THIS WEEK IN NACAC
Vol. 3
No. 8
20 February 2022
Elaine Thompson-Herah continues winning
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, appears committed to extending her winning ways into 2022. Over the weekend, competing at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, yesterday
Thompson-Herah won the 60m in 7.08, in what was her first indoor race in three years.
Following the event Thompson-Herah admitted that she really wanted to go under 7.00secs but that did not happen. She was however, pleased with where she is currently.
The World Indoor Championships scheduled for Belgrade in a few weeks are still very much on her mind.
NACAC is excited about Thompson-Herah’s leadership in female sprinting and expects that she will be a fine example for the girls and women athletes in the Area.
Carifta 2022 Update
The 49th edition of the Carifta Games continues to attract sponsors and supporters across the country.
“Timing is everything”, says, Mike Sands, President of NACAC. “The coming together of the 49th edition of the world’s most exciting junior track and field meet with the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, is an incomparable match”, Sands stated.
The inclusion of SportsMax as the host broadcaster is clearly a bonus for the Games this year. NACAC has had an arrangement with Flo Sports before and that has come to an end.
The new agreement that the JAAA has with SportsMax could well lead to a more long-term arrangement that could only benefit the future of the Games and perhaps, the future of the sport. The next Carifta Information Session for Carifta Family members is scheduled for Wednesday.
Around NACAC
Bermuda
Bermudan triple jumper, Jah-Nhai Perinchief produced an indoor personal best of 16.91m while competing at the gro Tyson Invitational athletics meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Saturday 12 February.
Perinchief’s performance placed him in the lead for the event in the world thus far.
BVI
BVI athletes are enjoying competition now that health protocols are being eased.
Kyron McMaster ran 46.76 seconds in the 400m while competing at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson University.
Eldred Henry secured a 4th place finish in the Shot Put at the same meet as McMaster, with a throw of 18.78m.
Beyonce Defreitas ran 23.96 in the 200m and also contributed a 57.65 second leg on their 4x400m relay while competing for the University of Central Florida Competing at the Music City Challenge Rikkoi Brathwaite, representing Indiana University, ran 6.68 seconds in the prelims of the 60m for first and later ran 6.62 seconds in the finals to win the overall event.
Djimon Gumbs competing for Northwestern State University tossed the Shot Put 18.55m to place second in the Texas Tech Shootout. Gumbs also competed in the weight throw tossing the implement 15.06m. Teammate Akira Phillip also contested the Shot Put event tossing the implement 18.88m (38’-11 3/4”).
In the preparations for Carifta2022, BVI’s Akrisa Eristee achieved the qualifying standard as well as the World Athletics U20 qualifying standard for the 400m while competing at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University. Her 55.20 performance saw her placing third overall. Akrisa’s podium finish now places her as the 7th BVI athlete to secure a BVIs Carifta Games qualifying mark and the second BVI athlete to secure a World Athletics U20 Championships qualifier. Jaleel Croal is the other BVIs to secure the WA qualifying standard.
The current list of BVI Carifta qualifiers include D’Mitri Varlack in the Long Jump, Shot Putter Savianna Joseph, sprinter Jaleel Croal in the 100m and 200m, Discus thrower Palesa Caesar, long jumper Jah’Kyla Morton, Adaejah Hodge in the 200m and Long Jump and Akrisa Eristee in the 400m.
In local athletes competing abroad, Sprint Tech athlete Wanyae Bell ran 21.71 seconds in the 200m while competing at the 2022 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Belle’s
21.71 second finish is a mere 1/100th of a second off the U20 Boys BVIs Carifta qualifying time of 21.70 seconds. In the 400m Bell ran 49.50 seconds. Teammate J’Mari Duhaney ran 23.58 seconds in the 200m.
El Salvador
El Salvador hosted the II Central American Cross Country and Race Walking Championships, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February, respectively.
Saturday 19 February, the Salvadoran Athletics Federation held the II Central American Cross Country Championship 2022 at the facilities of the Cavalry Regiment, Sitio del Niño, La Libertad. 68 athletes from Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua and host, El Salvador, competed in the Championships.
The competition featured U14, U16, U18, U20 and Senior categories.
FEMENINO
| CAT | PRUEBA | NOMBRE | PAÍS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
U14 |
2kms |
Alisson Sánchez |
ESA |
|
U16 |
2kms |
Sofía Urizar |
GUA |
|
U18 |
4kms |
Natali Delgado |
ESA |
|
U20 |
6kms |
Yesica Raxon |
GUA |
|
Mayor |
10kms |
Viviana Aroche |
GUA |
|
U14 – U18 |
Relevo 4×500 |
Equipo Mixto |
NCA/CRC |
|
U20 –
Mayor
|
Relevo 4×1000 |
Costa Rica |
CRC |
MASCULINO
| CAT | PRUEBA | NOMBRE | PAÍS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
U14 |
2kms |
Oscar Omar Platero |
ESA |
|
U16 |
4kms |
Daniel Aguilar |
GUA |
|
U18 |
6kms |
Jefferson Sazo |
GUA |
|
U20 |
8kms |
Paulo Gómez |
CRC |
|
Mayor |
10kms |
Alberto González |
GUA |
On Sunday, the II Central American Race Walking Championship were contested on the Ciclovía circuit, Constitution Boulevard, San Salvador. A total of 35 participants were in the competition, coming from came from 35 athletes from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua and hosts, El Salvador. Competition was in the U14, U16, U18, U20 and Senior categories.
FEMENINO
| CAT | PRUEBA | NOMBRE | PAÍS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
U14 |
2kms |
Kristel Martínez |
GUA |
|
U16 |
5kms |
Ingrid Ruiz |
GUA |
|
U18 |
5kms |
Katherine Marroquín |
GUA |
|
U20 |
10kms |
Yaquelin Teletor |
GUA |
|
Mayor |
20kms |
Yasury Palacios |
GUA |
MASCULINO
| CAT | PRUEBA | NOMBRE | PAÍS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
U14 |
3kms |
Tobías Hun |
GUA |
|
U16 |
5kms |
Denis Estrada |
GUA |
|
U18 |
10kms |
Bryan Matías |
GUA |
|
U20 |
10kms |
Gabriel Alvarado |
NCA |
|
Mayor |
20kms |
Erick Barrondo |
GUA |
Grenada
Technical officiating in Grenada received a major boost as a result of the Grenada Athletic Association’s (GAA) hosting of a local Technical Officials Course at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium during the period 8 – 17 February.
The fifteen (15) participants trained during the seven-day course, included new persons interested in officiating whilst the others were returning officials who officiated at the national level in the past.
Newly elected President, Conrad Francis, stated that “the training was consistent with GAA’s recently completed strategic plan and will contribute to the achievement of the critical strategic imperative-providing technical support, training, and opportunities for stakeholders (officials)”. Course facilitator, experienced World Athletics Level 1 Course Lecturer, Abrel Patrick, who is also the GAA’s 2nd Vice President, explained, “The training would best position these officials to provide technical official services at meets and be prepared to maximise their participation at future international officials courses”.
The goal of the Technical Officials Course was to improve the level of officiating in athletics in Grenada and to provide participants with the theoretical and practical training required to increase their ability to officiate at national-level competitions.
The participants who successfully completed the course received a GAA Technical Officials Certificate.
The Technical Officials training programme forms the education component of the GAA’s Athletics Olympic Dividend (AOD) project.
Guadeloupe – Caribbean Games 2022
Tous ensemble pour cette première édition des Jeux de la Caraïbes 2022.
Je suis fier d’être l’un des parrains.
Faisons en sorte que nos Iles rayonnent ! Force ! Et que les meilleurs gagnent.
Let’s all come together for this first edition of the Caribbean Games, Guadeloupe 2022!
I’m proud of being one of the ambassador.
Let’s make our Guadeloupe islands shine ! Big up ! And may the best win !
¡ Unámonos todos para esta primera edición de los Juegos del Caribe, Guadalupe 2022!
Estoy orgulloso de ser uno de los embajadores.
¡ Hagamos que nuestras islas de Guadalupe brillen!
¡ Vamos! ¡ Y que gane el mejor!
Jamaica
Jamaican athletes rose to the occasion yet again when, on Saturday 12 February, track and field fans witnessed the 43rd edition of the Western Relays held at the G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sport.
Edwin Allen High School ran away with top honours. Despite being defeated by Jamaica College in the 4 x 800m relay which gave the competition its only new record, Kingston College took gold in four of the seven relays on show for boys.
Stephenie Ann McPherson won the women’s 400m on Saturday 19 February at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix where Thonpson-Herah also enjoyed victory.
McPherson’s performance saw her achieve 51.39, which is an improvement on the personal best set in 2016.
Nicaragua
The leadership of the Nicaragua Federation is ecstatic following the outstanding performance of Gabriel Antonio Alvarado Davila, in the II Central American Cross Country and Race Walking Championships contested in El Salvador over the weekend.
The winning performance saw Davila qualify for the World Athletics U20 Championships scheduled for Cali, Colombia, later this year.
The Nicaraguan delegation to the Championships in El Salvador comprised six athletes (5 in the Cross Country and one in the Race Walking). The small contingent nonetheless came away with one gold in the Race Walk and three silver medals in the Cross Country.
St Vincent and the Grenadines
St Vincent and the Grenadines 800m champion and Carifta gold medalist, Handal Roban, earned himself more kudos for anchoring the Jamaica College team in the 4 x 800m relay at the Western Relays which returned this year.
Roban teamed up with Khandale Frue, J’voughnn Blake and Omarion Davis to not only win the event handsomely in a time of 7:36.76, but to also establish a new event record set by Kingston College (7:38.64) in 2019.
Meanwhile, in the US, competing for Oklahome, national triple jump record holder, Mikeisha Welcome, set a new indoor record of 13.56 at the Arkansas Qualifier on the Friday 18 February.
Welcome, however, finished second to Jamaica’s Kimberley Williams (14.30m), while her Oklahoma teammate, Daneesha Davidson (12.77) placed third.
15 Vincentian coaches on Saturday 19 February, featured in a training session to officially launch the member federation’s Kids In Athletics (KIA) programme.
The programme consists of seven weekly sessions. Each session will see the participants participate in fun-based activities that will help develop fundamental skills in athletics.
A session consists of a Run, Jump and Throw activity created from the World Athletics KIA activity cards. The programme will end with a KIA Festival that will take place at the National Stadium in Diamond.
A total of 12 schools have been identified for inclusion in the KIA pilot project.
Trinidad and Tobago
The National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) Preparation Meet s have been yielding a number of athletes who have already made the qualifying standard set by the organization for the 49th edition of the Carifta Games, scheduled for Kingston, Jamaica, 16 – 18 April.
Competition on Sunday 13 February, when the NAAATT held its second in its Preparation Meets at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago, Aaron Antoine qualified for both the U20 long (7.15m) and high jumps (2.00m), respectively.
Kenika Cassar of attained the Carifta standard in the Girls’ Under-20 Javelin with a throw of 40.37m. Shakeem McKay qualified for the 200m U20 200m (21.57)
Keith Joseph
P.O. Box 680, Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines
Tel: (784) 457 9062 (H); (784) 457 2970 (O)
