By Tenajh Sweeting

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

OVER the last few years, the field events have garnered lots of attention as Bahamian athletes have risen to the occasion time and time again at all levels and, at the 51st CARIFTA Games in St George’s, Grenada, the field athletes delivered in a big way.

Team Bahamas reeled in 33 medals but a closer look would reveal that 23 medals came from athletes that stepped up to the plate in the field events. In fact, not only did the field athletes take home a majority of the medals for The Bahamas at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium but three CARIFTA records are now owned by a pair of pole vaulters and a javelin thrower.

Drumeco Archer, president of The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), praised the prowess of the field athletes who medalled for Team Bahamas as well as their respective coaches. “We have gotten 33 medals and nine of them were gold medals all attributed to the hard work that took place on the field.

“I give my hats off to the throwers coaches Corrington Maycock and Laquel Harris together with the jumps coaches. James Rolle promised that he would deliver and he certainly delivered together with Jamieson Pratt. I am just ecstatic for the fields team who have done a tremendous job,” he said.

Team Bahamas returned home with 9 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 11 bronze medals yesterday at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. Eight out of the nine gold medals belong to Brenden Vanderpool (boys pole vault), Joshua Williams (under-17 boys long and high jump), J’Kaiyah Rolle (under-17 girls long jump), Taysha Stubbs (under-20 girls javelin throw), Kaden Cartwright (under-20 boys javelin), Dior-Rae Scott (under-17 girls javelin throw) and Anaiah Rolle (girls pole vault).

A trio of Bahamians also paired their gold medal performances with new CARIFTA records.

Dior-Rae Scott removed her teammate Kamera Strachan’s former CARIFTA record of 46.07m in the under-17 girls javelin throw and posted a new mark of 52.53m over the weekend.

Anaiah Rolle is now a co-CARIFTA record holder but the sole gold medallist in the girls pole vault (open). She cleared St Lucian Naya Jules’ former CARIFTA pole vault record of 2.80m by notching a 2.90m mark.

Brenden Vanderpool did it again. Vanderpool surpassed his former CARIFTA and National record of 5.06m and moved it up to 5.30m at his final CARIFTA Games.

The BAAAs president used the word “spectacular” to describe the performances of the newest CARIFTA record holders.

“Dior-Rae has won a medal at every CARIFTA Games that she has participated in and I think that is nothing short of amazing for her. To see how far she has improved is just something that is so special for such a small kid. I think when you look at Anaiah Rolle this is a new introduction to the event for women and she is in the top of her class…We know that The Bahamas is driving the sport in that area so we are happy about that as well,” he said.

The Bahamas collected 8 out of the thirteen silver medals totaled from the field events. The CARIFTA silver medallists were Alexandria Komolafe (under-17 girls high jump), Tyler Cash (boys pole vault), Vanessa Sawyer (under-20 girls javelin throw), Annae Mackey (under-20 girls shot put), Bernard Kemp (under-20 boys long jump), Claudius Burrows (under-17 boys high jump), Kamera Strachan (under-17 girls javelin throw), and Terrell McCoy (under-17 girls shot put).

Additionally, more than half of the 11 bronze medals counted were secured in the field events. Jaylen Stuart (under-17 boys shot put), McCoy (under-17 girls discus throw), Davon Davis (under-17 boys triple jump), Lanaisha Lubin (under-20 girls long jump), Kemp (under-20 boys high jump), Rollie Hanna (under-20 boys triple jump) and Shamar Davis (under-20 boys high jump) all finished as bronze medallists.

Team Bahamas was unable to nab a gold medal in any of the track events making zero their lowest medal total in this regard since 2022. As for the field events, it was the highest number of gold medals achieved by Team Bahama since 2018.

The Bahamas finished second at the CARIFTA Games for a fifth straight year and Jamaica won for the 38th year in a row with 83 medals. Trinidad and Tobago rounded up 27 medals for third.