The Tribune

By JONATHAN BURROWS


Tribune Sports Reporter


jburrows@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas’ junior athletes delivered an early statement at the 53rd CARIFTA Games, collecting multiple medals across the opening two days of competition at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium.

Defending champion Taysha Stubbs led the charge, securing The Bahamas’ first gold medal in the under-20 girls’ division with a winning javelin throw of 48.84 metres.

“It definitely feels surreal, I gotta give thanks to God, but it does haunt me a little bit that I didn’t get the record, but I guess that’s just for my teammates to get, but next time,” said Stubbs.

“It’s been seven months since I’ve competed, so all of that time has been my offseason. I’ve been training, conditioning, weights, plyos, all of the things, so for my first meet in Miami my coach at Nebraska made sure I was ready for that, but I think just the quick turnaround is not something I’m used to. But at the end of the day, no excuses — still came out here and put on a show.”

Last month, in her NCAA debut for Nebraska at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami, Florida, she recorded the fourth-best javelin throw in the school’s history with 56.34 metres.

In the same event, first-time CARIFTA competitor Kamera Strachan earned bronze with a throw of 44.88m.

“It feels really good because last year I didn’t get the chance to make it, so this year I just wanted to get a chance to support my team,” said Strachan.

“It means a lot because I got to throw in front of everybody, and I liked that feeling.”

“It feels good because Taysha (Stubbs) really pushed me to go further,” she added.

On the boys’ side, under-17 standout Akheel Williams, the defending champion, took silver with a throw of 58.23m, finishing behind Grenada’s Deshawn Smart (65.09m).

“I feel very grateful because this season I didn’t get to perform the way I wanted to because of my injury, but just to come out here and get the silver medal, I am very blessed,” said Williams.

On the track, Jazae Johnson claimed silver in the under-17 girls’ 100m in 11.30 seconds, just behind Antigua and Barbuda’s Tyra Fenton. Teammate Brion Ward secured bronze in 11.63 seconds, giving The Bahamas a double podium finish.

“In the moment I felt really excited, but seeing that I got the silver, I’m really not mad about it because I know what I came out here to do and I went and did it,” said Johnson. “It feels amazing, and I'm coming back bigger and better.”

“My execution was just to remain focused and control what I could have and just keep my form,” she added.

Keyezra Thomas secured silver in the under-17 girls’ 400m in 52.58 seconds, narrowly behind Jamaica’s Shameika McLean (52.47).

“I knew coming into this race I was going to have a really fast run, I just went out there and did my best and trusted in the work I put in coming up to this moment,” said Thomas.

“It was a little disappointing, but I was able to get a huge PR out of it, so I'm really thankful for it.”

Zion Davis added another silver in the under-20 boys’ 400m, clocking 46.18 seconds, while Zion Bradford took bronze in the under-17 boys’ 400m in a personal best 48.43 seconds.

“The race was okay, I got out a little bit too slow, the wind was not what I expected, it was a bit strong, but I knew in the last 150 (metres) I could come back and hold it to get a medal,” said Bradford.

Day one also saw disappointment, as the under-20 mixed relay team was disqualified after initially securing bronze due to a late exchange.

Into day two, Team Bahamas continued its momentum with multiple podium finishes.

Jazae Johnson returned to win gold in the under-17 girls’ long jump with 6.02m, while Taree Forbes secured silver with 5.70m for a one-two finish.

“It feels amazing, although it wasn't the jump that I wanted, I'm very proud of myself because I went out there and did what I had to do,” said Johnson.

Double-sport athlete Joshua Williams cleared 2.00m to claim silver in the under-20 boys’ high jump, while Ethan North added another silver in the under-20 boys’ javelin with 62.80m.

The under-17 girls’ 4x100m relay team of Taree Forbes, Brion Ward, Keyezra Thomas and Jazae Johnson won gold in 44.21 seconds, setting a new CARIFTA record.

“It feels amazing that the team trusted me to run the curve… it feels good that I was able to go out there and do my best,” said Thomas.

The under-17 boys’ 4x100m team also struck gold in 41.36 seconds.

In the boys’ under-17 octathlon, Justin Shepherd won gold with 5,387 points, while Ashley Demeritte Jr secured silver with 4,897 points.

“These few days have been pure domination, that's what I came here for,” said Shepherd.

Day two also ended in heartbreak, as Syrmiah Crawley tripped over the final hurdle in the under-20 girls’ 400m hurdles, finishing last after being in medal contention.

Team Bahamas heads into day three with six gold, seven silver and four bronze medals — 17 overall.