– Williams, Phillips through to the 200M finals

Chantoba Bright was the shining light for Guyana on Day Two of the CARIFTA Games in Nassau, Bahamas, claiming the country’s lone medal on a bittersweet day for the athletes from the ‘Land of Many Waters’.

Bright was third in the Girls U-20 Triple Jump, where she leaped a distance of 12.14 metres, behind Jamaicans Lotavia Browne (12.23 metres) and Farquharson Leone (12.24 metres).

Bright won the only gold medal for Guyana (so far) at the CARIFTA Games this year, where she topped the field in the Girls U-20 Long Jump.
Daniel Williams and Kenisha Phillips booked their spots in the 200 metres finals, while Deshana Skeete failed to advance.

Murphy Nash, Cordell Charles and Kezra Murray all finished outside of the podium in their 3000 metre run on day two of the regional track and field showpiece.
Williams, following his unusual dismal performance in the Boys 400 metres finals on the opening day of the games, returned to run a personal best in the 200 metres, clocking 21.21 seconds, but was behind the game’s ‘spotlight’ athlete, Christopher Taylor of Jamaica, who was first in a time of 20.65 seconds.

The 2017 IAAF World U-18 Championship 400M silver medalist, Williams, saw his time being fast enough to book a spot in the finals which will run off today, to give him a chance to avenge his disqualification last year, when he finished second behind Taylor, but track officials flagged him for stepping on the line in the final turn.

For Phillips, she was third in her heats where she ran 24.8 seconds in the Girls U-20 and will look to add a CARIFTA Games medal to her trophy stand, having won silver in the event at last year’s South American Youth Games in Chile.

There was some disappointment for Skeete, with the South American Youth Games 400 metres Gold Medallist just missing a place in the finals. With qualification by time for those who did not win their heat, Skeete, though running a personal best of 24.79 seconds, her time was not good enough to see her through.

Meanwhile, things didn’t go too well for Guyana in the field outside of Bright’s first day heroics. Princess Brown’s leap of 5.47 metres in the Girls U-17 Long Jump was just good enough for a sixth place.

In the Boys U-20 Long Jump, the Guyanese pair of Tramaine Brown and Carl Williams saw their leap not being good enough to add to the country’s medal count.
Brown’s jump of 7.09 metres saw him finishing tied fourth with Curacao’s Jaden Bernabela, and Williams finished sixth following his distance of 7.02 metres.

The curtain for the 47th hosting of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games will come down today and Guyana has so far totalled six medals (one gold, five bronze) – just two short of their most ever in the games’ history which they achieved last year.

Apart from Williams and Phillips featuring in the U-20 200 metres finals, Nash will turn out in the Boys U-17 800 metres finals, and Shaquka Tyrell and Kissanna Glen in the U-17 Girls 800 metres finals.

Murray and Jeonna Archer will also be in action, running in the Girls U-20 800M finals, while Guyana is registered for the 4X400 metres relay.