ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC—Zavien Bernard of Jamaica collected the first gold medal. On Saturday in Grenada, Maliek Francis of Antigua & Barbuda broke the first record of the 2024 Carifta Games.
Bernard won the Under-17 girls’ high jump, and Francis established a new record distance in the Under-17 boys’ javelin. At the same time, Jamelia Young of Jamaica was the other gold winner in the under-17 girls’ shot putt in the only three finals contested during the morning session on the first day of the Games being staged at the Kirani James Stadium in the Spice Isle capital of St George’s.
Bernard cleared 1.71 meters on her first attempt and defied a strong challenge from Alexandria Komolafe of the Bahamas to clinch the gold medal.
The 15-year-old Jamaican passed on the first two heights of 1.45 and 1.50m, failed at her first attempt of 1.55 before she got into her stride, proved her class over the rest of the field, and had three failed attempts at 1.74.
Komolafe pushed her all the way, clearing all the heights on her first attempt except 1.71, which cost her the gold medal. She also failed three attempts at 1.74 to oust Bernard.
Technique Vincent of Trinidad & Tobago was third with a clearance of 1.68.
Francis prevailed after two modest opening throws of 54.06 and 58.70 before he hurled the spear 68.40 in the third round to surpass the five-year-old mark of KeyShawn Strachan of the Bahamas by almost 4.5 meters.
The 16-year-old also hurled 62.39 meters on his fifth attempt, but no one else came close to breaching the 60-meter mark.
Jaheem Clarke of St Kitts & Nevis hurled 56.09 for the silver medal, and hometown boy Delron John threw 54.70 for the bronze.
Young copped the gold with a mark of 14.25 meters in the fourth round, only four centimeters better than silver medal-winner Peyton Winter of Trinidad & Tobago, whose mark came in the fifth round, with Terrell McCoy of the Bahamas claiming the bronze with 14.11 in the same round.
These three were the only competitors to clear 14 meters, with Young hitting that distance on her final throw and Winter throwing 14.14 in the fourth round.
The girls’ heptathlon open and boys’ octathlon open also started during the session. In contrast, the preliminary heats for 400 meters across all four categories – Under-17 girls and boys, and Under-20 girls and boys – were also contested.
Keyezra Thomas of the Bahamas ran 53.74 seconds to lead the qualifiers for the Under-17 girls 400, hometown boy Kemron Mathlyn led the Under-17 boys with a time of 49.09, Tianna Springer of Guyana clocked 52.80 to lead the Under-20 girls, and compatriot Malachi Austin led the Under-10 boys with a time of 46.80.
The Games will heat up late on Saturday with the finals of the 400 and the heats and finals of the marquee 100 dash among the events to be contested.
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