NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Jamaican Asia McKay and hometown star Kaden Cartwright both struck gold in the morning session to write the early headlines on Saturday’s opening day of the 50th CARIFTA Games.
The 16-year-old McKay cleared 1.73 meters to win the girl’s Under-17 high jump at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, while Bahamian Cartwright, 17, threw the javelin 64.07 meters to capture the boy’s Under-20 event.
The field events were part of a busy morning of the marquee regional track and field showpiece, which also saw qualifiers in the boy’s and girls’ 100 meters and 400 meters.
McKay logged her winning mark on the final jump, edging out the British Virgin Islands Jah’Kyla Morton, who cleared 1.70m for silver, while McKay’s teammate Shanniqua Williams picked up bronze with a mark of 1.65.
Cartwright, meanwhile, found his winning measurement on his third attempt, successfully defending the title for his country after Keyshawn Strachan’s triumph last year.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Dorian Charles claimed silver with 61.58 – the mark also coming on his third try – while Grenadian Cameron Thomas’s first-round throw of 60.12 was enough to earn him bronze.
“I’m pretty excited,” Cartwright said afterward.
“When I saw the line-up, everybody was two meters away from each other, so I was pretty excited about the competition. I came out back on top. I feel pretty good.”
The Bahamas also shone in the 100 meters qualifiers after Carlos Brown (10.53 seconds) and Adam Musgrove (10.69) proved among the fastest into the semi-finals of the boys Under-20.
Brown stormed to victory in heat, one to take with him five other qualifiers. Still, Jamaican Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, one of the favorites for the event following his sub-10 clocking in Kingston recently, pulled up injured after leading and did not finish.
Musgrove was in heat three ahead of Antigua and Barbuda Dwayne Fleming (10.98). At the same time, Barbadian Aragorn Straker (10.76), Guadeloupe Ylann Bizasene (10.84), Cayman Islands’ Davonte Howell (10.68), and Guyana Ezekiel Newton (10.60) advanced as heat winners.
There was a massive disappointment for BVI’s Adaejah Hodge, who understandably arrived here as a favorite after standing out at last year’s meet to come away with the Austin Sealy Award.
However, with injury concerns, the 17-year-old was forced to sit out the opening girls’ Under-20 heat.
Her absence left Barbadian Khristel Martindale as the winner in a time of 11.85, Jamaican Alana Reid (11.57), and Trinidadian Sanaa Frederick (11.47) also advancing as the heat winners.
In the 400m semi-finals, Barbadian Kadia Rock, who narrowly missed out on a podium finish last year, surged into the final of the girl’s Under-17 event by finishing third in heat one in 57.11, behind Jamaican Jody-Ann Daley, who advanced as the fastest qualifier in 55.41.
In the boys Under-20, reigning champion Delano Kennedy of Jamaica qualified third fastest in 47.74 after winning the opening heat.
The 400m finals are set to get underway at 6 pm, with the marquee 100m sprint finals carded to be run off at 6:45 pm.
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