Home|Sports|SportsDiana Lynn Classic produces CARIFTA qualifiers Simba French Send an emailFebruary 13, 2023 202 2 minute readFacebook Twitter LinkedIn Share via Email
It seems like at every local meet this year there is a new CARIFTA qualifier and the Diana Lynn Thompson Classic at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium this past weekend was no different as there were four more unofficial qualifiers for The Bahamas for the 2023 CARIFTA Games.
The meet was hosted by the Roadrunners Track and Field Club. The four CARIFTA qualifiers joined the list of 24 qualifiers to increase the number to 27.
Koi Adderley was able to meet the qualifying mark in the under-20 girls high jump as she seeks to make The Bahamas’ CARIFTA team again. Ironically, she qualified for CARIFTA last year at this same meet. The Fast Forward athlete’s only challenge in that age category on Saturday was the bar itself, and in the end, she cleared 1.65 meters (m) (5’ 5”) which is the qualifying height.
The high jump area was the hot spot for the day as the under-17 girls high jump had a Family Island qualifier. Andros Heats’ Tylah Pratt had a good day as she won that event with a jump of 1.57m (5’ 2”) which matched the qualifying standard.
Finishing second behind her was Xtreme Athletics’ Alexandria Komolafe, who has already qualified in that event. She cleared 1.55m (5’ 1”). Finishing third was Leap of Faith’s Paris Rolle who recorded a jump of 1.49m (4” 10-1/2”).
There was another qualifier in the field events. This time, it came from Demian Brice II in the under-17 boys triple jump. The Xtreme Athletics’ athlete had a leap of 13.06m (42’ 10”) to comfortably surpass the qualifying standard of 12.94m (42’ 5-1/2”). Finishing behind him in second place was Speed Capacity’s Jayden Cooper who jumped 12.88m (42’ 3-1/4”). Davon Davis, who is with the T-Bird Flyers, jumped 12.10m (39’ 8-1/2”) to place third.
On the track, Kenny Moxey Jr. was able to dip under the qualifying standard in the under-17 boys 110m hurdles. The Panthers Track Club athlete was able to clock 15.60 seconds to go under the qualifying time of 15.65 seconds. Moxey was too much for his counterparts. The closest competitor to him was Kersch Mackey from the Sunblazers Track and Field who crossed the finish line in a time of 18.45 seconds. Placing third was Fast Forward’s Zion Munroe who ran 19.18 seconds.
Although she has already qualified for CARIFTA, shot put throwing sensation Terrell McCoy from Triple Threat Throwing Club, a CARIFTA medalist, threw a new personal best of 13.26m (43’ 6”) to win the under-17 girls shot put. She improved on her previous CARIFTA qualifying distance which was 12.85m (42’ 2”). McCoy said was happy to have a personal best and is still working on qualifying in the under-17 girls discus. She held off Blue Chip Athletics’ duo of Danielle Nixon and Anthonece Papageorge who were second and third, respectively. Nixon threw 11.43m (37’ 6”) and Papageorge’s throw landed on the 9.34m (30’ 7-1/2”) mark.
The 50th CARIFTA Games is set to be held at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium from April 8-10. The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) CARIFTA Trials is set for March 25-27 at the national stadium.
Next up on the local calendar is the BAAA Relays, set for Saturday at 12 p.m. at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.