By Randy Bennett
Barbados’ lone gold medalist at last year’s CARIFTA Games, Fynn Armstrong has his eyes set on more silverware.
However, the first-time Under-20 athlete knows it will be no easy task to replicate his winning performance in the Bahamas over the weekend.
The 16-year-old Harrison College student won gold in Jamaica in 2022 in the Under-17 boys’ 3000 metres in a time of 9:21.31.
This time around, Armstrong will be competing in the 5000 metres with the ‘big boys’ at the April 7 to 10 Games.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY at the Grantley Adams International Airport this evening, Armstrong said he expected much stiffer competition in the grueling event.
“Obviously I want to do a repeat of last year, I want to get another gold, but I still have two more years in the division, so to me I’m not that much pressured. So I think I’m just going there to race my best and hopefully win because that’s what we all go there to do, to do our best and to win,” Armstrong said.
“If it doesn’t happen I won’t be that distraught because I still have two more years to learn and to do a better time, so I think this year is more about trial and error. This is my first year really racing 5K on track a lot so it’s like a new event to me so we’ll see. It should be good and hopefully, I bring home another gold at least.”
Even though it will be his first time competing at CARIFTA, sprinter T’shaun Sealy told Barbados TODAY he wasn’t as nervous as he thought he would be.
Sealy, a 16-year-old student of Christ Church Foundation, will be taking part in the 100 metres.
He said he was hoping to vastly improve his personal best time of 10.61 seconds by running under 10.40.
“I’m really proud of myself for making the team. It’s a really big achievement…but I’m not feeling any nerves or any jitters just as yet,” the soft-spoken Sealy said.
“Honestly, I just want to achieve a new personal best and execute my races how I trained to execute them. My training has been going really good, but with BSSAC [Barbados Secondary School Athletic Championships] I had to come off a little and focus more on that but it’s been coming along really good.
“I would like to hit at least a 10.40 or a 10.30, in that range,” he added.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb
