MCLAUGHLIN... copped the Austin Sealy award

JAMAICA'S junior athletes, victors at the 31st CARIFTA Games held in the Bahamas over the weekend, returned home in triumph yesterday with managers and coaches heaping praise on their charges.

"... It was a performance of a high quality," said team manager, Trevor Campbell, shortly after arriving at the Norman Manley International Airport as part of the Jamaican delegation of 70 athletes and 14 officials.

BOLT... won four gold medals

Winners of the Games for the 18th time in a row, Jamaica in a commanding display, arrested 67 medals (31 gold, 20 silver, 16 bronze), ahead of rivals Trinidad and Tobago 18 (six gold) and the Bahamas 33 (five gold).

"We were in awesome form throughout. The kids were wonderful, they responded to all our requests; their behaviour was great... not much more we could have asked (of them)," said Campbell.

"They co-orporated well, worked hard and as a result we achieved a very high level of success," added team coach, Edward Hector.

"If you look at the distribution of the medals itself, it speaks for the quality performances as well," he added.

Sprint sensations, Aneisha McLaughlin and Usian Bolt, and hurdlers Gregory Little and Matthew Palmer were among the brightest stars at a championships where 11 records fell.

Both Bolt (under-17 boys' 200m and 400m) of William Knibb High and McLaughlin (under-17 girls 100m and 200m) of Holmwood were in record-breaking mode. In the process they gained qualification (by virtue of their times) to the IAAF/Coca-Cola World Junior Championships to be held in Kingston in July.

For her exploits, McLaughlin was presented with the prestigious Austin Sealy award for most outstanding athlete ahead of the Bahamian under-20 sprint double gold medallist Shandria Brown.

McLaughlin, whose 100m (11.48) and 200m (23.04) times were faster than those set by Brown, was to later add the 4x100m and 4X400m relay titles to her successes.

Bolt, in earning the nickname "Lightning", streaked his way to gold in the under-17 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4X 400m events.

"...With Champs (Boys and Girls) being an if and a but, this was definitely a good meet at the right time," Campbell declared.

Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) president, Pat Anderson, who travelled with the team, described the performances as outstanding and a sign of things to come at the World Juniors.

"It has been a very, very good performance, but to be truthful we are looking for bigger things.

"Our real emphasis is the World Juniors and that is why we didn't force some of the injured athletes though they could compete... but our expectations for the games has risen and that augurs well for us," commented Anderson.

Like Hector and Campbell, Anderson credited the good showing to planning and preparation.

"I think this team is one of the best prepared teams to attend the Games," he said. "A lot of work was put in the preparation, and urged by our sponsors Puma, we were able to accomplish many things," said Anderson.

Attention would now be switched to the Boys' and Girls' championships set for GC Foster College and Sabina Park later this month, Anderson said.

"We will see what happens at Champs and we will take it form there," he said.

Meanwhile, the Game's flag was passed on to Trinidad and Tobago, home of the meet's most outstanding male athlete, Darrel Brown. Brown gained the accolade ahead of Bolt, when he broke his own 100m record in the under-20 Boys' division in 10.22.

The most outstanding female was Martinique's Claudia Villeneuve, who broke both her records in the under-20 girls' discuss and shot out.

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