The Tribune

From BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

In Willemstad, Curacao

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MULTI-TALENTED Denvaughn Whymns struck gold for the Bahamas to spark day one of the 46th Flow Carifta Games that ended with six medals - two golds, three silvers and a bronze - for the country on Saturday at the Sentro Deportivo Korsou National Stadium.

Whymns’ opening performance followed an inspirational fourth place finish by Bryant Lowe in the under-18 boys’ 1,500 metres before Team Bahamas picked up the first pair of medals in the same event in the under-18 girls’ 400m with Megan Moss snatching the gold with Doneisha Anderson taking the bronze.

Outside the stadium, where some of the throwing events took place, Laquell Harris secured a silver medal with her toss of 50.42 metres on her fifth try in the under-18 girls’ shot put. Tiffany Hanna was seventh with her best of 40.74m. Fiona Richards, of Jamaica, got the gold with 54.19m and Tiara Derosa, of Bermuda, won the bronze with 47.69m.

Back in the stadium, Daehja Moss clinched the Bahamas second silver in the under-20 girls’ high jump and Adrian Curry was the only other competitor to medal in a final on the track in the under-18 boys’ 100m, in which he also took silver.

Charisma Taylor, competing in another field event final during the evening session, was fifth in the under-20 girls triple jump with a personal best of 12.62m (41ft 5in).

The night did not come to a close without its share of disappointment as Devine Parker stumbled out of the blocks and did not finish the under-18 girls’ 100m race.

And after they were recalled 20m into the under-20 boys sprint race, Grand Bahamian birthday boy Javan Martin did not get to celebrate the way he would have wanted as he was charged with the first of two false starts in the night’s finale.

Day one brought Team Bahamas two golds, three silvers and a bronze with high aspirations for a bigger haul on day two on Easter Sunday.

Whymns, the versatile CC Sweeting student, completed the first of his three individual events in the under-18 boys division by soaring 7.31m (23ft 113/4in) in his specialty in the long jump to take the top spot on the medal dais. He collected his hardware from IAAF president Sir Sebastian Coe.

“I just came into the jumps mentally prepared because I just wanted to do my best and bring the first medal for the country,” Whymns said. “I was just hyper and I heard the crowd and that got me excited.”

What got him excited was the rhythmic sound of the Junkanoo music by the Bahamian contingent in the stands next to the long jump pit.

It even pumped up the St Augustine’s College pair of Anderson and Moss more as they contained the two Jamaicans in lane four and five as they ran out of third and sixth respectively in their under-18 girls’ 400m.

Moss, the 15-year-old sensation, led early and maintained it to take the tape in a personal best of 53.68 seconds with Anderson coming back off the final curve to power into third for the bronze, again for a personal best of 54.32 seconds.

“It’s really an honour and it makes me feel proud that I got a gold medal for our country,” said Moss of her prized possession. “It was really good, the competition was stiff, but I just had to get out in the first 200 and bring it home in the final 200.”

For Anderson, the cherished bronze medal made up for her disappointing fourth place finish in the high jump final during the morning session.

“The high jump and the 400 this morning was really close, but I did my best and I got a medal for my country,” Anderson stressed. “I got out well, maintained on the back stretch and picked it up on the curve and I went for it on the home stretch.”

Anderson, 17, said she was thrilled to have been in the race with Moss as she watched her run a perfect race to get the gold.

Just shy of winning another gold was Adrian Curry in the under-18 boys’ 100m, clocking 10.64 seconds as he was nipped at the tape by Adell Colthrust, of Trinidad & Tobago, the winner in 10.63 seconds.

“It was great to get a medal for the Bahamas,” said the 15-year-old Curry, who got his first Carifta individual medal. “I just focused on my race, executed like my coach told me and concentrated on my finish.”

Grand Bahamian Bryant Lowe let another medal slip out of his grasp in the under-18 boys’ 1,500m as he did not have enough energy coming down the stretch to catch Barbados’ Ronaldo Rock. He had to settle for fourth in 4 minutes 12.85 seconds with team mate Ryan Bethell eighth in 4:33.43.

“It was disappointing to get fourth, but I just started the 1,500 this season, so I know I have a lot to work on and a lot of potential for this race,” said the 17-year-old Sunland Baptist Academy standout, whose coach Ali Rolle moved him up from the 400/800 combination to the 800/1/500.

In other events during the morning session, Acacia Astwood had to settle for seventh place in the under-18 girls’ shot put with a heave of 12.54 metres on her fifth attempt. Ianna Roach, of Trinidad & Tobago, won with 14.43m, Danielle Soley, of Jamaica, got the silver with 14.12m and Tamera Manette, of Martinique, was the bronze medallist with 13.86m.

In the under-18 girls’ high jump, Doneisha Anderson cleared 1.68m (5ft 6in) for fourth place. She cleared the first three heights – 1.55m (5ft 1in), 1.60m (5ft 3in) and 1.65m (5ft 5in) - on her first attempt.

After she broke off to run the qualifying round of the 400m, she knocked down her first attempt at 1.68m and nailed the second. She missed her three attempts at 1.74m (5ft 8½in).

Jamaica got gold and silver from Janique Burgher, at 1.77m, and Lamara Distin, at 1.74, respectively. Sakari Famous, of Bermuda, got the bronze with 1.68m.

Anderson ended up posting the fastest qualifying time of 55.05 seconds in winning the last of three heats. Megan Moss also advanced by winning heat one in 56.33 for the third fastest time.

On the track, Team Bahamas did not fare as well in the other 400m events.

In the under-18 boys’ one-lap race, Tyrell Simms was second in the second of three heats and Sherrod Corey won the third heat in 49.58. Only Corey advanced with the third fastest time, while Simms was eliminated after he was 12th.

Bradley Dormeus was fifth in the second of three heats in 48.73 in the under-20 boys’ quarter-mile and Lavrado Henfield was third in the last heat in 49.44, but they both missed advancing in the top eight by placing 10th and 11th respectively.

And Gabrielle Shannon was fifth in the first of two heats in 58.84 in the under-20 girls’ race with Quanisha Marshall coming sixth in the second heat in 57.22. They both missed advancing as Marshall was ninth and Shannon 11th overall.