Adrian Curry knew that he had to get out fast last night and run one of the better races of his life in order to win a medal for The Bahamas at the 6th Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG).
In one of the tightest races of the night at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Curry crossed the finish line in third place, running 10.61 seconds. It was a 1-2-3 Caribbean sweep as Adell Colthrust, from Trinidad & Tobago, won the gold medal in 10.55 seconds, and Kevon Stone, of Jamaica, claimed the silver medal in 10.59. Curry was third, running the same time as the fourth place finisher Danelson Mahautiere, who is also from the Caribbean. Mahautiere represented Dominica.
Coming off his trip to the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) World U18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, last week, Curry said that he is just happy to end his season on a high note.
"It was a long season, and I'm just happy to bring another medal home for my country," he said. "I knew it was going to be tough, but I just went out there and focussed on my race. It's a great feeling to win the bronze, especially in my hometown. It's been a long season and to end it with a medal at a high level competition like this is a good feeling. I just want to continue to progress. Next year, I'm looking to make some more teams and continue to get better."
The other Bahamian in the boys 100m, Kristin Major, was 13th overall in 11.07 seconds. He made the semis, but failed to make the final.
In the girls 100m final, Bahamian Tylar Lightbourne finished tied for fifth in a personal best run of 12.04 seconds. Julien Alfred, of St. Lucia, won that nation's first ever gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games level, finishing in 11.56 seconds. Riely Day, of Australia, was second in 11.59 seconds, and Deondra Green, of Canada, won the bronze medal in 11.62 seconds. Onassha Rogers, of Guyana, finished fourth in 11.78 seconds, and Vera Chinedu, of England, tied Lightbourne for fifth, finishing in 12.04 seconds. The other Bahamian athlete in the girls 100m, Lakelle Kinteh, was 11th overall in 12.21 seconds. She made the semis, but failed to make the final.
"I broke my personal record twice, so that's a good feeling," said Lightbourne last night. "I didn't get the start that I wanted to and my drive phase could have been a bit stronger, but I can't be disappointed with the effort that I had. I made it to the final and I'm proud of myself. It's a real good feeling. I could feel myself progressing so that's a good thing. You could expect me to be on the medal podium next time," she added.
The Bahamas had one athlete make the girls 400m final. Doneisha Anderson, who is fresh off a fourth place finish at the World U18s last week, finished third in her heat and qualified seventh overall for the final in 54.82 seconds. The other Bahamian in the girls 400m, Marissa White, failed to qualify for the final. She finished 14th overall in 57.12 seconds.
Neither Bahamian athlete in the boys 400m qualified for the final. Corey Sherrod was 10th overall in 49.60 seconds, and Tyrell Simms failed to finish.
The Bahamas had two athletes in the girls long jump. Amelia Peterson and Lakelle Kinteh finished seventh and eighth in distances of 5.56m (18' 3") and 5.41m (17' 9"), respectively. Jordan Lewis was ninth in the boys discus with a best throw of 43.20m (141' 9"); and in the girls shot put, Dachye Stubbs was 10th with a best throw of 12.28m (40' 3-1/2") and Acacia Astwood finished 15th with a best throw of 8.94m (29' 4").
In beach soccer at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility last night, The Bahamas' girls team suffered a tough loss to the Turks and Caicos Islands. The fell 2-1 in a penalty shootout after playing to a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation. They will play Trinidad & Tobago at 6:45 p.m. this evening in their final round-robin game.
The boys, on the other hand, got a huge 7-3 win over Antigua & Barbuda. They too will play Trinidad & Tobago today. That match is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start.
In boxing, The Bahamas' only boxer Lenox Boyce fell to Brian Galelemogwe, of Botswana, on points. He lost, 4-1.

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