Aragorn Straker Secures Silver Medal at 2024 Carifta Games, Barbados Adds to Medal Tally

Aragorn Straker secured a silver medal for Barbados on the final day of the 2024 Carifta Games at the Kirani James Stadium in St. George’s Grenada.

Straker, who entered the Boys Under-20 200m final with the fastest qualifying time, lived up to the billing with a strong start. Neck-and-neck with Jamaica’s Gary Card coming off the turn, Straker battled hard down the straightaway. However, Card managed to pull slightly ahead, taking the gold medal in 20.60 seconds. Straker crossed the line in 20.76 seconds for a well-deserved silver, while Davonte Howell of Jamaica completed the podium in third place with a time of 20.90 seconds.

This silver medal added to Barbados’ tally of two silvers and two bronzes heading into the relays.

Earlier in the day, Zakaiya Hunte secured a tied fifth-place finish in the Girls Under-20 High Jump, clearing a height of 1.65 meters. She shared the position with Jah’kyla Morton from the British Virgin Islands. The gold medal went to Jamaica’s Rasheda Samuels with a jump of 1.78 meters, followed by her teammate Dejanae Bruce at 1.76 metres and Keneisha Shelbourne of Trinidad and Tobago at 1.70 metres.

Shania Thomas of Barbados landed a jump of 5.44 metres, to place tenth in the Girls Under-20 Long Jump. A record-breaking leap of 6.50 metres s by Trinidad and Tobago’s Jane De Gannes secured her the gold medal, surpassing the previous record of 6.48 metress set by Yanis David of Guadeloupe in 2016. Jamaica’s Rohanna Sudlow took silver with a jump of 6.30 metres, while Lanaisha Lubin from Bahamas claimed the bronze at 5.90 metres.

In the Girls Under-17 800m, Barbadian Chanecia Bryant faced an uphill battle from the start. Drawn in lane 1, she found herself at the back of the pack during the initial merge. Despite a determined surge to the middle of the field, Bryant couldn’t quite keep pace as the race picked up speed. She ultimately crossed the finish line in 8th place with a time of 2:26.54.

The top two spots were a Jamaican affair, with Kevongaye Fowler claiming gold in 2:16.97. Her teammate Alikay Reynolds followed closely behind in second with a time of 2:17.02, while Grenada’s Annalisa Brown secured the bronze medal at 2:18.75.

Over in the Boys Under-20 800m, Barbados’ Brandon Hinds put in a strong showing, finishing fifth with a time of 1:55.53. The gold medal went to Jamaica’s Kemarrio Bygrave, who dominated the race with a time of 1:51.43. Deangelo Brown from Grenada took home the silver in 1:52.81, with Keeran Sriskandarajah of Trinidad and Tobago claiming the bronze at 1:52.91.

The Girls Under-17 200m saw another close battle unfold. Aniya Nurse of Barbados got off to a promising start from lane 8, holding her own amidst a tight pack of seven athletes rounding the bend. However, she wasn’t able to maintain the pace in the final stretch, ultimately finishing 7th with a time of 24.52 seconds.

Jamaica once again stood atop the podium, with Natrece East edging out Guyana’s Athaleyha Hinckson in a photo finish. East clocked a time of 23.74 seconds to claim gold, while Hinckson followed closely behind at 23.85 seconds. Tyra Fenton from Antigua and Barbuda secured the bronze medal with a time of 23.97 seconds. (CG)