media_artricles :: 2015

Triumphant NACAC team returns

TRINIDAD AND Tobago’s track and field athletes returned home yesterday with 10 medals attained from this year’s North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Senior Championships which concluded in San Jose, Chile, on Sunday.

Altogether, the national contingent bagged two gold, three silver and five bronze medals, with just two weeks remaining ahead of the IAAF World Championships which opens in Beijing, China on August 22.

In the first event on the opening day (Friday) field representative Quincy Wilson produced a positive start for team TT when he launched the sphere 56.82m to bag bronze in the Men’s Discus Throw. Later that evening, female discus thrower, Jaleesa Williams, went one better when she claimed silver, with a throw of 37.06m.

On the second day of competition, two-time Olympian Mikel Thomas notched TT ’s first gold medal of the Championships when he blasted to Men’s 110m hurdles victory in a championship record time of 13.23 seconds.

Fifteen minutes later, double Olympic bronze medallist Lalonde Gordon secured another gold for the red, white and black in the Men’s 400m in a time of 44.89s. One day prior, Gordon had also set a new championship record of 44.64s when he topped the field in the preliminary stage.

Coming off a slight injury, Michelle Lee Ahye had to fight her way back after a bad start in the 100m, but still managed to get onto the podium in third place (11.22s).

On Sunday, Team TT doubled their medal count on the last day of competition. Starting Sunday’s five-medal haul was the women’s quartet of Kamaria Durant, Reyare Thomas, Lisa Wickham and Peli Alzola, which picked up bronze (44.24s) in the 4X100m relay.

Sparkle McKnight was the next athlete to medal and she certainly delivered. Not only did she grab silver in the Women’s 400m hurdles, but she also ran her personal best (pb) 55.41s which was good enough for her to qualify for the World Championships.

Then came Semoy Hackett, who also held on to silver in the Women’s 200m. In the process, the Tobagonian sprinter set a personal best and new National record of 22.51s, breaking her old mark of 22.55s. Deandra Daniel continued the women’s domination when she settled for bronze in the High Jump, with a leap of 1.85m.

And finally, Jamaal James concluded TT ’s medal haul when he picked up bronze in the Men’s 800m with a season’s best 1:47.07.

The team was expected to arrive on Copa Airlines flight #CM 366 at 4.30.pm yesterday.

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