The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A BUSY weekend for Bahamas track and field included participation in the North American Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC U-23) Championships.

The Bahamas closed out the meet in San Salvador, El Salvador, with a total of eight medals including one gold, two silver and five bronze at the Jorge Gonzalez National Stadium.

The 15-member team included Tayla Carter, Carmiesha Cox, Jermeka McBride, Pedra Seymour and Danielle Gibson on the women’s side and Tadashi Pinder, Ian Kerr, Anthony Adderley, Stephen Newbold, Ashley Riley, Janeko Cartwright, Andre Colebrooke, Maverick Bowleg, Lathone Collie and Drexel Maycock.

Danielle Gibson won the country’s lone gold medal of the meet in the women’s triple jump. On her fourth jump of the competition, she leapt 13.54m to take first place. Simone Charley of the United States was second at 13.77m and Danielle McQueen was third at 13.61m.

National record holder Pedrya Seymour won silver in the women’s 100 metre hurdles. Seymour took second in 12.83 seconds, behind Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico who set a new NACAC U-23 record in 12.78.

In the women’s 100m final, Carmiesha Cox took the bronze medal in 11.76 while Tayla Carter was eigth in 12.07. Sashalee Forbes of Jamaica took first place in 11.51 and Shayla Saunders of the United States was second in 11.52.

In the men’s triple jump, Lathone Collie-Minns won silver with a leap of 15.80m, recorded on his fourth attempt.

Ian Kerr won bronze in the men’s 200m in 20.83 behind Reynier Mena of Cuba in 20.41 and Stanly del Carmen of the Dominican Republic in 20.51.

Stephen Newbold was the country’s top finisher in the men’s 400m final. He took fifth place in 46.27 in an event won by Nathan Allen of Jamaica in 45.39.

Andre Colebrooke finished in seventh place in the men’s 400m hurdles in 51.85.

In the men’s 100m final, Tadashi Pinder finished fifth in 10.59. Kendal Williams of the United States won first place in 10.23.

Drexel Maycock finished sixth in the men’s discus with a throw of 50.50m.

In the relay events, the Bahamas won a trio of bronze medals.

The women’s 4x100m relay, the Bahamas’ team of Seymour, Carter, Gibson and Cox, took third place in 45.17.

The US took first place and set a new NACAC U-23 record in 42.93 followed by Jamaica in 43.63.

The men’s 4x100m team also finished with a bronze medal.

Anthony Adderley, Pinder, Newbold and Kerr finished in 39.85 secs.

The Men’s 4x400m relay team also finished with a bronze medal. Bowleg, Ashley Riley, Janeko Cartwright and Stephen Newbold.

The last of the six IAAF areas to hold a continental senior athletics competition, the NACAC Championships’ inaugural edition was held in 2000 in Monterrey, Mexico.

Approximately 200 athletes competed at the 2014 championships and a total of 19 nations were represented in Kamloops, Canada.

The Bahamas won a total of five medals led by a pair from Trevovano Mackey in the 100m (silver) and 200m (bronze).

The United States dominated the competition with a total of 64 medals, including 31 gold medals. Canada and Mexico took second and third places with totals of 28 and 10 medals respectively.

The creation of the event took place at XVIII Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela held on August 18, 1998. Initially, the competition was open for athletes aged under-25. The Congress held in Grenada in 2003, resulted in the reduction of the age limit for its bi-annual championships to athletes under-23 years of age in the year of competition.