Che Richards, Hezekiel Romeo, Janae De Gannes and Jonathan Farinha were among the standouts at two track and field test meets held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, on the weekend.

The meets marked the return of track and field here in Trinidad and Tobago following a long period of inactivity because of Covid-19.

Last March, the pandemic forced sport in T&T to shut down. And in May, the National Association of Athletics Administrations of T&T (NAAATT) cancelled the remainder of the local track and field season.

Covid-19 protocols were observed at the two test meets on the weekend.

Richards produced a wind-assisted leap of 7.56 metres to top Saturday’s men’s long jump event, the Oasics athlete beating his closest challenger by more than a metre. Richards’ best legal jump on the day was 7.46m.

Romeo threw the iron ball 17.96m for gold in the men’s shot put. De Gannes was the class of the girls’ under-17 long jump field, the Concorde athlete disturbing the sand at 5.66m.

El Dorado East Secondary’s Nathaniel Mathura landed the spear 54.63m for top spot in the boys’ under-20 javelin.

On Sunday, Farinha stopped the clock at 10.53 seconds to finish first in section two and first overall in the men’s 100 metres dash. Farinha’s Abilene Wildcats teammate, Dominic Cole won section one in 10.86 to finish second overall.

Devin Augustine got home in 10.86 seconds for gold in the boys’ under-20 100m dash, the Point Fortin New Jets sprinter beating UTT’s Kengell Christopher (10.93) to the line.

Leah Bertrand was unchallenged for top spot in the girls’ under-20 100m, the Simplex athlete winning in 11.87.

Kirdell McIntosh emerged victorious in the men’s 400m, the section two winner completing his lap of the track in 48.80 seconds.

Thirteen athletes contested the event. Among them was 2019 World Championship 200m finalist Kyle Greaux, the Abilene athlete finishing fourth in section two and seventh overall in 51.08.