: Newsday : Jonathan Ramnanansingh : 03.03.2023
TOBAGO swept the National Secondary Schools' Track and Field Championships at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, on Thursday, as Signal Hill, Roxborough and Scarborough Secondary captured the top three overall positions respectively. After 111 events across two days, Signal Hill finished ahead of the 80 participating schools on 477 points owing to multiple podium performances.
Roxborough Secondary was second best with 411 points while Scarborough Secondary (394pts) and Bishop's High School, Tobago, completed the top four, in that order. The north eastern schools rounded off the top eight finishers as Toco, Speyside High, Mason Hall and Goodwood placed fifth to ninth respectively.
Several athletes also earned Carifta C standards.
In the boys' 500m open, Queen's Royal College's Tafari Waldron dipped below the Carifta standard of 17 minutes and 12 seconds (17:12), to win in 16:29.42. He crushed the field as St James Secondary's Isaiah Elder was second in a distant 18:19.06 and Signal Hill's Nkosi Toney (19:50.45).
San Juan South's Payton Winter also bettered the Carifta standard with her golden throw in the girls' U17 shot put. She launched the sphere 13.36m, well ahead of the 12.15m mark. Scarborough's Neveah Herbabdez (10.36m) earned silver and Pentecostal Light and Life's Vanaleesia Joseph (9.72m) took bronze.
Scarborough's Jinelle Campbell achieved the same in the girls 17+ shot out as she threw to gold with a 12.25m distance, surpassing the 11.70m Carifta marker. Her schoolmate Kara Alexander (10.60m) bagged silver while Bishop's Tobago's Aniah Phillips (10.26m) snagged bronze.
Additionally, another Scarborough student, Lalenii Grant launched the discus 39.86m in the girls' U17 event, to better the 39.57m standard. Signal Hill's Irvine Ruth (33.59m) and Scarborough's Jinelle Campbell (32.67m) completed the top three respectively.
Also achieving C standards were Goodwood's Kaleb Campbell (1.87m) in the boys' U17 high jump, Bishop Anstey's J'Nae De Gannes (5.67m) in the girls' 17+ long jump and Signal Hill's Alexxe Henry in the girls U17 100m (11.95s) and 200m (24.02s)