The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SPRINTERS Carlos Brown Jr, Larcathea Cooper and Wanya McCoy all qualified for the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships and a few others qualified for the CARIFTA Games at the Easter Track and Field Classic.

The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations intended to stage a three-day meet over the weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium to mimic the CARIFTA Games that were rescheduled for August in Hamilton, Bermuda.

But because of a limited number of entries, the BAAA staged just a one-day meet for all events on Saturday, except for the multi-event decathlon and octathlon that concluded on Sunday.

In the end, University of the Bahamas’ junior Kendrick Thompson emerged as the new decathlon national record holder with 7,644 points to edge out Ken Mullings, who had 7,642.

Mullings formerly with UB and now competing for Power Athletics, had the previous national record with 7,427 points accumulated over the weekend of April 12-13, 2019 at the University of Miami Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida.

Brown’s double feat

Running with a heavy heart as he dedicated the rest of the season to his father, Carlos Brown Sr, who was shot to death two weeks ago, Carlos Brown Jr was smoking hot for Swift Athletics.

The 15-year-old phenom clocked 10.39 seconds to surpass the standard of 10.58 for the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in August.

He was also joined by three others - Jeremian Adderley (10.65) of DTSP Wolf Pack, Jonathon Fowler (10.89) of Red-Line Athletics and Michael Cartwright (10.96)of Fast Forward - as they all did the Carifta standard of 11.02.

Brown, a 10th grader at St John’s College, came back in the 200m and ran 21.49, followed by DTSP Wolf Pack’s Jeremian Adderley in 21.84 as they both dipped under the Carifta standard of 21.84.

“It was good. Even though I had a tail wind in the finals, it was good,” Brown Jr said. “I had a lot of competition in the 100m. They really pushed me.

“But I feel good for the age that I am and as an under-17 competitor. I feel great with the time I am running right now. I am doing all this for my father. I want to make him proud of me.”

Clinton Laquerre of the Red-Line Athletics won the under-17 boys’ 400m in 49.90 to go under the Carifta B standard of 50.03. The A standard is 49.05.

McCoy qualified for World’s

Coming off his Carifta qualifying time of 21.06 in the under-20 boys’ 200m at the Blue Marlins Track Series a week ago, Wanya McCoy came back and doubled up in the 100 and 200m on Saturday.

In the 100m, his time of 10.59, along with his Fast Forward team-mate Zachary Evans’ time of 10.64, both surpassed the Carifta B standard of 10.71. The A standard is 10.50.

But in the 200m, McCoy booked his ticket for another major international event when he posted a time of 21.36 that went under the World Junior Championship qualifying time of 21.38.

Swift Athletics’ Wendell Miller also did a B Carifta qualifying time with his victory in the under-20 boys’ 400m in 47.54. The B standard is 48.28 and the A standard is 47.34.

Cooper qualified for World’s

Leading the way for the female competitors on the track, Larcathea Cooper also produced a double victory with her time in the 200m of 24.23 surpassing the World Junior’s standard of 24.35. She, however, missed the Carifta cut of 23.95.

The 17-year-old 11th grader at St Augustine’s College, representing Red-Line Athletics, clocked 55.00 to win the under-20 girls’ 400m, followed by Fast Forward’s Javonya Valcourt in 55.21.

They both did the Carifta B standard of 55.85. The A standard is 54.76.

In the under-17 girls’ division, Fast Forward’s Paige Archer ran 11.98 to dip under the Carifta B standard of 12.20 in the 100m. The A standard is 11.96.

And Star Trackers’ Nia Richards ran 24.42 in the under-17 girls’ 200m to dip under the standard of 24.58. The 14-year-old 10th grader at Queen’s College improved on her time of 24.85 the week before at the Blue Chips Track Series.

Cartwright led on the field

Kaden Cartwright led the field competitors in the under-17 boys’ javelin with a winning toss of a personal best of 55.39m to surpass the Carifta standard of 50.65m.

“I felt like I did better and I didn’t have as much stress on me,” said Cartwright, whose best mark came on his fourth attempt after he scratched his first two throws.

Once he gets back in practice with coach Corringrton Maycock and he can work on his approach on the runway, Cartwright said he can toss the spear even further than his new PR. His previous best going into the meet was 52m.

Camitra Mackey did the Carifta under-20 girls’ javelin standard of 38.39m with her heave of 39.08m and Tarajh Hudson’s winning throw of 53.64m in the under-20 boys’ discus surpassed the Carifta standard of 52.13m.

The most gruelling performance came from Denzel Sawyer from the T-Bird Flyers as he ran away from the field to take the under-20 boys’ 5,000m in 17:00.20. He needed to run 16:05.60 to qualify for Carifta.

“I felt great about it. With two laps left, I tried to pick it up a bit, but I couldn’t get the time,” said Sawyer, a 16-year-old 12th grader at CI Gibson.

“I was hoping to get some competition from my team-mate Nathan Duncan, but I had to go for it all by myself. It was hard out there.”

Cyclist Felix Neely, representing Swift Athletics, was second in 17:25.38 in the 15 1/2-lap race, while Duncan slipped all the way to fifth in 20:31.82.