The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

St George’s, Grenada — If there was one event at the Carifta Games where the Bahamas could look for a medal on the field, it was the high jump.

On Sunday, the last two competitors, with the help of coach James Rolle, delighted the Bahamian crowd as they rocked to the rhythmic sound of junkanoo inside the Grenada National Athletics Stadium to snatch the gold and bronze in a highly competitive boys under-18 final, ensuring the tradition continued.

Jyles Etienne, a basketball player out of Stony Brook School in Brookhaven, New York, soared 2.07 metres or 6-feet, 9 1/2-inches to claim the gold after he had to go to a jump off with silver medallist Kobe-Jordan Rhooms from Jamaica, who eventually posted 2.06m (6-9). Clarke finished tied with Jaden Bernabela of Curacao as they both turned in personal bests of 2.03m (6-8) for the bronze.

It was the first time that 6-foot, 5-inch Etienne competed for the Bahamas and the 17-year-old said he was thrilled with the opportunity to do it in grand style.

“I was just listening to what my coach James Rolle was saying to me, don’t reach for the bar and just make it happen,” said Etienne, the 17-year-old in just his second meet for the year as he fell short of his personal best of 2.11m (6-11). “It feels good to win the first gold for the Bahamas.”

Although he won, Etienne said he felt he could have performed much better. But he will be satisfied with being the first gold medallist for Team Bahamas at the games.

Clarke, back for his second trip at the games, was delighted to have earned a medal, especially considering the fact that he’s just 15 years old.

“Through the competition, I realised that I’m a great jumper and I could beat everybody here,” said Clarke as he beat his chest when he matched his 2.00 previous best. “I just had to attack the bar more and I told myself that I could do it.”

Nobody was more elated about the performances than Rolle. He was not named as a coach of the team, but he made it to Grenada and he worked with the high jumpers and was visible on the sidelines yelling out the instructions to the competitors in the coaching segment of the event competition.

“It was great. I told them that we had to go out there and do something because Charisma’s (Taylor) approach was off and they were mad because she didn’t medal. So they went out there and they executed,” said Rolle. “We got first and bronze. It’s better than nothing.

“Benjamin is going to be great. He’s a young guy coming up and once he listens to his coach (Keno Demeritte), everything will be good. There’s a few things he has to work on, but he’s going to be good. He still has two more years under 18. As for Jyles, he performed sweet. We’re trying to get him ready for World Juniors when we get back home. But I couldn’t ask for a better performance from the two of them.”