UPDATE: Jaleel N. J. Croal captures VI’s first Carifta gold in Cayman Islands
Croal ran a blistering 21.43 seconds out of Lane 8 in the Under 17 Boys 200m Final at the 48th Carifta Games at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in the Cayman Islands on Sunday April 21, 2019.
It was a convincing win for Croal of the Sprint Tech Track Club and a victory that seemed to stun the crowd that had the Jamaicans as the favourites. Jamaicans Christopher Scott (21.73) and Richard Nelson (21.84) had to settle for second and third respectively.
Yesterday, April 21, 2019, Croal became the first Boys Under 17 100m medalist for the VI in 43 years. He captured a bronze.
Bronze for DeFreitas
There was more to cheer about following Croal’s gold as Beyonce A. DeFreitas captured a bronze in the Under 20 Girls 200m Final.
Running in Lane 8, DeFreitas, one of the most experienced athletes at the Carifta Games, clocked 23.79 seconds.
Brianna Williams of Jamaica ran unchallenged and finished with a time of 22.89. Her teammate Joanne Reid was second in 23.68.
The Virgin Islands now has 6 medals at the 48th Carifta Games.
See previous article published April 21, 2019
4 medals for VI on Day 1 of 48th Carifta Games
- medallists are Djimon L. Gumbs, Akrisa Eristee, Khybah Dawson & Jaleel Croal
The Virgin Islands (UK) captured 4 medals, including 2 silver, on the opening day of action at the 48th Carifta Games at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in the Cayman Islands on Saturday April 20, 2019.
Djimon L. Gumbs had set the pace for the medal haul when he captured bronze in the discus throw event, finishing just ahead of his twin brother Diamante B. Gumbs.
IAAF World Under-20 discus champion, Kai Chang of Jamaica easily won the gold medal with a winning throw of 59.36m, improving on the silver he won last year. Ralford Mullings, also of Jamaica, took the silver medal with an effort of 54.91m.
Djimon’s best heave was 54.76m and Diamnate’s 52.85m.
Silver medalists
The VI’s first silver medal came from Khybah Dawson in the Under 17 Boys Long Jump. Dawson’s best jump was 6.83 metres.
The event was won by Barbados’ Caleb Massiah, whose first effort of 6.84 metres was the only legal jump he managed out of his 6 attempts.
Jaheim Cox of Jamaica took bronze for his leap of 6.73 metres.
The second silver for the VI was on the track by Akrisa Eristee, who clocked 54.10, finishing behind Bermuda’s 53.69 in the Under 17 Girls 400m Final. Third was Rickiann Russell of Jamaica in 54.18.
Eristee held her form well on the home straight to hold off a battling Russell.
Bronze for Croal
The fourth medal for the VI came in the Under 17 Boys 100m Final when Jaleel Croal ran 10.80 to take bronze. Devine Augustine of Trinidad and Tobago won the event in 10.62 while Jamaica’s Bouwajhie Nkrumie finished second in 10.71.
Medal standings
After the first day of action, athletics powerhouse Jamaica are well ahead with 30 medals. The medal haul for Jamaica comprises nine gold, 14 silver, and seven bronze.
The Bahamas were well behind in second place with a medal haul of nine, which comprises six gold and three silver.
Guyana (three medals - two gold and a bronze), Trinidad and Tobago (seven medals - one gold, three silver, and three bronze) and Bermuda (two medals - one gold and one bronze) complete the top five on the gold medal table.
The VI are in 8th place in the medal table.
More than 500 athletes from across the Caribbean are taking part in the premier track and field meet in the region.
Jamaica has topped the medal table 41 times and its last defeat was in 1984 when The Bahamas won at home.
Today is the penultimate day of events at the 48th Carifta Games.
See medal table below:
11 Responses to “UPDATE: Jaleel N. J. Croal captures VI’s first Carifta gold in Cayman Islands”