By BVI Athletics Association

Eldred Henry competing in the Discus Throw at the VIII NACAC U23 Championships in Kamloops, Canada. Photo credit:  Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

KAMLOOPS, B.C. Canada—Eldred Henry closed his inaugural season as a Sr. athlete with a fourth place finish in the NACAC U23 Championships Discus Throw, followed by a fifth place finish in the Shot Put at Hillside Stadium on the Thompson River University campus in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

After a mammoth final attempt that he fouled, his opening mark of 52.15m stood up as the fourth best measurement of the Discus Throw competition on Friday.

On Sunday, Henry placed fifth in the Shot Put with a best heave of 16.98m.

“I had a pretty good warm up and every thing, but in the competition first one pretty OK, but on the second one, I hit my foot on the toe board and after that, I couldn’t put all my weight to stop me,” Henry explained of the Shot Put performance. “I had high expectations in the Discus. The last one probably would have put me in second place but I couldn’t keep it in the ring. Now that the season is over, I have to go back to the drawing board, do a lot of dynamic work, drop a couple of pounds and hope I can come back for the next season and open up with a 65m (throw).”

Henry’s Coach Tony Dougherty said he competed but looked a little tired and backed off some of his throws.

“He was more aggressive in the Discus two days ago,” Dougherty noted of his Shot Put effort. “Still right at 17m, so not a bad day.”

By: Dean Greenaway

Kyron McMaster, left and Nelda Huggins. Photo: Dean “The Sportsman” Greenaway

Two BVI Carifta Games bronze medalists in track events who have established National Jr. Records this season will represent the territory at the IAAF World Jr. Championships in Eugene, Oregon, July 22-27.

Sprinter Nelda Huggins and 400m Intermediate Hurdler Kyron McMaster have met the qualifying standards and will join the best U20 athletes from around the world in Eugene.

The territory almost had a third qualifier in Carifta Games 400m finalist Khari Herbert who came agonizingly close missing the standard by .001 in his last meet of the season.

Huggins will contest the 100 and 200m where the 17 year old has established National Youth and National Jr. Records in both events. Huggins who has been on the Carifta Games 100m podium every year since 2011, sliced her 100m best from 11.77 seconds she ran last year and matched during the Carifta Games in Martinique, to 11.59 in winning the U20 Girls event at last month’s BVI Twilight Invitational.

She’s coming off breaking her own 200m standard of 23.91 seconds established during the Carifta Games in April, with a run of 23.77 at the Antigua National Championships at the end of June.

Versatile McMaster has established personal bests in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 400m Intermediate Hurdles and 800m this season, qualifying for World Jrs. In the 400m Hurdles, his new pet event.

The novice has exactly four hurdles races to his credit—three of them over the 0.84m height—the regulations for U18 athletes. He debuted with 56.31 seconds in January then followed up with 56.08 to make the Carifta Games U18 Boys final, before running 52.85 for the bronze.

In his next race over the 0.914m barriers—the height for U20 athletes and collegians—he ran 53.26 second to qualify for World Jrs.

McMaster is coming off taking down Keita Cline’s 23 year old U18 Boys 200m National Youth Record of 22.09 seconds with a mark of 21.74 during the Antigua National Championships, where he also shaved his own 400m Youth Record from 48.14 to 48.10. He missed equaling Aliston “Al” Potter’s 100m National Youth Record of 10.96 seconds when he ran 10.97. He has also a 2:09.00 to his credit in the 800m.

Chief Coach Dag Samuels and Angeleta Bernard will be the accompanying officials.

BVI’s Ashley Kelly, right, St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Kenike Alexander and Antigua & Barbuda’s Samantha Edwards in the 400m. They had times of 53.17, 52.47 & 53.45 respectively. Photo: St. KItts & Nevis Amateur Athletics Association.

For some it was a tune up for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland later this month. For others, it was the end of competition for the 2014 season.

By time Tahesia Harrigan-Scott comfortably crossed the line to win the 100m, the final women’s individual event Sunday evening’s program, BVI athletes had bagged six medals—including two gold—in the revival of the OECS Track and Field Championships which were last held in 1991 in St. Lucia.

Harrigan-Scott captured gold with a wind aided time of 11.29 seconds, in a race that had a +4.1 meters per second tailwind. Teammate Karene King—who was second the in the 200m on Saturday night—placed fourth in 11.70.

King got to the line in 23.49 seconds in the 200m behind St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s Kenike Alexander who ran 22.97. King advanced to the final with a time of 23.76.

Trevia Gumbs landed the Shot Put crown with a throw of 13.69m to collect the territory’s other gold medal on Sunday.

The medal haul began on Saturday when Tynelle Gumbs opened her Javelin Throw account with a heave of 35.40m which stood up as the second best throw of the competition, to collect silver.

The third silver medal was bagged when Ashley Kelly ran her fastest 400m since her collegiate days to finish second behind Alexander in 53.17 seconds eclipsing the 53.43 season’s best she ran at the BVI Twilight Invitational last month.

Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner finished third in a season ending 800m run with a time of 2 minutes, 16.14 seconds, to earn the bronze medal.

Tarique Moses ended his season with a personal best of 49.40 seconds after finishing fourth in the 400m. He ran 49.87 in the prelims to advance to the final.

Harrigan-Scott, King and Kelly, will be joined by Chantel Malone, Shaquoy Stephens, Keron Stoute and Eldred Henry at the Commonwealth Games, which will have track and field action from July 27-Aug 3.

Following the Commonwealth Games, Stephens and Henry will fly to Kamloops, Canada, for the NACAC U23 Championships, Aug 8-10.