McNeil’s bronze the only medal for Guyana on day two in T&T

Apr 21, 2025 Sports

– Roberts, Persaud and Anderson in 800m finals today

Kaieteur Sports- Ebo McNeil’s bronze medal in the Boys’ 3000m was Guyana’s only podium finish on day two of this year’s CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago.

McNeil, a National Youth Table Tennis champion, made a remarkable debut after falling just short of a medal in the Boys’ U17 1500m in the Twin Island Republic on the opening day of the championships.

McNeil’s bronze the only medal for Guyana on day two in T&T

Ebo McNeil had a superb run to grab bronze in the Boys 3000m finals at the CARIFTA Games. (PHOTO: News Room/Jeremy Jagroop)

It was a race filled with strategy, to the point where McNeil led the pack before being reeled back in.

However, when the dust settled, Trinidad and Tobago claimed the top two spots on the podium, with Christopher Sammy winning in 9:11.51 and Armani Dillon taking silver in 9:12.22.

McNeil, who had a stellar performance at the National Schools Championship representing Mackenzie High School, bounced back with a strong finish in the final 80 metres, clocking nine minutes, 22.61 seconds (9:22.61) to secure third place.

Thanks to McNeil, Guyana ended day two of the Caribbean’s most prestigious athletics championship with four medals – one gold, one silver, and two bronze.

Attoya Harvey, who won the 3000m in 2022 and earned silver in both 2023 and 2024, fell short this time around and did not make it onto the podium.

It was a tight finish for Javon Roberts in the Boys U20 800m semis. He advanced to the finals. (PHOTO: News Room/Jeremy Jagroop)

Harvey remains one of Guyana’s most decorated athletes at the CARIFTA Games, having amassed a total of six medals since her debut in 2022, including one gold, three silver, and two bronze.

Meanwhile, on a day marked by chaos at the CARIFTA Games, Javon Roberts booked his spot in the Boys’ U20 800m final.

The Boys’ U17 800m champion from 2023 clocked 1:56.83, edging out D’Angelo Brown of Grenada (1:56.89) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Omare Thompson (1:57.07) in a tightly contested heat.

Roberts will be joined in the final by Kaidon Persaud, who posted a strong 1:55.00 to finish third in his qualifying heat.

Bryson Anderson has also qualified for the final of the Boys’ U17 800m, after finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 2:01.66. However, his teammate Keith Shepherd’s time of 2:04.46 was not fast enough to advance to the medal round.

Kaidon Persaud had a blistering run in his heat to book a spot in the U20 800m finals (PHOTO: News Room/Jeremy Jagroop)

Guyana will have no representation in the Girls’ U17 800m final, after Esther McKinnon and Kaymayra Lacon failed to qualify from their respective heats.

McKinnon clocked 2:21.68, while Lacon registered 2:36.86.

Over in the 200m, Walton Alleyne won his U20 200m heat, registering 21.97 seconds to advance to tonight’s final.

However, his teammate Trevor Easton narrowly missed out, finishing his heat in 22.01 seconds, which was not fast enough to see him through.

No other Guyanese athletes advanced to the finals of the 200m in their respective categories.

The relay events brought more drama than hope for Guyana.

Meanwhile, the Boys’ U17 4x100m relay team was disqualified after a baton exchange occurred outside the designated zone.

The misstep came during the exchange from the third runner to the anchor leg, invalidating their time of 43.82 seconds, which would have placed them second in their heat.

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