By BVI Athletics Association

British Virgin Islands 400m Hurdler Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner and sprinter L’T’Sha “Bella” Fahie, advanced to today’s semifinals of their respective events in the XVI IAAF World Jr. Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Wednesday.

Carifta Games silver medalist Warner, ran “a safe race” over the barriers finishing in one minute 00.93 seconds to automatically advance and has drawn lane two in the second semifinal today.

“After I started, I hit the first hurdle with the wrong leg and from there, I chipped and hurdled with the wrong leg for the whole race,” Warner pointed out. “After that, I was trying to come in the top four. It wasn’t a hard race and I wasn’t really tired at the end. I just tried to make sure I positioned myself so I could advance. I was trying to fix what I messed up because I have to run even faster, if I want to make it to the finals.”

Warner said she’ll adjust her blocks setting so that she can attack the hurdle and lead with her preferred leg.

Fahie, a 2015 IAAAF World Youth Championships semifinalist, grabbed one of the six fastest losers spots to reach the 100m semis, after running 11.78 seconds just .01 off the 11.77 personal best she ran in the Invitational segment of the 2^nd OECS Championships on July 2.

“Warming up, I was very confident in myself, trusted my coach and my training and pictured the race in my head,” said Fahie who will run from lane two in the third heat of the semifinals today. “I was nervous going to the call room but as I hugged my teammate Tarika (Moses) all the nerves went out the door. When I got on the line, I told myself that I’d been working long and hard to get kicked out of the first round, so go out and do your thing.”  Nelda Huggins placed fourth in her 100m heat in 11.87 seconds and the US Virgin Islands’ Nia Jack, was seventh in the same heat in 12.33.

The BVI’s Kyron McMaster will contest the 400m Hurdles today. He will run from lane six in the third of seven heats of the event.

Action began on Tuesday, when the USVI’s Mia Dorsey finished sixth in the first of five 400m heats. She had a time of 55.21 seconds. The BVI’s Tarika “Tinkerbbell” Moses, competing in heat five, placed fifth in her section in 55.04. Neither advanced to the semis.

By Dean Greenaway/BVIAA

Corrected by Mrs. Pat Archibald

Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner chopped 1.07 seconds off her personal best en route to taking down Pat Archibald’s 32-years 400m Hurdles National Record mark of 60.0 seconds hand time from 1984, among three major highlights of Friday’s BVI Athletics Association Development Series meet.

Warner, who took up hurdling just a year ago, ran 1:00.00 to slice her best from 1:01.07. In the process, she became the territory’s first athlete to qualify for the IAAF World Jr. Championships in Poland, later this summer.

“Usually, my first hurdle is my best hurdle, but this time, it was the opposite-that was one of my worst hurdles,” Warner reflected. “When I realized that my steps were off, I had to pick it up so that when I attacked the next hurdle, everything would be good. But, when I came home, I tripped. I don’t know how I tripped but I did. I was like ‘oh my God’ and I just ran to the finish line.”

Warner said the next time she hurdles her aim is to go under a minute, “if not 58, 59 for sure, that’s just for the next race.”

To obtain that goal, she said she has to work on her steps to the hurdles and ensure she eliminates the stutter stepping she does coming home. “That’s where I need more practicing because I feel the endurance there and the speed there,” she pointed out. “It’s just to perfect the race now and I’m still learning as I go along how to do it.”

Warner, who has a 2:10.92 best in the 800m, said transitioning from the half mile to the hurdles has been good, as it gives her the endurance for the 400m Hurdles which she really needs. She added that as she goes along, she realizes that the 800 puts her in a position where she need to be for the 400 Hurdles.

“I just had to learn how to gain back my speed for the 400 hurdles and I was good,” she said. Is she giving up the 800m? “No, not at all,” she stated. “I still need it for my 400m Hurdles so sooner or later, I’ll be in an 800.”

Meanwhile, Virgin Gorda’s Britney Peters of Raw Skillz Track Club moved to No. 2 on the Javelin Throw All Time List with a heave of 39.01m, an improvement on the 37.39 season opener. She also had a throw of 38.65m.

The soon to be 15-year old pair of Josh Hill and Rackeel Jack, renewed their spirited 800m rivalry that always end in a dramatic finish. Hill held off the charging Jack for another close victory, 2:02.96-2:02.98, as both chopped 10 seconds off their best. Jack is also coming off running 51.08 seconds in the 400m, the second best U16 performance all time.

600m record for Moses

At the New Balance Games in New York City, Tarika “Tinker Bell” Moses chopped Bianca Dougan’s five year-old 600m Indoor mark from 1 minute 35.08 seconds to 1:31.92. She was second in the competition.

At the same meet, Ashley Kelly won the 300m for Elite and Pro athletes in 37.91 seconds with Karene King finishing third in a personal best 38.97.

BVIAA DEVELOPMENT MEET #6, RESULTS

January 22,2016

FEMALES

400m HURDLES:

1. LAKEISHA WARNER- 60.00 DNF; ARIANNA HAYDE & JONEL LACEY

600M:

1) ALISHA HAYDE-1:47.49; 2) ZARA BROWN- 1:56.73; 3) KENYATTA GRATE (U.13)-2:16.50

800M:

1) MARIAH CHRISTIAN- 2:37.26; 2) KELSHA FORTUNE-2:45.54; 3) ASHLEY PENN-3:23.53

150M – U.9

1) TAMRI THOMAS-26.02; 2) REILLY BREWLEY- 26.43; 3) SHYRA STOUTT- 28.65; 4) TAPYNRI AUGU-29.23

150M – U.11

1) NEMJA ROBINSON- 23.44; 2) SHANNIA JOHNSON- 23.73; 3) KAYLA BRAITHWAITE-23.74; 4) D’NEAH HODGE-23.81; 5) JAH’KYLA MORTON- 24.56; 6) ZARIA JOHNNEY- 24.62; 7) ACAIDA FRETT-24.64; 8) SHANIQUE GLASGOW-25.45; 9) ASHANTE BREWLEY- 26.47; 10) SHAKIRE HENDRICKSON-26.70; 11) KENNIQUA GRATE-27.28

200M – U.13

1) ARIYAH SMITH-29.26; 2) KAELYAAH LIBURD- 29.27; 3) JATIVAH WILLIAMS-31.22; 4) ANAYA FINDLAY- 31.99; 5) REAIAH WOODLEY-32.18; 6) GOODNESS OYETUNJI- 33.30; 7) NICKELIA DRUMMOND- 33.46; 8) DIAMONAE THOMAS- 33.88; 9) DIANDRA ROBERTS- 54.21; 10) TASIA GLASGOW- 34.22

200M – U.15

1) TASHIRA EDWARDS-26.63; 2) AKRISA ERISTEE- 26.91; 3) CRYSTAL MITCHEL-30.08

200M – U.18 TO OPEN

1) L’TSHA FAHIE-25.16; 2) ZAKHARIA FRETT-25.36; 3) JONEL LACEY-25.44; 4) NAYA PENN-28,04; 5) BRITANY WILLIAMS-28.06; 6) ARIANNA HAYDE- 28.31; 7) ASHLEY PENN- 30.23; 8) SHENIQUE ERICKSON- 30.71

JAVELIN

500G:

1) ARIANNNA HAYDE – 37.65; 2) AKIRA PHILLIP- 35.11

600G:

1) BRITNEY PETERE- 39.01; 2) AKIRA PHILLIP=28.90; 3) JAVLYN FRETT- 23.77; 4) ASHLEY PENN- 19.68

HIGH JUMP

(U.15) 1) XIOMORA MALONE- 1.50; 2) TAKARA SCATLIFFE- 1.50

MALES

600M

U.13 JADEN AUGUSTINE- 2:07.70

800M U.18 TO OPEN

1) JOSHUA HILL- 2:02.96; 2) RACKEEL JACK- 2:02.98; 3) SAMUEL ROMNEY-2:16.94; 4) GEVON SMITH- 2:20.04

150M

U.9

1) TIONDRE FRETT- 23.84; 2) JAHEEM LENNARD-JOSEPH- 24.60; 3) LATRIEL WILLIAMS- 24.65; 4) AYDEN McIntosh- 26.69; 5) OTHNIEL GILLINGS- 27.13; 6) AMANI BROWN- 29.45

U.11

1) KALEEM LETTSOME- 22.54; 2) SEAN SAMUEL- 23.09; 3) ANTOINE MADURO- 23.50; 4) JOHARI LACEY-23.79; 5) SHIMEI PETERS- 24.55; 6) MIKQUAN BASSUE- 25.15; 7) MACCOY LEWIS- 25.80; 8) ANTOMO BRAMBLE- 25.88; 9) ZAVION SWEENEY- 26.46; 10) JAYQOI HOPKINS- 28.41; 11) J’KOI GRANT-30.67

200M

U.13

1) KYBAH DAWSON-28.60; 2) CARLYIEK BENJAMIN-28.86; 3) T’KHOY STEVENS- 29.46; 4) JELANI CROAL- 30.38; 5) NATHANIEL VANTERPOOL- 31.52; 6) RASHAWN JACK- 31.94; 7) JEREMIAH GEORGE- 32.20; 8) ETHAN JOHN- 33,18; 9) AJAANJ MALONE- 33.50; 10) JAMAL HUGGINS-35.23; 11) DKHOI SUSANA- 35.65; 12) JESSIMEE ESTRIDGE- 39.32; 13) KEANUS SMART- 43.17

U.15

1) MALAKI SMITH-24.40; 2) WANYAE BELLE- 28.16; 3) J’MARI DUHANEY- 29.83

U.18 TO OPEN

1) K’CEI MOSES-22.35; 2) RIKKIO BRATHWAITE- 22.68; 3) AKEEM BRADSHAW- 23.09; 4) VALIQUE GRAHAM- 23.25; 5) EBENEZAR JOSEPH- 23.28; 6) MIKKEL BASSUE-23.54; 7) JELANI NORMAN- 23.65; 8) JOHNT’A CHARLES- 24.29; 9) KHOY VANTERPOOL- 24.72; 10) VADLEY SYLVESTER- 25.65; 11) TYRIQUE BRADSHAW- 26.64