Having missed a medal for her team in the final of the Class Three 400m at the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), St Jago High School’s Alyssa Carty has vowed to make up for her disappointment by setting her sights on winning the gold medal at the Carifta Games in Grenada next weekend.

Carty, 13, finished sixth in the final on Thursday in 58.28 seconds. It was won by Hydel’s Sashana Johnson in a personal best time of 54.59s. Tracey-Ann Evans of Holmwood was second in 55.28s, while third went to Kevina Bourne of Port Antonio in 56.78s.

Reflecting on her performance at Champs, Carty said, “I wasn’t pleased with my performance, because I could have done a lot better, but my hamstring and groin were hurting me, and I did the best that I could.”

Visibly shaken after Thursday’s disappointing performance in the final, Carty is now gearing up to compete in the Girls Under-17 400m hurdles at the Carifta Games.

“I am looking forward to getting a medal at the Carifta Games and making my family proud, especially my coach, Keilando Goburn, and also my teammates,” Carty said. “I am very determined to do that because this is my first Carifta Games, and I really want to go there and perform well for my country.”

Carty says that she was unwell during Champs, but is confident that she will be fit for Carifta.

“I know that I will be fit and ready for the Carifta Games because I believe in my coach and the training that he has been doing with me, so I am feeling confident going into this championship next week,” she said. “I have been having a pretty good season so far, achieving personal bests, which makes both my coach and my mother proud.”