By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

Kaiwan Culmer and Anthonique Strachan both secured a gold medal to lead Team Bahamas at the fifth North American, Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships over the weekend. 

At the end of the three-day meet at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Grand Bahama last night, the 36-member team from The Bahamas tallied 10 medals, including two gold, three silver and five bronze. National decathlon champion Kendrick Thompson picked up a silver along with Donald Thomas, competing in front of his hometown fans, in his specialty in the men’s high jump, while The Bahamas got its relay teams back on track with another silver in the mixed gender 4 x 400m on the superb anchor leg from Javonya Valcourt. 

Bronze medals came from World Championship double qualifier Anthaya Charlton in the women’s 100m, national decathlon champion Kendrick Thompson, national javelin record holder Rhema Otabor, Wendell Miller in the men’s 400m, Kenny Moxey Jr in the men’s decathlon and the men’s 4x100m relay. 

Culmer, with his ticket already booked for the World Championships, soared 54-feet, 4-inches or 16.56 metres for the gold medal in the men’s triple jump. 

“It really means something when you can do it in front of your home crowd with your family where they only get to see people who compete on that level, so that means the world for me,” said Culmer of his performance.

Cuban Andy Hechavarria Salazar got the silver with 53-11 3/4 (16.45m) and American Will Claye had to settle for the bronze with 53-8 1/4 (16.36m). 

Rollie Hanna, also from Team Bahamas, was fifth with 47-5 3/4 (14.46m).

“The competition was pretty smooth. It wasn’t the best for me, but I was able to execute enough to get the gold, which was the main purpose,” said Culmer on winning his first major international medal.

Culmer, who has been training with Bahamian national record holder Leevan “Superman” Sands for the past year, said he’s now concentrating on the World Championships where he hopes to make the final and be in a position to compete for another medal.

Strachan, who has yet to attain the qualifying standards in the women’s sprints but remains in the quota for consideration, strengthened her position by winning the gold in the women’s 200m in 22.77.

Mexico’s Miriam Sanchez Tapia got the silver in 22.87 and Jamaica’s Gabrielle Matthews took the bronze in 23.02. 

Fellow Bahamian Camille Rutherford, who has qualified for the 100m for the World Championships, was fifth in the half-lap race in 23.28. In the men’s decathlon, Kendrick Thompson picked up the silver with 7,515 points and Kenny Moxey Jr got the bronze with 6,412 with American Austin West climbing the gold with 8,038. Thomas, the national champion, cleared 7-3 (2.21m) for his silver in the high jump to trail American Tyus Wilson, the gold medalist with 7-4 1/4 (2.24m). Puerto Rico’s Luis Castro got the bronze with 7-3 (2.21m).

Shaun Miller Jr, the other Bahmiam in the event, cleared 6-8 3/4 (2.05m) for ninth place. 

Otabor, the 2024 Olympian and two-time NCAA outdoor champion and record holder, threw 176-2 (53.70m) for the bronze in the women’s javelin with rising star Dior-Rae Scott fourth 159-1 (48.49m). 

It was 1-2 sweep for the Americans in the event with Evelyn Bliss winning the gold with her toss of 192-4 (58.62m) and Edison Wiltrout getting the silver with 1091-4 (58.33m).

Chalton, who didn’t contest the long jump, picked up a bronze in the women’s 100m in 11.12 and Rutherford was sixth in 11.23.

Jamaican Jonielle Smith ran a WC qualifier in winning the gold in 11.05, just under the mark of 11.07, with Liranyi Alonso Tejeda of the Dominican Republic taking the silver in 11.10.

The men’s 100m nor the women’s 400m wasn’t what many expected.

In the men’s 100m, Grand Bahamian Terrence Jones ran 10.44 for fourth in his heat and 13th place overall, while Wanya McCoy, third in his heat in 10.53, was 19th overall.

Canadian Jerome Blarke won the final in a championship record in taking the tape in 9.95 as he went under the World Championship qualifier of 10.00. Jamaican Ryiem Forde was second in 10.01 and British Virgin Islands’ Rikkoi Braithwaite was third in 10.15.

The women’s 400m saw Olympic and world champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo withdraw from the final after she felt a bit of “discomfort,” but her championship record of 49.40 from 2022 remains intact. 

Jamaica’s Nickiesha Pryce took the gold in 49.95 with Haiti’s Wadeline Venlogh getting the silver in 50.23 and American Lynna Irby-Jackson getting the bronze in 50.47 as all three went under the World Championship standard of 50.75.

Bahamian national champion Printassia Johnson was in the hunt, but faded down the home stretch for fourth in 51.35.

Despite getting off to a slow start, Wendell Miller was able to storm back on the home stretch to sneak in for the bronze in a lifetime best of 45.12. 

Grenada’s Olympic and world champion Kirani James ran away with the gold in a championship record of 44.48 to dip under the World Championship standard of 44.85. Jamaican Rusheen McDonald got the silver in 45.12.

National record holder Keyshawn Strachan, still in pursuit of the World Championship qualifying mark of 280-6 (85.50m), was fourth in the men’s javelin with 251-2 (76.57m). 

American Curtis Thompson got a championship record and World Championship qualifier with 286-2 (87.24m) for the gold. American Dash Simon won the silver with 252-9 (77.04m) and Jamaican Elvis Graham got the bronze with 251-7 (76.69m).

In the men’s 200m, Ian Kerr, the lone competitor for Team Bahama, was fourth in 20.71. Canadian Aaron Brown won the gold in 20.27 with Jamaican Christopher Taylor taking the silver in 20.32 and Jose Figueroa of Puerto Rico getting the bronze in 20.53.

Katrina Seymour-Stamps, competing in her specialty, was fifth in her heat of the women’s 400m hurdles in 58.49 for ninth overall as she just missed making the final spot for the final.

In the final of the men’s long jump, Commonwealth Games champion LaQuan Nairn just missed out on a spot on the podium with his fourth place finish with a best pof 25-8 1/4 (7.84m).

Jamaica. picked up a pair of medals with Nikoali Williams taking the gold with 26-9 1/4 (8.16m) and Shawn-D Thompson getting the bronze with 25-10 (7.87m). American Will Williams won the silver with 26-1 1/2 (7.96m).

As for the relays, the quartet of Gregory Seymour, Katrina Seymour-Stamps, Andrew Styles and Javanya Valcourt ran 3:18.93 for the silver in the mixed 4 x 400m relay. Jamaica got the gold in 3:11.10 and Barbados got the bronze in 3:20.80.

And the men’s 4 x 100m team of Adam Musgrove, Terrence Joines, Ian Kerr and Wanya McCoy teamed up for the bronze in 38.57. Canada took the gold in a championship record of 38.05, followed by Jamaica with the silver in 38.53.

The men’s 4 x 400m relay team of Andrew Styles, Gregory Seymour, Andrew Brown and Wendell Miller clocked 3:08.77 for fourth place. Jamaica won the gold in 3:02.86,m followed by Mexico with the silver in 3:05.40 and Grenada with the bronze in 3:07.94.