SVG finish fourth in OECS Track and Field Championships

St Vincent and the Grenadines finished fourth in the second edition of the OECS Track and Field Championships, which took place last Saturday and Sunday at the AO Shirley Stadium in Road Town Tortola.{{more}}

Accounting for the Vincentians’ final placing were the females, who tallied 57 points and the males – 84, for a combined total of 141 points.

On the medal table, the Vincentians pouched two gold, five silver and six bronze.

Delhonni Nicol-Samuel won gold in the 5,000m in 15 minutes 08.62 seconds, and lapped all his opponents except second placed Reon Radix of Grenada.

In the process, Nicol-Samuel, who is the holder of seven national records for St Vincent and the Grenadines, three outdoor and four indoors, broke the All Comers record of 15 minutes 40.32 seconds, set by Jason Sayers in 2002.

St Vincent and the Grenadines also copped gold, via the combination of Akani Slater, Kimorie Shearman, Kasique Oliver and Brandon Valentine–Parris, who took gold in the men’s 4 x 400m, clocking 3 minutes 09.41 seconds. The efforts of the four also established another All Comers record.

Down the line, Jumone Exeter earned silver in the triple jump. His best leap was 15.02m. Exeter on May 28 this year set the new national mark in the event at the NCAA Division Two championships in the USA with a jump of 15.92m.

Also gaining silver was Kineke Alexander, who placed second in the women’s 400m, in a time of 52.30 seconds.

Meanwhile, Zita Vincent, in 11 minutes 04.86 seconds, was also second in the women’s 3,000m. Vincent snapped up another silver in the 1,500m, when she timed 5 minutes 6.42 seconds over the distance.

And, Nicol-Samuel docked in second in the 1,500m in 3 minutes 55.9 seconds.

St Vincent and the Grenadines added six bronze medals to the count. Tamara Woodley gained two individual bronze medals, clocking 2 minutes 29.61 seconds in the women’s 800m and 5 minutes 28.20 seconds in the 1,500m.

Kineke Alexander claimed bronze in the 200m in 23.59 seconds, while she, along with Woodley, Sorenya Miller and Shantel Williams joined forces to place third in the 4 x 400m. The four combined to clock 3 minutes 55.20 seconds, behind the British Virgin Islands and Grenada teams.

In the men’s 400m, Brandon Valentine-Parris’ 46.77 seconds brought him third place and a bronze medal.

And the quartet of Josh Hamilton, Courtney Williams and twin brothers Reuberth and Reberto Boyde came in third in the men’s 4 x100m in a time of 41.21 seconds.

The other members of the St Vincent and the Grenadines team were field athlete Richard Crick, who finished outside the medal circle in both the men’s long jump and triple jump and Daria Mathias who was a finalist in the women’s 100m.

Winning the championships overall were the British Virgin Islands with a combined total of 183; St Kitts and Nevis were second on 176 points, one better than Grenada’s 175.

St Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla and Montserrat, were the other competing nations, and finished in that order.

Meanwhile, Grenada’s Kenisha Pascal won the inaugural Veda Bruno-Victor Female Athlete of the Meet award, after winning the 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m.

And, St Lucia’s Marbeq Edgar was the recipient of the Joseph “Reds” Perreira Male Athlete of the Meet Award. He won both the 800m and 3,000m.(RT)