Goodman's Bay was busy this past Saturday and Sunday as The Bahamas hosted the 5th CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships. The junior triathlon team placed third overall with 88 points, while coming away with six medals that included its first gold ever at this meet to go along with three silver and two bronze.
Winning the championships was Barbados, which compiled 178 points. Bermuda was second with 126 points followed by the host, rounding out the top three countries. Trinidad and Tobago was fourth with 66 points and Aruba scored 58 points to finish fifth.
Head Coach for The Bahamas Marcos Aballi said that he was proud of the athletes.
"I could not be happier than what the athletes did. It was an amazing event. I can tell you now how proud I am of all the athletes. They have shown so much, they are real warriors. I cannot wait to see what they will do next year. We have done well, and I am very impressed," Aballi said.
Making history for The Bahamas was Lauchlan Menzies, who won a gold medal in dramatic fashion by finishing tied for first in the 11-12 boys triathlon on Saturday. He was tied with Bermuda's Rory Shepherd. They both finished the race at 21:15.
Menzies was the third one out of the water and the fifth athlete to return with his bike. He had some ground to make up to win the gold and he did just that as he and Shepherd sprinted across the finish line together. Finishing third was Aruba's Xyon Jacobs who posted a time of 22:05.
"It felt good to get the victory. It felt good to get the gold medal at home, especially being the first Bahamian to win a gold medal," Menzies said.
The Bahamian finished fifth in the aquathlon with a time of 11:46 and Shepherd completed the double with a win after stopping the clock at 11:00; Bahamian Blair Thompson placed fourth in the aquathlon with a time of 11:38.
Menzies older brother, Malcolm Menzies, led after the swimming and bicycle portion of the 13-15 boys triathlon. However, after the running portion, he had to settle for the silver medal with a time of 32:56. Menzies could not stop Bermuda's Jackson Langley who finished the race in a time of 32:56. Bermuda's Ollie Hayward was third with a time of 34:05.
The older Menzies missed out on a podium finish in the aquathlon when he settled for fourth place after posting a time of 19:06. Barbados' Luke McIntyre won that race when he crossed the finish tape in 17:57.
Ralph Wood Jr. was one of two competitors in the 21-and-under category, and he picked up two silver medals. The other competitor was Liam McLaughlin who competed for Trinidad and Tobago. Wood's time of 1:19:09 in the triathlon had him finishing behind McLaughlin's time of 1:12:50. The aquathlon was also won by the Trinidad and Tobago athlete who burst through the tape in 40:21. Wood posted a time of 45:00.
Erin Pritchard had a strong triathlon race in the 16-19 girls category as she stopped the clock at 1:14:39 and got a bronze medal. She was happy to secure the bronze medal as it was her first time competing in that age group.
"It was a good course as it was flat. The waves and the winds were intense. As I was going over the waves, it slapped me in the face. It was windy on the cycle, but I was able to stay with the top three. I managed to keep the pace and finish third," Pritchard said.
Barbados' Isis Gaskin won the gold medal in 1:11.10. Bermuda's Fenella Wightman clocked 1:13:33 for the silver medal.
Grace Farrington won The Bahamas' second bronze medal when she stopped the clock at 40:51 in the 16-19 girls aquathlon. Gaskin doubled as she stopped the clock at 39:49 to win the gold medal. Grenada's Nina James was second in that race when she crossed the finish line in 40:39. Pritchard placed fifth in the aquathlon in 43:08.
It was a tough break for the national triathlon champion, Launy Duncombe, in the 16-19 boys division triathlon. He had an unfortunate mishap when his bike caught a flat tire as he was in the mix for a podium finish.
"I was having a good race from the start where I came out the water second. I felt good on the bike and was able to get into the lead and I felt relaxed. I think I hit a bump in the road at the top of the course and got a flat," Duncombe said.
Kami Roach, at 17, is one of the experienced members on Team Bahamas, who competes in the 16-19 girls category.
"Everyone put 100 percent into it and I think we had a great outcome. It is amazing to see so many athletes competed for The Bahamas. There were only a handful of us when we first started competing, but now it is so many other athletes," she said.
The Bahamas fielded a 36-member team.
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