Michelle Smith & Layla Haynes Go 1-2 In CARIFTA Games 800

Michelle Smith last year as a 16 year old won a pair of gold medals at the CARIFTA Games for the U-17 age division in the 400 meter hurdles and this year moving up to the U-20 age division as a 17 year old and high school junior at Montverde Academy in Florida was a double gold champion again.

On Monday evening in the U-20 women's finals of the 800 meter run in the Bahams featuring several competitors like Smith with a resumé including sub 2:10 credentials in the event such as another Florida high school star in IMG Academy senior Layla Haynes, Smith came out on top again winning with a time of 2:09.71. Haynes took second in the race with a time of 2:11.90.

However, the race really never saw the two Florida high school competitors running close to one another despite the eventual 1-2 finish as Smith found herself position well near the leaders and the front at the 400 meter mark with a 66 second split before seizing the lead and never looking back shortly thereafter. Smith had Jamaica's Kishay Rowe and Haiti's Victoria Guerrier to press her thru the first 600 meters of the race, before starting to pull away with a strong last 200 meter finish. 

Meanwhile, Haynes definitely laid back in the field which already had a strategically slow first lap as she was in seventh place at 400 meters with a 68 second split and had to really rally in summoning a ferocious last straightaway kick and 63 second last lap to run down a good chunk of the field to nab the silver medal in the final strides.

Women's 800 Meters U20

It would have certainly been more interesting race if Haynes had given herself a better position with 200 meters to go closer to the leaders and Smith, but she will still walk away with a silver medal from Carifta Games to accompany her gold medal from the 1500 meter run on Saturday. 

The two classy competitors shared a sweet embrace after the race on the track.Both competitors will return back to Florida for their remaining high school seasons with district championships coming up for Smith at Montverde Academy, while Haynes at IMG Academy that is not allowed to compete in the FHSAA championship series will be traveling to compete at the prestigous Penn Relays later this month in Florida. 

Many future Olympians come out of the CARIFTA Games as Usain Bolt and other past and current professional greats of the Caribbean nations saw their stardom rise out of their performances as youth in the CARIFTA Games, which this year is the 50th annual edition of the event.

Would not be surprised to see both the likes of Michelle Smith representing the US Virgin Islands and Layla Haynes representing Barbados to be on the Olympic stage one day and possibly meeting again at the 800 meter distance.