WHEN it comes to the long- and triple-jumps in 2021, Chantoba Bright and Natricia Hooper enjoyed an exceptional year, either competing on the international stage for their country, or, on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One circuit for their respective colleges.

Hooper had the only record-breaking performance this year in Track and Field for a Guyanese at the senior level.

She erased Guyana’s 26-year-old National women’s triple jump record of 13.74 metres and replaced it with 13.92 metres.

Competing for the University of Florida at the South Eastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor Championships, Hooper finished third and bettered Nicola Martial’s June 3, 1995 record.

In fact, the distance was good enough to make her the University of Florida’s second best all-time in the women’s triple jump.

She’s currently ranked 75th in the world, according to World Athletics.

Meanwhile, for Bright, she owns three of the six medals won for Guyana internationally in Track and Field this year.

After sending athletes to the Senior South American Championship, the South American U23 Championship and the Junior Pan Am Games, Guyana ended 2021 with six medals.

The Senior South American Championship was hosted in Guayaquil, Ecuador, May 29-31 and Guyana ended the event with three medals.

Emanuel Archibald won silver in the men’s 100m (10.23s), and then teamed up with Jeremy Bascom, Akeem Stewart and Noelex Holder to claim bronze in the Men’s 100m relay (40.03s).

Jasmine Abrams’ time of 11.50s in the women’s 100m in Ecuador, was good enough to claim bronze.

Bright finished with two medals at the South American Under-23 Championships which was staged in Ecuador, taking silver in the triple jump (13.08m) and a bronze (6.09m) in the long jump event.

Fast forward to the inaugural Junior Pan Am Games in Colombia, where Guyana was represented in the disciplines of athletics, badminton, boxing, swimming, table tennis, weight-lifting and squash, the Victory Valley, Linden resident was the only Guyanese athlete to finish on the podium.

Competing at the November 25 – December 5 event, the 21-year-old Kansas State athlete finished second in the women’s triple jump (13.50m). Her distance was just shy of her personal best (PB) 13.53m.

With a host of wins and podium finishes this year in the NCAA, 2021 was certainly ‘BRIGHT’ for Chantoba. She ends 2021 with a World Ranking of 68 in the triple jump and 114 in the long jump.