L'Tisha "Bella" Fahie, 2nd left, runs 11.85 seconds in the U18 Girls 100m semifinals a time she matched in the final for a personal best. L-R: Shaeil English, Jamaica, Fahie, Nia Jack, U.S. Virgin Islands and Jessie Zali, Martinique
BIRDROCK, St. Kitts. APRIL 5 --L'Tisha "Bella" Fahie and Taylor Hill's personal bests 100m performances highlighted the first full day of action in the 44th Carifta Games with a historical flair in the twin island federation of St. Kitts-Nevis.
Aided by a +2.7 meters per second wind, Fahie advanced to her first Carifta Games U18 Girls final when she ran 11.85 seconds to grab one of the two automatic spots on offer in the second of three heats in the semifinal competition. Fahie then placed sixth in the 100m final matching the time in the semis--but the wind was +1.3 mps, well below the legal limit of 2.0--chopping her best from 12.01, jumping to No. 8 on the territory's All Time List.
The U20 Girls 100m race was historic in that it contained three athletes from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands who advanced to the final. Hill ran a personal best of 11.83 into a -0.1 wind to finish fourth in the second of two semifinal heats. U.S. Virgin Islands' Quashira McIntosh automatically advanced to the final when she finished third in 11.88 seconds while the BVI's Nelda Huggins was fourth in 11.98 and like Hill, advanced as being the two fastest losers.
Hill--who drew Lane 2 and had Huggins on her inside in Lane I with McIntosh on the outside corridor in Lane 8--ran the fastest of the three to place fifth in 11.86. Huggins--who has seven Carifta Games medals to her credit--was a well beaten sixth placer in 12.13--and did not stand on the podium for a 100m medal the first time since 2011. She also lost to Hill for the first time since 2010, with Hill's 11.83 moving her to No. 7 on the All Time Listing. McIntosh was 0.01 back of Huggins in seventh, stopping the clock at 12.14.
The afternoon began with Arianna Hayde and Kala Penn competing in the U18 Girls Long Jump, where Hayde finished seventh with a leap of 5.17m while Penn was 10th after cutting the sand at 5.01m. As she wasn't among the eight Long Jump finalists Hayde went straight to the Javelin Throw and settled for a best effort of 37.80m on her opening throw and fouled the others to finish ninth.
Sunday morning's competition will find twin sisters Trevia and Tynelle Gumbs in the U20 Girls Shot Put and the U18 Girls quartet of Beyonce DeFreitas, Zacharia Frett, Penn and Fahie contesting the 4x100m prelims.
Akeem Bradshaw will see action in the Long Jump on Sunday afternoon. Lakeisha "Mimi" Warner and Jonel Lacey will run the finals of the U18 Girls 400m Intermediate Hurdles followed by Kyron McMaster in the U20 Boys equivalent. McMaster ran 54.43 seconds to advance on Saturday morning.