Last chance meets for Carifta hopefuls
Bermuda National Athletics Association are expecting at least a dozen athletes to put it all on the line as they make a final push for Carifta Games qualifying marks when three ‘last chance’ meets are held beginning this evening at 5pm.Juma Mochette and Zakiyyah Showers, two members of last year’s team, will lead the middle distance contenders during the final three meets which includes two further events on Saturday and Sunday starting at 12.30pm.Mouchette is running in the 5000 metres and ran a time of 17 minutes and one second last weekend which saw him miss out on the 17:00 qualifying time for the B standard by the narrowest of margins, while Showers had a time of 11:35 in the girls 3,000 metres where the qualifying time is 11:15.Overseas student Justin Donawa, a gold medallist on home soil last year in the triple jump, is back home on a break from school and is expected to compete in the upcoming meets. Two other overseas students also have their sights on qualifying marks, with sprinter Jaret Simmons hoping to compete this weekend in the 100 and 200 metres in a track meet in Jamaica where he is studying. Dage Minors is also hoping to qualify for the under 20 1,500 metres, though he won’t have a track meet before the March 11 deadline.“As Dage will not be able to run this distance we will convert the times that he has run in the mile and we have no doubt that he will have reached the standard,” said BNAA president Donna Watson.The Carifta Games will be held in Bahamas from March 28 to April 1 and so far Bermuda have 11 athletes reach qualifying standards. They include Tiara DeRosa in shot and discus, middle distance runner Kyrah Scraders who won a silver in the under 17 1,500 metres last year, Jeneko Place, Michaiah Robinson, Bruce DeGrilla, Kerri Furbert, Quaashie Douglas, Sakai Famous, Antonio Bailey, Chas Smith and Quinn Simmons.A charter flight will carry the Bermuda athletes, officials and spectators to the Games.The list of other potential qualifiers include:Kionje Somner who ran a 11.55 time in the U17 100m with the qualifying standard being 11.30.Jahnai Perinchief in the U17 high jump with a best jump of 1.81 metres where the standard is 1.85 metres.Jahmari Sutton in the U17 High JumpAaron Perinchief in the U20 Long JumpNaquan Smith in the JavelinTahiraah Butterfield in the U20 girls 100m and 200mTyra Stovell in the U20 girls 100m, 200m and 400m