CARIFTA GAMES 2023: Gibbons (gold), Harvey (silver), Saul (bronze) shine for Guyana on day two
By Akeem Greene in The Bahamas
Guyana’s medal tally at the 50th CARIFTA Games has officially grown to six – two gold, two silver, and two bronze – with Anisha Gibbons, Attoya Harvey, and Ezekiel Saul being the newest success stories at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas, on Sunday.
Additionally, Guyana’s 4x400m mixed relay team, comprising Narissa McPherson, Omar James, Tianna Springer, and Wesley Noble Jr. finished third but was apparently stripped of bronze.
Part of the team’s management informed News Room Sport they are seeking clarity on the matter.
Checks to the official results on Monday display Jamaica in third and Guyana without a time.
On Sunday evening, the Guyanese clocked 3:27.96s to finish ahead of the powerful Jamaicans (3:29.35s) while Bahamas (3:24.62s) and Grenada (3:27.22s) occupied the top two spots.
Golden girl Gibbons
Gibbons won gold in the U-20 javelin but missed her quest to break the CARIFTA record.
Grenadian Candesha Scott (51.13m) holds the record, set in March 2016.
However, it is the third successive gold in three years for Gibbons.
Her first throw of 47.96m proved to be good enough while Korann Colet (45.32m) of French Guiana and Bahamian Vanessa Sawyer (43.37m) were the other two medalists.
The 18-year-old, who is on scholarship at New Mexico Junior College, broke both her own national record (45.37m) and USA’s National Junior College Athletic Association record (50.17m) in March with a new personal best of 51.27m.
Meanwhile, Harvey got her first medal this year via silver in the 3000m Open, adding to the silver she won in 2022.
Harvey clocked 10:45.74 seconds to finish behind Jamaican Kaydeen Johnson, who sprinted to the finish for a time of 10:41.11s while Bahamian Akaya Lightbourne (10:47.01s) was third.
Though not her favouite event, Harvey still has the 800m and will look to better her bronze from 2022.
Likewise, Saul got Guyana’s second medal in the field events with a bronze in the U-17 triple jump.
His best leap of 13.53m finished behind Barbadian Aaron Massiah (13.93m) and Jamaican Euan Young (14.32m).
Finals for Springer and Newton
400m U-17 gold medalist Tianna Springer and Ezekiel Newton (U-20) progressed to the finals of the 200m.
Springer (24.37s) heads into the final as the sixth fastest, however, teammate Athaleyah Hinckson (24.80s) was not quick enough to progress.
Newton’s time of 21.52 seconds puts him fourth heading into the final but fellow compatriot Omar James (21.99s) did not progress to the final.
More so, Trevon Hamer (6.58m) finished eighth in the U-20 Long Jump which was won by Andrew Stone of the Cayman Islands with a best leap of 7.54m while Tamara Harvey’s 5.12m effort meant she finished 11th in the U-17 Long Jump.
Saul (1.75m) and Immanuel Adams (1.70m) were seventh and tenth in the U-17 High Jump, won by Jamaican Micheal Neil (1.95m).
McPherson, Javon Roberts, and Seon Booker will also run in the 800m finals, Odida Parkinson has the grueling 5,000m and Hamer competes in the Tripple Jump on the final day of competition.
