The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — Latia Saunders and Tamar Greene added to the gold rush as Team Bahamas pushed its final medal count to 31 on the final day of the 46th Flow Carifta Games to finish in third place behind Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

Team Bahamas, managed by Mildred Adderley with Marvin Darville as head coach, collected four medals, including three silver and a bronze, in the concluding 4 x 400m relays to end up in 3rd with a total of 31 medals.

But the team’s six gold was one shy of Trinidad & Tobago, who clinched second place. The Bahamas won six gold, 15 silver and 10 bronze. Trinidad & Tobago had seven gold, five silver and 10 bronze for their total of 22.

As usual, Jamaica dominated with 86 medals, inclusive of 39 gold, 28 silver and 19 bronze.

To start the quartet of the final events to bring the curtain down on the games, Wendira Moss, Marissa White, Doneisha Anderson and Gabrielle Gibson ran three minutes and 41.24 seconds for their silver in their under-18 girls’ relay.

Jamaica pulled off the first gold in 3:38.73. The bronze medal went to Trinidad & Tobago in 3:43.05.

In the under-18 boys’ race without Jamaica included and Denvaughn Whymns nursing a hamstring injury he sustained on anchor in the 4 x 100m, Gareth Lewis, Corey Sherrod, Tyrell Simms and Edward Gayle clocked 3:17.22 for another silver.

Barbados eventually secured the gold in 3:14.65 and Trinidad & Tobago finished with the bronze in 3:20.85.

The combo of Gabrielle Shannon, Quanisha Marshall, Chelsea Smith and D’Ajonae Jayawardana just needed to get the baton around with only three countries entered in the under-20 girls’ relay.

The Bahamas had to settle for their third silver in 3:50.38 as Jamaica ran away with the gold in 3:37.96. British Virgin Islands got the bronze in 3:53.04.

And in the finale, it came down to a dandy as Trinidad & Tobago held on for a close finish for the gold in 3:09.32, snapping Jamaica’s complete reign of all the relays. Jamaica was second in 3:10.34.

The Bahamas team of Lavardo Hendfield, Bradley Dormeus, Holland Martin and Michael Stuart was a distant behind in 3:18.03 to capture the bronze.

While all that excitement was taking place on the field, Greene was soaring to high heights in the pit in the under-20 boys triple jump. He landed with the Bahamas’ final gold with a distance of 15.87m (52-03/4).

“It was good. I just wanted to come out here and do my best and make everyone home back at home,” Greene. “This is my third time jumping for the year, so I just wanted to come out here and do my best.”

The 2015 under-18 gold medalist said he really fed of the enthusiastic crowd as they cheered for the relays. The 18-year-old Queen’s College 12th grader improved on his fourth place finish last year in Grenada.

“When I heard the Bahamian junkanoo that ran thrills in my body. That’s when I got the strength to go for the gold. This is my last year in Carifta, so I’m just so happy that I got the gold.”

Saunders, coming of a dismal 14th place finish in the under-18 girls’ shot put, pulled through in the javelin with her personal best winning toss of 45.29m (148-7) in the javelin outside of the stadium during Monday’s morning session.

“It feels awesome with this bring my first Carifta. It was awesome. The girl from Trinidad was my biggest competition, but I kept strong through God. Practice makes perfect,” said Saunders, a Harbour Island native.

“The shot put wasn’t my best event, but I went out there and I made myself proud. I wasn’t disappointed. I would have been if I didn’t get the javelin. I wanted it that bad.”

The 16-year-old St Augustine’s College 11th grader thanked God for blessing her with her talent, her parents for supporting her, her coach Corrington Maycock for pushing her and family and friends in Eleuthera.

Her team-mate Taylor Walters finished fourth with 40.12m (131-7).

The under-20 boys’ high jump saw Team Bahamas come out with silver and bronze as Kyle Alcine leapt 2.18m (7-1 ¾) and Jyles Etienne did 2.16m (7-1).

“I had a lot nerves coming into the meet, but I want to thank my coaches for getting me ready for the competition,” Alcine said. “The competition was great. The guy from St Kitts did very well, so I just want to say hats of t him for his final Carifta and getting the record.

“But next year, it’s coming home so look for me and Jyles to put on a show. We are roommates here so we felt the tension going into the event. We couldn’t come back without getting a medal. That was the motivation. I just want to thank God.”

Etienne said having three competitors going at it over seven-feet was inspiring after they trailed new Carifta champion Jermaine Francis of St Kitts and Nevis, who did 2.22m (7-3 ¼).

“I expect me and Kyle to really battle it out for the gold next year at home,” said Etienne, a student in high school in New York. “We wanted to do it here, but I guess it will be even better to do it before the home crowd.”

Daejha Moss clinched her second medal in the under-20 girls’ long jump with her leap of 5.86m (19-2 ¾) for the bronze. Charisma Taylor, her former Queen’s College team-mate and close friend was sixth with 5.73m (18-9 ¾).

“It’s a big surprise for me. I wasn’t expecting to medal in the long jump,” said Moss, who specializes in the high jump. “But I did my best and I came through with the bronze.”

Moss, the 17-year-old 12th grader at Queen’s College who has already signed to attend North Dakota State University, said she followed the instructions from her coaches and she enjoyed the comradery with Taylor.

It was Moss’ fourth trip to Carifta and the first time she medaled. Now that she got a taste of it she promised that she will be back next year for her final year at home to improve on her performances here.

On the track, Devine Parker opened the first of two 200m finals for Team Bahamas by posting a silver medal in the under-18 girls’ race in 23.87.

Parker, who redeemed herself after stumbling out of the blocks in the 100m on day one on Saturday and didn’t finish the race, tried to close the gap on Jamaican gold medalist Michae Harriott, who came through in 23.87.

“I felt good, even though I was disappointed in myself. I believed God has something greater for me,” Parker said.

The 15-year-old St Anne’s sensation said after she fumbled out of the blocks, she couldn’t maintain her composure and didn’t finish.

“But overall, this was a good Carifta for me,” she said. “This was my last year under-18, but I hope that when I move up to the under-20 division next year, I will achieve all of my goals.”

Megan Moss, the 400m gold medalist on Saturday night as well, had to settle for fourth in 24.04.

Joel Johnson, not waiting to get left off the dais, clinched a bronze in the under-18 boys’ half-lap race in 21.55.

The games turned out to be a super one for Gabrielle Gibson as she picked up medal number two in the under-18 girls’ 100m hurdles in 14.07 for the bronze.

Gibson, the 15-year-old student of Bahamas Academy, also won the bronze in in the 400m hurdles on Sunday 1:01.29.

“This one feels good because this is my first time at Carifta and my first time doing the 100 metres hurdles too,,” she said. “So to medal my first time, I’m very proud. All of my hard work paid off. But I enjoyed the 100 hurdles more because it’s quicker.”

Also getting back on the medal stance in his third Carifta was Tavonte Mott, the under-20 boys’ 110m silver medalist 13.64. The 19-year-old led through the first nine flights of hurdles, only to clip th4e last one as Jamaica’s Orlando Bennett caught him to win in 13.60.

“It was good. I came out with a PB, but I hit the last hurdle and that threw me of as the Jamaican got me at the line, so it’s quite disappointing for me right now,” said Mott, who repeated as silver medalist after he left the under-18 division two years ago as the gold medalist.

Grand Bahamian Quanisha Marshall tried to go to quickly coming around the final curve on the last lap. She passed Jamaican Chrissani May temporarily, but it wasn’t enough.

However, she managed to split the two Jamaicans to hold onto the silver. May powered to gold in 2:12.43 and Marshall got the silver in 2:16.20 and Kara Grant, also from Jamaica, won the bronze in 2:17.21.

“It was a very competitive race. I prayed before I went out there,” Marshall stressed. “It’s an improvement from last year, so I’m looking forward to getting even better in my future races.

“I saw the Jamaican girl last year so I know she was going to make me run. But I knew the other Jamaican girl was coming for me so I just pushed for it.”

Marshall, a bronze medalist in the under-18 division last year, said her next goal is to claim the gold in 2018 at home.

The Bahamas also had two competitors in the under-18 boys’ two-lap race. But Tyrell Simms had to settle for fifth in 1:58.27 and Bryant Lowe faded into seventh in 1:59.39 after he went in the top four through the first 150m.