Madisyn Bobb, younger sister of Caitlyn Bobb who will be featured in the senior events at the Bermuda Track and Field Championships today, was denied two wins among the juniors at the National Sports Centre last night.

Bobb won the under-15 200 metres race in 27.41 seconds and almost completed the double in the 400 after leading on the final stretch. However, she started to fade on the final stretch as S’Nya Cumbermack finished stronger to pass her with about 30 yards to go.

Cumbermack clocked 1:02.40 and Bobb 1:03.57. Bobb will be in action again tonight when the 14-year-old competes in the under-17 200 metres.

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Some exciting performances were turned in by the youngsters, with Antoinette Barry winning the under-12 800 metres and long jump and Solae Goater the under-10 100 and 400 metres.

In the boys, Tajahri Rogers won the under-15 boys 200 and 400 metres in 24.60 and 56.70 respectively. Miles Outerbridge, who was second to Rogers in the 200 metres, also had two wins, in the 100 metres in 12.68 secs and long jump.

Chaz Edmead took the win in the under-12 boys 200 metres (30.91 secs) and the high jump. Zydon Lightbourne-Furbert won the under-12 400 and 800 metres.

Jake Smith, 14, had a strong run to seal victory in the one mile open boys and girls race by more than a hundred metres ahead of Timothy Jackson in second place. Smith, three and four years older than the other competitors, won in 5:40.16 with Jackson second in 6:11.99.

Donna Raynor, the BNAA president, was impressed with the talent on display during the junior night of competition.

“I am very pleased with the turnout, I expected it to be a little less,” Raynor said of the number of athletes. “I’m very pleased with the spectators and I’m sure they all loved the stadium,” she added referring to the banners decorating the track.

“The children seemed like they had a good time. I saw a couple of young boys who looked like they have potential. Right now we just need to groom these athletes and keep them in the sport.

“We have a very good crop and looking at tonight we have a younger group who we can look at getting ready for the next Carifta.”

The men’s triple jump involving Tyrone Smith, Jah-Nhai Perinchief and Laquarn Nairn, of the Bahamas, will be one of the feature events on today’s second day of the championships.

Four international athletes are here for the event, which kicks off with a baton relay from Hamilton to the National Sports Centre. The relay will start at 3.30pm and will involve former Bermuda Carifta athletes.

Nairn will also compete in the Open high jump event, while Margaret Barrie, of Sierra Leone, will take part in the women’s Open 100 and 400 metres. Damar Forbes, of Jamaica, will compete in the men’s Open long jump, while Davon DeMoss, of the US, will go head-to-head with Bermuda’s Suresh Black in the Open 200 metres.

“It was actually quite difficult to source athletes at this time of the year because, as everyone knows, national championships for most countries have concluded, the Olympic teams have been selected and it was quite difficult to get athletes,” said Mia Black, vice-president of the Bermuda National Athletics Association.

“We did not get as many as we would have liked, but we did prioritise in getting athletes to provide challenges for our lead athletes, including Jah-Nhai, Tyrone, Suresh, Caitlyn and Sanaa Re [Morris].

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to get any distance [running] athletes because those athletes, as I’ve been advised, have shut their seasons down and won’t be competing again until Tokyo, if they did qualify.

“We were able to get Damar Forbes, who has competed in Bermuda before to provide a challenge for Tyrone. We also secured Laquarn Nairn who came here for Carifta in 2012 and he and Jah-Nhai have been competitors the last several years.

“Laquarn is also going to do long jump to give Tyrone further competition. We have also secured Margaret Barrie, who is an Olympic athlete, and Davon DeMoss, who has offered to provide an interesting challenge for Suresh, who we know will rise to the occasion. We hope it serves to be a good show for the people who are able to view it.”

Carifta 2019 team-mates Bobb and Morris, who won a bronze in the relay, will compete with Nhoaa Powell in the under-20 200 metres race. Bobb and Morris will also battle it out in the 400 metres.