Archer not worried about lack of qualifiers for CARIFTA

As expected, with the season being effectively pushed back given the ever-present nature of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a low number of qualifiers for major track and fiend events on the horizon.

The CARIFTA Games, one of the ultimate events for junior athletes in track and field in this region, has been postponed from the Easter holiday weekend to this summer – now set for July 2-4, still, at the Bermuda National Sports Centre in Hamilton Bermuda. As a result, local track and field meets have been pushed back as well, and there are just 12 qualifiers for CARIFTA – one of which is too young to attend.

Seven of the qualifiers achieved the required marks at the Blue Chip Athletics Throwers Meet at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium back in December. On the track, there has just been the T-Bird Flyers Track and Field Classic on January 9 and the Roadrunners Track and Field Meet at the end of February.

At the throwers meet, Calea Jackson, Tarajh Hudson, Rhema Otabor, Carnitra Mackey, Kamera Strachan, Kaden Cartwright and Keyshawn Strachan all qualified for CARIFTA. At just 12, Kamera Strachan is too young to attend.

Jackson is the only qualifier in the under-17 girls division, throwing 37.34 meters (m) – 122’ 6” in the discus at the throwers meet to surpass the standard of 36.88m (121’). Kamera Strachan was over the standard of 34.36m (112’ 8-3/4”) for the javelin, tossing the device 34.47m (113’ 1”), but as mentioned, she is too young.

Cartwright recorded a distance of 51.38m (168’ 6-3/4”) in the under-17 boys javelin throw, going over the qualifying distance of 50.65m (166’ 2”). He improved on that distance, throwing 52.72m (172’ 11”) at the T-Bird Flyers Meet.

Defending CARIFTA Champion in the under-20 girls javelin Otabor was brilliant as she threw 47.15m (158’ 8-1/4”), easily surpassing the standard of 38.39m (125’ 11-1/2”). Joining her in that event as a qualifier is Mackey who threw a distance of 38.53m (126’ 5”) at the throwers meet. At the Roadrunners meet, Mackey improved on that 

performance, throwing 40.24m (132’).

Keyshawn Strachan was brilliant as usual when he threw 64.45m (211’ 5-1/4”) in the under-20 boys javelin, well above the qualifying mark of 60.94m (199’ 11-1/4”). Since then, he threw 66.77m (219’) at the T-Bird Flyers Meet. Hudson is no stranger to the CARIFTA scene, and booked his ticket to the event again, throwing 53.66m (176’) in the under-20 boys discus at the throwers meet, surpassing the qualifying distance of 52.13m (171’ 0-1/4”). He came back and threw 52.52m (172’ 3”) at the Roadrunners meet.

In non-throwing events only five athletes have qualified so far.

“We’re not worried at all. When you would have looked at it, there has been just two meets on the track so far,” said Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ (BAAA) President Drumeco Archer. “We’re confident that the performances will come as the season goes along, but as it stands now, this is not a good barometer as to where we are. We haven’t had the substantive meets that we normally would have had at this time. There has been no inter-house meets, no inter-school meets and no high school nationals. All we’ve had has been the T-Bird Flyers and the Roadrunners. We’ve set a standard and we expect that athletes will make the standards in due course.”

Archer said unlike the 2019 season, his first season in office as president, when they took a stance to take just qualifiers to CARIFTA, they have not made a decision in that regard as yet for 2021. The 2020 championships were canceled due to COVID-19, and as mentioned, just two substantial track and field meets have been held in The Bahamas thus far this season. The inaugural Red-Line Athletics Track Classic is set for Saturday, March 20 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

“COVID-19 has far reaching effects and we have to respect that,” said Archer. “We will take certain things into consideration at a later date. Right now we have to respect the fact that there are limited competitions, limited access to training facilities and even training sessions, limited funding, and obviously planning has been a challenge. Right now we are unsure if events will even take place. Events are scheduled but we live day-to-day. Right now, our function is to ensure that the athletes are ready for competition and continue to be in a positive state of mind.”

Archer said, in athletics, they have remained COVID-19 free and there has been no outbreak at any of the meets thus far. He said it is a testament of careful planning and doing what they can to protect the athletes, coaches, officials and all would played a part in the staging of the athletic competitions.

For now the CARIFTA Games remains on the agenda for early July.

“There is no concern at this juncture and there is nothing to suggest that the event will be canceled,” said Archer. “Bermuda has given us the assurance that they are ready. At this moment, we don’t know what the stance will be as far as fans attending CARIFTA is concerned. We know that running by yourself and competing without fans is not an easy thing. Fans are definitely missed around the world in sports. As COVID seems to be improving, spectator participation is increasing and we hope that this continues.”

In addition to the throwers, also qualifying for CARIFTA are Carlos Brown Jr. in the under-17 boys 100m, running 10.75 seconds at the T-Bird Flyers meet, going under the ‘A’ standard of 11.02 seconds, Megan Moss in the under-20 girls 400m, running 52.32 seconds at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Indoor Track and Field Championships for the University of Kentucky, going under the ‘A’ standard of 54.76 seconds, Nathan Duncan and Christopher Saintus in the under-20 boys 5,000m, each running 16:00.26 at the T-Bird Flyers meet, going under the standard of 16:05.60, and Dondre Saunders in the under-20 boys high jump, clearing 2m (6’ 6-3/4”) at the Roadrunners meet, matching the standard of 2m.

Running for Kentucky, sophomore athlete Moss has gone under the CARIFTA qualifying standard five times this season, and will take part in the NCAA Championships this coming weekend.

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