Nelda Huggins and Trevia Gumbs, who bagged silver medals at the 2012 CARIFTA Games in Bermuda earlier this year, repeated the feat in the u-18 girls 100 metres and shot put events on the first and last day of competition at the XIX Central American and Caribbean Junior Track and Field Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Besides the two silver medals, Virgin Islands athletes walked away with two national junior records, three national scholastic records and four fourth-place finishes.  

Ms. Huggins on Friday ran a personal best of 11.83 seconds, splitting the Bahamian pair of Carmiesha Cox who had a winning time of 11.70 and bronze medalist Devynne Charlton’s 11.97 seconds.

This year marks the first time that the u-18 division is being introduced in keeping with the IAAF mandate.

Coming into the competition, Ms. Huggins had a personal best of 11.98 seconds from last year, when she collected CARIFTA Games bronze in Jamaica, which she lowered to 11.91 seconds in the prelims. By cutting .08 off to 11.83 in the final, the mark moves her from eighth to sixth on the territory’s all time top 10 list.

She was fourth in the 200 metres on Saturday in 24.76 seconds, after running a personal best of 24.56 seconds in the prelims.

Ms. Gumbs, who took a short lived lead over the field on her second attempt before Jamaica’s Gleneve Grange unleashed a 15.04-metre toss later in the same round to snatch gold, reached 14.75 metres on her fourth attempt for the silver. However she avenged a loss to CARIFTA Games champ Chelsea James of Trinidad and Tobago, who finished with the bronze after a 13.93-metre heave.

Ms. Gumbs improved her national junior record and national scholastic record with the 3k weight.

Mses. Huggins and Gumbs became the territory’s eighth and ninth athletes to win medals in CAC Junior Championships competition since 1992, bringing the territory’s haul to 15.

After breaking Eric “Shaq” Mathias’ shot put national junior record dating back to 2003 with a toss of 16.32 metres to finish sixth with the 6k ball, Eldred Henry finished fourth in the discus throw. He tossed the discus 44.59 metres and his shot put mark was also a national scholastic record.

Jonel Lacey and Khari Herbert were fourth respectively, in the u-18 girls and boys’ 400 metres on the final day of the three-day competition.

Ms. Lacey ran 57.21 seconds for fourth in the 400-metre final, after running 57.44 seconds in the semifinal during the morning session.

Mr. Herbert ran a strong race from lane one to finish .24 seconds from the podium with his fourth-place finish in 48.45 seconds. He advanced to the final after running 49.01 seconds.

Kyron McMaster had a non-advancing time of 50.84 seconds in his heat. In his first event, he narrowly missed his high jump personal best of 1.86 metres with a 1.85 metre clearance.

Brandon Andrew also narrowly missed the u-18 boys 110-metre hurdles final, but settled for a national scholastic record with a time of 14.91 seconds. Mr. Andrew was 13th in the u-18 boys long jump after leaping 5.40 metres on his second attempt.

For Andrew, Henry and Gumbs’ marks, they qualify for a Sol National Record breakers awards which they will collect during the 4th BVI Athletics Association December 28, Athletes Awards Recognition Gala. An athlete establishing an indoor or outdoor National Record that stands at season’s end qualifies for the award.

Other Performances

Tynelle Gumbs settled for fifth place in the u-18 Girls Javelin Throw, with a best toss of the 500-kilogramme spear out to 36.02 metres.

After fouling her first two attempts, Kala Penn, 14, the youngest in the field, got off the board and settled for a best mark of 5.02 metres to place sixth in the u-18 girls long jump. She was also sixth in the triple jump with a leap of 11.04 metres.

J’Maal Alexander had a non advancing time of 10.72 seconds to take fourth place in the u-20 boys 100 metre heat.