to match her golden effort in the same event in St. Kitts. The 2014 CAC Junior champion finished ahead of North East’s Cherise Murray(12.43). However, Murray turned the tables in the discus getting the gold with a mark of 37.11 m to Warren's 32.72. St. George East’s third gold also came in a shot put event as Randolph Isaac beat the field in the boys under 16 competition with 14.13m.
Medal standings (Day one): Tobago 52 (21, 14, 17), POS 26 (11, 7, 9), North East 28 (8, 11, 9), St. George East 13 (3, 9, 1), St. Patrick 10 (3, 4, 3), Victoria 11 (2, 3, 6), South East 6 (2, 2, 2), Caroni 6 (2, 1, 3).
Point standings (based on top eight finishes): Tobago 531.50, North East 326, POS 320, St. George East 158.50, St. Patrick 145, Victoria 124, Caroni 90, South East 79.
Action continues on the second and final day (Thursday 16 April ) from9:00am on with the rescheduled 4x100m events to be followed the 400m hurdles, 1500m walk, 200m, 800m, 3000m, 5000m, 4x400m, long jump (G U16 & B U16), high jump (G U14, G U18 & B U14), javelin (G O18 & B O18), shot put (G U18 & BU14), triple jump (B U18, G U16 & B O18), discus (B U18 & B U16)
