Alexander grabs Vincy lone gold in OECS Invitational track meet

Kineke Alexander was the only gold medallist for St Vincent and the Grenadines in a repeat performance in the 400m of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Invitational track meet, In St Kitts a weekend ago.{{more}}

The US based Alexander sped to 51.99 seconds around the Bird Rock track to take the top spot, bettering her 53. 27 seconds, timed in the second edition in 2012.

Other than Alexander’s gold, the other medals copped by St Vincent and the Grenadines were all bronze.

Brandon Valentine-Parris was third in the 400m male, returning a time of 49.88 seconds, while Shantal Rouse also docked in third in the 100m female, in 12.28 seconds.

Jamaican born Jenice Daley, who has Vincentian status, placed third in the 200m female event in 24.08 seconds.

The other bronze medal came in the men’s 4 x 100m, with the quartet of Keron Arthur, Roberto Boyd, Joshua Hamilton and Courtney Williams returning a combined time of 41.68 seconds.

Boyd, in the preliminary of the 100m, clocked 10.81, but that was not enough to get him to the final, while Hamilton, on his maiden outing for St Vincent and the Grenadines, was timed at 21.39 seconds in the 200m heats. He then clocked 21.27 seconds in the final, to finish sixth.

However, it was his personal best.

Courtney Williams did 21.22 seconds in the 200m heat, but did not appear in the final.

He, after clocking 10.36 seconds in the preliminary of the 100m, false started in the final, and was disqualified.

Rouse finished at the back of the field in the 200m, as she could only race at 25.31 seconds over the distance.

The other two athletes who made the trip, Lopez Mc Fee and Kimorie Shearman, finished fourth in their respective events.

Mc Fee’s time in the 800m was 2 minutes 0.38 seconds, while Shearman did 50.22 seconds in the 400m.

Apart from the athletes, Alrick Wright travelled as coach and Andrea David- Latchman as manager/chaperone.

St Vincent and the Grenadines will be represented this weekend by another contingent of athletes at the 35th edition of the St Lucia National Individual Invitational Championships. (RT)