FEBRUARY 13—Trevia Gumbs and Lakeisha “Mimi” Warner—the BVI Athletics Association 2011 Most Improved Female Athlete of the Year—established the season’s first Sol BVI National Records and National Scholastic Records during the third Gatorade Development Series meet on Saturday, in the Shot Put and 800m respectively with Carifta Games qualifying marks.
Moments before Warner stepped on the track for her splendid run, Gumbs literally got the ball rolling when she unleashed three personal best Shot Put marks over the Carifta Games qualifying standard of 11.00m.
Seven months shy of her 16th birthday, Gumbs began her fine Under 17 Girls series with an 11.15m (36’7”) throw, improving to 11.39 (37’4½”) on her second toss, before unleashing an 11.69m (38’4¼”) heave on her last attempt—moving her from #6 on the all time list to #2—behind National Record holder Tahirah Lewis. Her mark shattered Latoya “Bunny” Williams’ 16-year old Youth and Jr. mark of 10.36m (34’0”) from June 1996.
Twin sister Teynell, improved her personal best to 9.62m (31’6½”).
The performances of Gumbs and Warner, 14—also a National Scholastic Record—led a slew of personal best and the revision of the women’s all time top 10 list in four events.
Warner, who ran 58.30 in the 400m to open her 2012 season, charged to the lead from gun, covering the two-laps circuit in 2 minutes 17.59 seconds eclipsing the 2:19.50 she ran on April 25 in last year’s Carifta Games in Jamaica—improving her number two mark on the all time list.
For their National Record performance, Gumbs and Warner will collect Sol National Record breakers awards during the BVI Athletics Association fourth Athletes Awards Recognition Gala, in December. An athlete establishing an indoor or outdoor national record that stands at season’s end qualifies for the award.
Tarika “Tinker Bell” Moses moved past Britney Wattley into #9 on the all time 400m list, when she dropped her best from 57.31 seconds to 57.04, just .04 off the Carifta mark.
Jonel Lacey—in her first year of hurdling—moved to #2 all time over the 300m barriers when she dropped a 45.54 seconds run on the board—a mark that came within .54 of the Carifta standard.
2011 CAC Age Group Championships High Jump silver medalist Kyron McMaster came within 5cm of the Carifta standard in his specialty, when he leapt 1.80m (5’11’), before picking up a 400m victory in a personal best of 51.43 seconds.
Nelda Huggins and J’Maal Alexander had U17 Girls and U20 Boys 100/200m doubles running into headwinds. Huggins was edged by Sanya Penn’s 12.45 with her 12.50 time into a -2.9mps wind. She took the duce in 25.39 into a -1.4 breeze. Alexander held off Shaquoy “Tyson Gay” Stephens 11.00-11.11 into a -1.9 wind. Alexander took the 200m in 22.12 secs (-1.3).
The next Gatorade Development Series competition is scheduled for February 25 and will focus on relays. That will be followed by another meet on March 3 and the BVI Jr. Championships and Carifta Games trials on March 10.