The British Virgin Islands Chantel Malone and Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyra Gittens will represent the Caribbean in the women’s long jump final after finishing 5th and 9th in qualifying on Saturday.
The other regional athletes in competition, Jamaicans Chanice Porter and Tissanna Hickling finished 24th and 25th respectively in qualifying with distances of 6.22 and 6.19.
Elsewhere, Trinidad & Tobago’s Portious Warren could not manage to get among the medals after finishing 10th in the final of the women’s shot put.
Men's 400m
Nine Caribbean men advanced to the next round of the men’s 400 metres. Heat 1 of the event saw Grenada’s 2012 Olympic Champion, Kirani James, finish second in 45.09 to advance.
Demish Gaye of Jamaica and Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas also advanced to the semi-finals from heat 1 as two of the six fastest losers, after finishing 4th and 5th in 45.49 and 45.51 respectively.
The third heat also saw three Caribbean men advance to the semi-finals as Jonathan Jones of Barbados, Christopher Taylor of Jamaica and Dwight St. Hillaire of Trinidad & Tobago all made it through.
Jones and Taylor finished second and third with times of 45.04 and 45.20 to advance automatically and St. Hillaire finished fourth in 45.41 to advance as a fastest loser.
Steven Gardiner, the reigning world champion, easily won heat 5 in 45.05 to advance to the semi-finals.
Trinidadian Deon Lendore also advanced from heat 5 after finishing second behind Gardiner in 45.14.
Jamaica’s Nathon Allen was also in heat 5 but failed to advance after finishing fourth in 46.12.
Machel Cedenio, the Trinidadian who narrowly missed out on a medal five years ago in Rio, also advanced to the semi-finals after finishing third in the 6th and final heat in 45.56.
Men's Lomg Jump
Earlier, Tajay Gayle qualified for the final of the men’s long jump, despite picking up an apparent left knee injury.
The Jamaican fouled his first attempt and picked up the injury while jumping 6.72 in his second attempt. He jumped out to 8.14 in his third, with heavy strapping around his left knee.
Juan Miguel Echevarria of Cuba had the longest jump in qualifying after leaping out to 8.50 in his first attempt.
The men’s long jump final will get underway at 8:20pm today.
Natoya Goule won her semi-final to advance to the final of the women’s 800 metres.
Goule took the lead early and never looked back, running 1:59.57 to get to her first Olympic final.
Jamaica’s Chad Wright, in the meantime, finished ninth in the men’s discus final with a throw of 62.56.
Elsewhere, the Dominican Republic mixed 4x400m team of Andres Feliz, Marileidy Paulino, Anabel Medina, and Alexander Ogando ran 3:10.21 to finish second in the final and secure the silver medal.
Sean Bailey, Stacy Ann-Williams, Tovea Jenkins, and Karayme Bartley ran for Jamaica and finished 7th in 3:14.95.
Dominica’s Thea LaFond set a new national record, in the Women’s Triple Jump, to lead four of the region’s women into the final as session 2 and more Caribbean athletes beginning their quest for success.
Lafond jumped a national record of 14.60 to advance, the second-longest jump of the qualifying round behind the 14.77 done by Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela who is the gold medal favourite.
Liadagmis Povea of Cuba qualified in 5th with a jump of 14.50. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, a silver medalist at the 2019 Doha World Championships, needed only one jump to qualify in 6th place.
To qualify for the final automatically an athlete needs to jump 14.40 and Ricketts did 14.43 on her 1st attempt.
Kimberley Williams of Jamaica was the last Caribbean athlete to qualify for the final, jumping 14.30 to finish 9th.
Women’s Shot Put – Trinidad and Tobago’s Warren claims spot in final
The women’s shot put only saw one Caribbean athlete advance to the final, Trinidad & Tobago’s Portious Warren. Warren threw a personal best 18.75 to finish 9th and advance to the 12-competitor final.
Jamaicans Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydrica Cameron both missed out on a place in the final.
Thomas-Dodd, a silver medalist at the 2019 World Championships, finished 13th with a distance of 18.37, one spot outside a place in the final.
Cameron finished 21st in qualifying with a distance of 17.43.
Caribbean teams were also involved in the heats of the mixed 4x400m relay.
The Dominican Republic qualified for the final after finishing 2nd in heat 1 with a time of 3:12.74.
The 2nd heat saw the Jamaican team qualify for the final after a 3rd place finish.
The team comprising of Sean Bailey, Junelle Bromfield, Stacey Ann Williams, and Karayme Bartley ran 3:11.76.
Women’s 400mh – Jamaica’s Russell advances but mishaps for Nugent, Whyte
The women’s 400 Hurdles saw four Caribbean women advance to the semi-finals and two suffering unfortunate mishaps.
Jamaica’s Janieve Russell advanced to the semi-finals after finishing second in heat 2 with a composed 54.81 clocking.
Russell’s Jamaican teammate, Leah Nugent, originally finished second in heat 3 but was later disqualified due to lane infringement.
Gianna Woodruff of Panama originally finished third in heat 3 but was upgraded to second after Nugent’s disqualification and subsequently advanced to the semis.
Ronda Whyte of Jamaica lined up in heat four and was expected to comfortably advance but it was not to be as she, unfortunately, committed a false start.
Tia-Adana Belle of Barbados finished second in heat 4 with a time of 55.69 to advance.
Zurian Hechavarria of Cuba finished fifth in heat 5 and advanced to the semi-finals as one of the fastest losers.
Women’s discus – Jamaica’s Lawrence, Cuba’s Perez advance to final
The women’s discus saw Shadae Lawrence of Jamaica and Yaime Perez of Cuba advance to the final.
Lawrence threw 62.27 to finish 11th in qualifying. Perez, the gold medalist at the 2019 Doha World Championships, threw 63.18 to finish seventh in qualifying.
Denia Caballero of Cuba was the only other Caribbean woman in qualifying, throwing 57.96 to finish 23rd overall in qualifying.
No Caribbean men advanced past the heats in the men’s 800 metres.
Women’s sprint hurdles – Jamaica’s Tapper runs personal best
The women’s sprint hurdles heats were largely successful for Caribbean athletes.
Haiti’s Mulern Jean was the only Caribbean woman that failed to advance past the first round after finishing fifth in heat 2 in 12.99.
Heat 3 saw both Yanique Thompson of Jamaica and Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas advancing to the semi-finals, with Thompson running 12.74 to finish second and Charlton finishing fourth in 12.84.
Heat 4 also saw two Caribbean women advance as Brittany Anderson ran 12.67 to win and Pedrya Seymour of the Bahamas ran 13.04 to finish fourth.
Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran 12.41, the fastest time in the heats, to win heat 5 ahead of Megan Tapper of Jamaica, who ran a personal best 12.53 for 2nd.
The Caribbean made a big wave in the pool at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games earlier today.
It all started with Vincentian Shane Cadogan winning heat 4 of the Men’s 50m Freestyle in a time of 24.71 seconds. He finished ahead of Nigeria’s Alassane Seydou Lancina (24.75) and Bangladesh’s Ariful Islam (24.81).
Trinidad’s Dylan Carter and Cayman’s Brett Fraser tied for second in heat 6 of the same event. Their times were faster than Cadogan’s, finishing in 22.46 seconds. Renzo Tjon-a-joe of Suriname was also in that heat. He finished 6th in a time of 22.56 seconds. Serbia’s Andrej Barna won the heat in 22.29 seconds.
Meanwhile, Aleka Persaud finished second in heat 4 in the women’s equivalent. The Guyanese swam a time of 27.76 seconds. St.Vincent’s Mya de Freitas also swam in heat 4, finishing 4th in a time of 28.57 seconds. The heat was won by Papau New Guinea’s Judith Meauri in a time of 27.56 seconds. More Caribbean swimmers turned out in the following heat. St. Lucian Mikali Charlamagne (26.99) and Antigua’s Samantha Roberts (27.63) finished 2nd and 6th respectively. Cameroon’s Norah Milanesi finished 1st in a time of 26.41 seconds. Elinah Phillip from the British Virgin Islands swam well for second place in heat 6. She finished behind Ecuador’s Anicka Delgado (25.36) in a time of 25.74 seconds.
None of these competitors were able to advance to the semifinals of their event. The semifinals of the men’s and women’s 50m Freestyle will take place tomorrow.
Three members of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team have tested positive for covid-19, following a routine Saliva Antigen test at the Olympic Village.
Long jumper, Andwuelle Wright, and 400m hurdler, Sparkle-Ann McKnight, will not compete at the Games in Tokyo after their covid-19 tests returned positive results. A coach, Wendell Williams will also miss the games, after becoming the third positive result.
With less than 24-hours to compete, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee revealed the breaking news via social media.
“Two Team TTO athletes and one official received positive test results following daily routine Saliva Antigen tests at the Olympic Village. This came following two Nasopharyngeal PCR verification tests in accordance with established TOKYO2020 COVID-19 protocols, countermeasures, and guidelines.
The three members have been placed into quarantine at an approved hotel facility for foreign athletes and officials.
Former Carifta gold medallist and Trinidad and Tobago’s national long jump record holder, Wright, also confirmed the news via social media. The aspiring athlete is disheartened by the circumstances but is happy that he is healthy and well.
“The Olympics has come [and] gone for me and my heart hurts more than anything else. I am devasted, confused and heartbroken. My coach and I both tested positive for COVID-19 virus days before I had to compete, after receiving six (6) negative test and I had to withdraw from the games,” he posted.
“More Importantly I’m okay although I don’t know what “okay” looks like right now but I’m happy to be alive and breathing.”
23-year-old Wright, who is from Tobago, said he was fully vaccinated and was not showing any symptoms during his time at the Olympic Games.
“[I was] experiencing zero symptoms of this virus also being fully vaccinated, meaning my Olympic dreams and everything we worked hard towards was shattered.”
McKnight, previously represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics, reaching the semifinals on the second occasion.
Williams was a former Trinidad and Tobago national long jump record holder. He held the previous mark of 8.14m since 1999. However, Wright leaped to an impressive 8.23m to eclipse the feat his coach had achieved.
After the frantic final minutes counted down, the split points left the Trinidad and Tobago squad, as well as Guatemala’s, eliminated. Despite the elimination, both teams can be proud of their effort.
After an injury during warmups, Trinidad and Tobago were forced to adjust their lineup, replacing defender Neveal Hackshaw with Jelani Peters.
In the 12th minute, T&T right back Alvin Jones rampaged up the field on a quick counterattack then crossed to Reon Moore. Moore made a run on the right side of the goal and hit a hard, low shot past young Guatemalan goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro that found the goalpost and bounced in for the goal.
Attempting to manage the game, Trinidad and Tobago showed patience, especially in allowing Guatemala to take rushed shots from outside, but closing them down effectively and at times physically when any players entered the box.
In the second half, as Guatemala fought harder to find the equalizer, Trinidad and Tobago’s defense cracked under the pressure from Guatemala in the 77th minute, when Ceballos served in a corner kick. Gerardo Gordillo rose high in the box to meet the ball, heading it in well past Marvin Phillip, the Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper and captain.
The tenor of the game changed as both teams, hungry for an outright win, traded half-chances on both ends of the field. T&T's Jones had a shot go off the post in the best possibility for either team.
After the frantic final minutes counted down, the split points left the Trinidad and Tobago squad, as well as Guatemala’s, eliminated. Despite the elimination, both teams can be proud of their effort.
Trinidad and Tobago manager Angus Eve, the team’s most-capped player in their history, knew the team didn’t completely control its destiny in Group A but believed his squad could hold their head high no matter the outcome if they played well.
“We are very confident,” Eve said.
The team rewarded his belief, playing a smart match to hold an early advantage for most of the game. Yet Guatemala was brave in its own right, fighting back to find an equalizer and ensure they left the Gold Cup with at least one positive result. As Guatemala’s coach, Rafael Loredo said before kickoff, “If we want to grow, we need to have international competition.”
It is both sides' participation and matches like this that make the Gold Cup special.
A first-half strike from Jairo Henriquez and a late Walmer Martinez goal powered El Salvador to a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
With the result, the Cuscatlecos have qualified for their first Gold Cup quarterfinal since the 2017 edition.
El Salvador came out the stronger of the two sides and soon started testing Trinidad and Tobago GK Nicklas Frenderup, beginning with a Joaquin Rivas effort in the 26’ that produced a diving save.
Four minutes later though, there was nothing Frenderup could do to stop Henriquez from giving El Salvador a 1-0 lead by receiving a pass and shaking a defender with a brilliant turn before hammering a right-footed shot past Frenderup.
Henriquez then nearly notched his second of the day in the 38’, only to see his shot from distance glance off the post.
Trinidad and Tobago looked to respond in the second half and moments after Aubrey David nearly scored off a corner kick, Marcus Joseph was denied the equalizer in the 66’ when his stabbing shot off a cross struck the crossbar.
El Salvador looked to put the three points on ice and it was all there for Juan Portillo to do it, but Frenderup had other ideas and snuffed out Portillo’s shot right in front of goal.
The insurance goal arrived in the 90+1 with Martinez finishing off a frenzied sequence that started with Amando Moreno’s short squirting past Frenderup, hitting the post and rolling across the face of the goal on the line. Marvin Marquez swooped in trying to poke it into the net, but it was deflected by Frenderup to Portillo, who passed back to Martinez for an easy stroke into the net to complete the 2-0 scoreline.
Two teams on the rise will meet in their second match of Group A of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup, as a resurgent Trinidad and Tobago take on a confident El Salvador on Wednesday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Trinidad and Tobago have parlayed the positive momentum gained from the Prelims into a good start in the tournament after a 0-0 draw against reigning champions Mexico in their opener last Saturday.
The hero for the Soca Warriors was GK Marvin Phillip. The 36-year-old shot-stopper produced one of the finest goalkeeping performances in Gold Cup history by making seven saves to help secure the clean sheet result for the Caribbean side.
With a point under their belts, Trinidad and Tobago will now try to have their attack take flight in the tournament. Forward Reon Moore had a pair of goals in the Prelims, as did MF Kevin Molino, and getting those two players involved early and often could lay the groundwork for a full three points.
Meanwhile, El Salvador are brimming with confidence heading into Wednesday’s affair after the Cuscatlecos delivered a commanding performance in a 2-0 opening win over Guatemala.
While it took until the final 10 minutes before they finally breached the Guatemalan goal, El Salvador controlled the tempo and enjoyed the majority of the scoring chances.
MF Alex Roldan, came off the bench to make his El Salvador debut and promptly scored his first international goal, while another substitute, FW Joaquin Rivas, scored in his Gold Cup debut to nail down the victory.
Those two players, along with FW Joshua Perez and FW Juan Portillo and others give El Salvador a dynamic attack that will test the Soca Warriors.
Wednesday’s match will be the fourth Gold Cup meeting between the two sides, with El Salvador holding a narrow 2W-1D-0L edge.
Mexico have drawn a blank in the opening game of their CONCACAF Gold Cup title defence after a 0-0 draw with Trinidad & Tobago in Arlington on Saturday.
El Tri were left frustrated by a stubborn Soca Warriors backline, led brilliantly by goalkeeper Marvin Phillip who made numerous strong saves and was named Man of the Match.
The holders thought they had found a winner in second-half stoppage-time when Rogelio Funes Mori tucked in Jesus Gallardo's low cutback but the latter was ruled marginally offside.
Mexico dominated proceedings, with 30 shots to four, including seven on target, along with 83 per cent possession yet they were unable to capitalise.
Hirving Lozano had to be replaced early in the first half with a suspected concussion and neck injury, before Jesus Corona tested Phillip and Hector Herrera shot wide from distance.
Herrera's backheel pass set up Orbelin Pineda after the break but he shot straight at Phillip.
Mexico heaped the pressure in the final 20 minutes, with Phillip brilliantly denying Funes Mori's poke after chesting down inside the box in the 76th minute, before a stunning one-handed block to deny Corona.
Both sides return to action in Group A on Wednesday, with Mexico taking on Guatemala in Dallas and Trinidad & Tobago facing El Salvador in Frisco.
French Guiana will be out to tame resurgent Trinidad and Tobago when the two sides meet in the Second Round of the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims on Tuesday at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The winner will advance to the Gold Cup group stage and slot into Group A along with Mexico, El Salvador and Curacao.
But first things first, a tricky test awaits for both sides.
Tuesday’s contest will mark French Guiana’s first match of the Prelims and their first official match since their group finale in League B of the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, a 3-1 win over Saints Kitts and Nevis in November 2019.
Nevertheless, with a team boasting many European-based players, including forward Sloan Privat, who scored one of his country’s two goals in the 2017 Gold Cup, and defenders Kevin Rimane, formerly of Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain, and Stade Brestois 29’s Ludovic Baal, plus Boulogne goalkeeper Simon Lugier, Les Yono Dokos have the pieces in place for a good performance.
While Trinidad and Tobago’s campaign in Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 ended in a disappointing fashion in the First Round, the Soca Warriors are enjoying a resurgence under Interim Head Coach Angus Eve.
Trinidad and Tobago returned to their high-flying ways in a 6-1 triumph over Montserrat in the First Round of the Prelims, with Kevin Molino, Marcus Joseph and Judah Garcia among the goal-scorers.
A win against French Guiana would provide a massive momentum boost going into the Gold Cup group stage.
Trinidad and Tobago are a step closer to a return to the Concacaf Gold Cup after topping Montserrat 6-1 in the First Round of the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims on Friday night at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The win sends Trinidad and Tobago to the Second Round, where they will face the winner of Saturday’s Cuba-French Guiana contest.
The first goal arrived in the 21st minute through Trinidad and Tobago’s Kevin Molino from the penalty spot after a foul on DF Aubrey David in the Montserrat area. Molino stepped up and coolly converted from the spot to hand the Soca Warriors a 1-0 advantage.
Montserrat looked to respond but instead, it was 2-0 to Trinidad and Tobago in the 35th when Marcus Joseph caught Montserrat GK Corrin Brooks off his line and flighted in a shot from 40 yards out for the goal.
Trinidad and Tobago then extended the lead to 3-0 in the 45+2’minute when Ryan Telfer got loose behind the Montserrat defense and hammered in a right-footed shot.
Montserrat came out with plenty of fight to start the second half and pulled a goal back for 3-1 in the 55th minute when Lyle Taylor headed in after Spencer Weir’s shot deflected off the crossbar.
But Trinidad and Tobago restored the sizeable advantage two minutes later in the 57th minute when Judah Garcia gathered in a long ball and finished to make it 4-1.
Momentum was clearly on the side of the Soca Warriors and Reon Moore stretched the lead to 5-1 in the 68’ with a right-footed finish.
The night was then punctuated by Moore tacking on another in the 82’ to round out the 6-1 scoreline.
Former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Angus Eve is to be the next head coach of his country’s national side following the dismissal of head coach Terry Fenwick on Friday.
The 49-year-old Eve will, according to sources, have Reynold Carrington as his assistant coach, Clayton Ince as his goalkeeper’s coach and Adarayll John as team trainer. Richard Piper will be the team manager. He replaces Terry Fenwick, who was fired on Friday, a week after Trinidad and Tobago’s 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign ended with a goalless draw against the Bahamas.
However, Eve and his staff will have to hit the ground running as he will only have the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifying matches to prove his mettle. His contract runs until August 31, 2021.
"I am really honoured and privileged to have this opportunity to continue to represent my country," Eve said. "I'm committed to provide a lift to Trinidad and Tobago, especially in this time where we are battling so many different adversities at the same time."
Normalisation Committee Chairman Robert Haddad expressed his gratitude to the outgoing coaching staff.
"We thank the previous coaching staff for their commitment and efforts. We now look forward to the Gold Cup competition and wish Angus all the best. We will do our very best to support him and the team."
Under Fenwick, Trinidad and Tobago, playing in Group F in World Cup qualifying, defeated Guyana 3-0, drew 1-1 with Puerto Rico and then 0-0 with the Bahamas before rebounding to defeat St Kitts & Nevis 2-0. However, it was not enough for Trinidad and Tobago to advance to the next round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.
Prior to taking the head coaching job, Eve was coaching at Club Sando in the TT Pro League and at Naparima College in the SSFL.
Eve represented his country 117 times between 1994 and 2005 scoring 34 goals.
Tyra Gittens believes things are falling into place for another great performance in the heptathlon at this weekend’s SEC Championships. Her confidence would have been further buoyed by encouraging performances at the Aggie Invitational at Bryan-College Station in Texas on Saturday.
Regional sports broadcasters SportsMax has thrown its support behind the social media blackout campaign, geared towards raising awareness of the need to combat the presence of rampant racism and hate speech online.
The issue has been a sore spot for fans and players around the world in recent years, with players often facing death threats and racial abuse on various social media platforms, particularly after strong or disappointing performances.
Last month, two Jamaica internationals, Jamal Lowe of Swansea and Reading’s Liam Moore were subject to racial abuse online. Swansea, in support of the player, announced a weeklong boycott of social media platforms with Championship rivals Birmingham City and Scottish champions Rangers following their lead. The initiative has since gained steam with others announcing similar decisions. The companies full statement is listed below.
SportsMax makes a bold move to join governing bodies across the United Kingdom and other organizations including the FA, Premier League, EFL, FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), The Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women's Football among others and fellow sports broadcasters in an initiative to combat widespread abuse and discrimination by not posting on social media this weekend, the suspension is scheduled from 3 pm on Friday, April 30 to 11:59 pm on Monday, May 3.
SportsMax will not post any sports content to its social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for the duration of the boycott period but instead followers will see a slate encouraging acceptance and inclusiveness for all.
“As the leading sports channel for topflight international sports in the Caribbean, SportsMax is not naïve to the vitriolic tone that some people use, especially on social media where they can hide behind anonymity and spew abuse without fear of accountability. We want to let it be known that this is not ok and it will not be tolerated, we stand with the UK sporting fraternity and all who will participate this weekend.” SportsMax CEO, Oliver McIntosh said.
Sports fans can still get all their sports news, updates, and of course live action all weekend long on the SportsMax channels and the SportsMax App and website (www.sportsmax.com).
We invite the various sporting fraternities, organizations, corporate entities, and sports fans around the Caribbean to join us as we unite and take a stance to make a difference and be the change we wish to see.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
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