Tarika “Tinker Bell” Moses led off another weekend of stellar performances by Virgin Islands athletes.
The 2013 Carifta Games under-17 girls 400-metre silver medalist who was sidelined by injury last year, became the third best performer all time but the fastest debutant when she stopped the clock at two minutes and 12.46 seconds. She also became the first athlete to qualify for the 44th Carifta Games in St. Kitts scheduled for the upcoming Easter weekend.
At the same competition, after running the sixth fastest time of 7.61 seconds in the 60-metre dash, Karene King ran a season’s best of 24.04 seconds to win her 200-metre heat and was fifth overall. Her time eclipsed Ashley Kelly’s 24.12 seconds as the fastest time so far this season.
Bethune-Cookman senior Keron Stoute was fourth in the MEAC Conference Indoor Championships heptathlon with a score of 4,502 points. He helped his team to a 1.5-point victory over North Carolina A&T, 126-50-125.
Competing at the Don Kirby Elite and Open in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Central Arizona Freshman Trevia Gumbs improved her shot put best to 14.47 metres — the ninth best throw of the meet. She then recorded another personal best in the weight throw with a toss of 15.39 metres to place 23rd overall. Her twin sister Tynelle finished ninth following her 17.28-metre effort, but didn’t have a legal throw in the shot put.
Eldred Henry encountered foul trouble in the shot put and did not record a legal throw.
At the Melrose Games in New York, Ashley Kelly was fourth in the 400 metres in 54.36 seconds.
Taylor Hill ran her second successive 200 metres under 25 seconds to place fourth at the Tyson Invitational Olympic Development event in 24.74 seconds in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Cary High School senior Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner was third in the North Carolina State High School 4A Championships 500 metres with a personal best of one minute and 16.49 seconds. She contributed a third-leg carry in both the 4 x 200 metres and 4 x 400 metres relays. The 4 x 200 quartet was second in 1:42.07 minutes and in the 4 x 400 the team finished second again with a time of 3:55.76 minutes.
Chantel Malone kicked off her European tour at the ISTAF Berlin Indoor meet in Germany, with a leap of 6.39 metres in the long jump. She placed seventh overall.
BVIAA Development Series
L’Tisha “Lea” Fahie qualified for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia on July 9-15. It was her third place-finish in the 200 metres during Friday’s BVI Athletics Association fifth Development Series meet that earn her the trip to the championships.
Running into a -3.1 metres per second headwind, Ms. Fahie finished behind Nelda Huggins’ winning time of 24.91 seconds and Beyonce DeFreitas’ 25.18 seconds, when she turned in a time of 25.24 seconds.
DJimon Gumbs had a personal best throw of 45.42 metres in the under-18 boys discus throw among the meet’s highlights.
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