Last year’s CARIFTA bronze medallist Destinee Cenac has made the grade for the 2026 meet, following her participation in a meet last weekend in Martinique.
The 15-year-old cleared 1.65m to win the women’s high jump event at the 1st CARIFTA Qualifier on Sunday at the Stade Louis-Achille in Fort-de-France.
Cenac, a member of Morne Stars Athletics Club, and a student at St Joseph’s Convent, entered at 1.60m, the CARIFTA qualifying mark, and cleared in two tries. She, however, needed just one shot at 1.65m, before trying 1.71m, which would have been a new personal-best mark.
With Independence Games and the SLAA CARIFTA Qualifiers still to come, Cenac is one of the first local athletes to make the Saint Lucia Athletics Association standards for the 53rd CARIFTA Games, which will be held from April 4 to 6 in Grenada.
Cenac cleared a career-best 1.68m to claim bronze in the Under-17 girls’ event at the 52nd Carifta Games in Trinidad & Tobago in 2025.
Slorana Duplessis took second place in Martinique with a best height of 1.40m on her second trial, clearing 1.30 and 1.35 at the first time of asking.
Cenac also sprinted to gold in the Under-17 women’s 100m in 12.57 seconds, with a light negative wind of -0.2 metres per second.
Meanwhile, Lenyn Leonce won the men’s 100m in 10.66 seconds (-0.4 m/s), the same time he ran in the semifinals. Anwar Gill was second in the B final, with a run of 11.82 seconds and he also placed third in Under-20 boys’ long jump with a leap of 6.25m, while Syesha Rogers ran 12.38 in the Under-20 girls’ 100m semis.
Back home, athletes also competed at the Jumps and Throws Festival on Saturday at the George Odlum Stadium, where athletes flirted with CARIFTA qualifying marks.
Barbara-Marie Maximin of Abilene Wildcats, who competed at CARIFTA last year in the long jump and sprint relays, wa
s agonisingly close to the Under-17 girls’ qualifying mark of 5.31m, clearing 5.30m to win her event.
Jequan Joseph, a student at the Saint Lucia Sports Academy, threw 54.99m to win the Under-20 boys’ javelin throw. The qualifying standard for that event is 56m.
Top Performances from Throws & Jumps Meet:
Darvin Forde, (Sprint Tech): 6.63m, U20 Boys’ long jump (standard 6.97m)
Eavan Edgar, (Abilene): 13.55m, U17 Boys’ shot put (13.94m)
Eavan Edgar, (Abilene): 40.40m, U17 Boys’ discus (44.00m)
Randall Monroe, (SLSA): 1.75m, U17 Boys’ high jump (1.83m)
Randall Monroe, (SLSA): 6.07m, U17 Boys’ long jump (6.39m)
Autumn Louis, (Morne Stars): 11.16m, U17 Girls’ shot put (12.48m)
