The Tribune

THE Bahamas’ eight-member team to the Central American and Caribbean Age Group Championships returned home from Willemstad, Curacao, as the overall champions for the third time.

The Bahamas won back-to-back titles in the biannual event in Freeport, Grand Bahama, in 2001, and in Caguas, Puerto Rico, in 2003.

The team, coached by Keno Demeritte, collected a total of 28,545 points to take the title. Overall, the Bahamas girls combined for first place with 12,788 and the boys took second with 15,757.

The Bahamas’ best divisional performance came from the girls 13-14, who won with 7,906 points. Doneisha Anderson was second with 4,151 points and Kristia Collie got ninth with 3,755 points.

The 11-12 boys division was second with 6,144 as Blaize Darling took third with 3,167 points and Tamasio Bullard was 8th with 2,977 points.

The boys 13-14 division was third with 9,613 points. Branson Rolle was seventh with 4,910 points and Kairon Bain got ninth with 4,703 points.

In the girls 11-12, the Bahamas finished seventh with 4,882 points. Tylar Lightbourne got 13th with 2,527 points and Kennedy Culmer followed in 19th with 2,355 points.

BAAA public relations officer Tonique Williams congratulated the team members on their performances.

“We can contribute the success of this team to several factors,” she said. “First, to the genetic makeup of our people. The Bahamas has some of the most talented athletes, not only in the region, but worldwide. Given that the age group athletes are between the ages of 11-14, we recognise that their ability is not so much from years of training but an innate physical ability of our people.

“Secondly, many of these youth athletes would have been sitting in the stands during the CARIFTA Games, which has been a major source of motivation and inspiration for these young athletes. Thirdly, we cannot discount the efforts by the BAAA and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture to ensure that Bahamian track and field remains viable and progressively successful.

“Lastly, we are appreciative of all the coaches, the individual club coaches and the team coaches, who have worked with these athletes over the last month.”

Williams said she was particularly proud of the young team, including Doneisha Anderson, who is a member of her TWD Athletics.

“Doneisha is only 12 years old but this is her third opportunity to represent our country on an international level,” Williams said. “Doneisha was second in her individual event and contributed greatly to the overall relay success and the team success. She continues to represent her country with passion and humility. With athletes such as Doneisha and her teammates, in this 40th year of independence, we can proudly say that the Bahamas is bridging the way to the future in track and field.”

In addition to 2001, the Bahamas hosted the championships two previous times - the first in 1987 and the last in 2009, both at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The championships was first hosted in 1985 in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, but after being staged in 1989 in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, the next four were not held before the competition resumed in 1999 in Grenada.