By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – The focus at the 2025 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad & Tobago was on competitors from the 78-member team from The Bahamas competing in the sprints, hurdles and field events.

But one of the events that drew less attention was the combined multiple events where Anliyah Evans came out with a bronze medal in the open girls’ heptathlon.

Combining a total of six events over the final two days of competition at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Sunday and Monday, Evans accumulated a total of 4,625 points.

Trinidad & Tobago’s Tonique Vincent clinched the gold with 5,053 and Guadeloupe’s Clementine Crias won the bronze with 4,701 points.

Evans was one of the four versatile all-round athletes to medal.

The other was Kamron Henfield, who won the bronze in the under-17 boys’ octathlon with 4,572 points, followed by Krisoff Munroe in fourth place with 4,417. The other competitor was in the open boys’ decathlon where Nathaniel Smith ended up in sixth place with 5,630 points.

Evans was ecstatic about the breakdown of her medal-winning performance.

“On the first, I was very proud of myself because I PRed (personal best performance) in the majority of my events, but on the second day, it wasn’t God’s plan,” Evans said.

“I was really disappointed in my long jump and for the javelin, it was very disappointing as well. And then in the 800, IU just ran as best as I could.”

Going into the final event, Evans said there was about 200 points that separated her from winning the gold and so she gave it her all down the last 200m. However, after falling across the finish line in total exhaustion, Evans fell short of getting the gold or the silver medal.

“I feel very happy that I would be coming back to the Bahamas with a medal,” she stressed. “It wasn’t what I expected, I expected the gold because last year I got the bronze, but I fell short. Last year is my last year for CARIFTA, so hopefully I can get the gold.”

The 17-year-old 12th grader at Bishop Michael Eldon High in Grand Bahama was inspired from the start to the finish to get back on the medal podium to add to the bronze she collected a year ago.

In her seven events spilt over two days, Evans ran the 100m hurdles in 14.35 seconds for 929 points. She cleared 5-feet, 5 3/4-inches or 1.67 metres in the high jump (771 pts); shot put with a heave of 32-10 1/2, or 10.02m (531 pts) and ran the 200m in 26.38 (2,995 pts).

And on the final day on Monday, Evans soared 17-4 1/4, or 5.29m in the long jump (640 pts); threw the javelin 75-1, or 22.90m (343 pts) and completed the package in the 800m in 2:33.72 (647 pts).

Reflecting on her performance, Evans said because she has very weak muscles, she has to work on her throws as she demonstrated that she’s not a “weakling.”

Henfield, in producing his bronze, ran the 100m in 11.16 (825 pts), long jump with 6.06m, or 19-10 3/4 (600 pts), shot put with 9.21m (438) and 400m in 51.71 (737 pts) after Saturday’s first day. He came back on the final day on Sunday and did the 110m hurdles in 15.62 (776 pts); high jump with 1.57m, or 5-1 3/4 (441 pts); javelin with 32.91m, or 107-11 (340 pts) and the 1,500m in 5:26.93 (415 pts).

Munroe, on the other hand, opened with 11.62 in the 100m (728 pts); 20-10, or 6.35m in long jump (664 pts); threw 29-1 3/4, or 8.88m in the shot put (419 pts); ran the 400m in 52.14 (719 pts); 110m hurdles in 16.66 (660 pts); cleared high jump with 1.72m (560 pts); threw the javelin with 76-5, or 23.30m (206 pts) and ran the 1,500m in 5:17.95(461 pts).

Smith, competing in the under-20 boys’ division, went through ten grueling events over two days of competition on Saturday and Sunday. 

In its introduction to the games for the first time in in Trinidad & Tobago, Smith began day one running 11.80m in the 100m (691 pts); cleared 19-8 1/4, or 6.00m in the long jump (587 pts); threw 38-7 3/4 or 11.78m in the shot put (593 pts); leapt 5-4 1/2 or 1.64m in the high jump (496 pts) and ran 52.72 in the 400m (651 pts).

And on the final day on Sunday, he did 16.64 in (662 pts); threw 94-10, or 28.91m in the discus (443); cleared 11-7 3/4, or 3.55m in the pole vault (496 pts); threw 110-11, or 33.82m in the javelin (353 pts) and completed the event by running 4:42.10 in the 1,500m (667 pts).