BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 10, updated June 17, 2021– Three weeks following the Open Time Trials of Saturday, May 8, the Belize Athletics Association (BAA) held its National Athletics Senior Championships on the weekend of May 29-30 at the Marion Jones Sports Complex track.

There were various sprint and distance races, as well as the jumps – long, triple, and high jump – and also the shot put, the discus and javelin throws; but, as in the bygone days of massive spectator turnout at our annual track meets, two events always stand out as the most glamorous and demanding – the 100 meter sprint for the title of “fastest”, and the 400 meter race, the most grueling and feared test of both speed and strength/endurance in the athletic community. The One Mile race also used to be a real crowd pleaser, and the undisputed ruler of both the 800m and the 1500m (close to the mile) in both the recent Time Trials and the National Championships happen to be the same individual, though there were only two participants in those events for the females. Also of note, the veteran Tricia Flores still rules the Female Long Jump, for which she holds the Belizean record (5.97m, set in 2010 at the Central American Games in Panama).

As the event’s title “National” implies, some athletes who had excelled at the May 8 Time Trials were not able to “medal” in the National Championships, which likely attracted participation from across the country, as well as some athletes who, for whatever reasons, chose not to participate in the Trials. Participation was also poor in a few female events, which had only one or two entries.

Below are the BAA’s listed top performances in the 2021 Belize National Senior Championships. For comparison, each is followed by the current Belizean record/holder(s) and date set (from Wikipedia). Of note is that all the Belizean records, with one exception only – Joel Wade’s high jump record set in Belize in 1997 – were set on foreign soil, either at local meets in the USA or at the Central American Games in different countries. (legend: ESA – El Salvador; NIC – Nicaragua; VEN – Venezuela; HON – Honduras; COS – Costa Rica; UK – United Kingdom; PAN – Panama; USA – United States).

100m Female (6 entries): 1st Place – Hilary Gladden (12.2); 2nd Tricia Flores (12.35); 3rd Akeelah Arnold (15.56). (Record 11.46 by Kaina Martinez in 2017, USA)

100m Male (22 entries): 1st Place – Shaun Gill (10.55); 2nd Mark Anderson (10.71); 3rd Rahim Monsanto (10.79). (Record 10.41 by Jayson Jones in 2008, USA)

200m Female (4 entries): 1st Place – Jada Logan (28.53); 2nd Gianna Hemsley (29.21); 3rd Thayesse Alvarez (30.18). (Record 22.98 by Emma Wade in 2004, USA)

200m Male (15 entries): 1st Place – Mark Anderson (22.4); 2nd Rahim Monsanto (22.41); 3rd Gary Neal 22.67). (Record 21.14 by Jayson Jones in 2008, USA)

400m Female (2 entries): 1st Place – Akeelah Arnold (1:16.56); 2nd Tonylee Nunez (1:20.80). (Record 53.19 by Samantha Dirks in 2016, USA)

400m Male (15 entries): 1st Place – Gary Neal (51.86); 2nd Hance Card (53.15); 3rd Mario Vivas (53.5). (Record 47.62 by Jonathan Williams in 2007, USA)

800m Female (2 entries): 1st Place – Anna Lopez-Camp (2:58.11); 2nd Lucelly Ramos (4:01.90). (Record 2:05.33 by Sharette Garcia in 1992, USA)

800m Male (12 entries): 1st Place – Brandon Adolphus (2:02.06); 2nd Christopher Broaster (2:08.84); 3rd Amir Ramos (2:09.61). (Record 1:52.33 by Jonathan Williams in 2008, USA)

1500m Female (2 entries): 1st Place – Anna Lopez-Camp (5:37.19); 2nd Lucelly Ramos (8:11.09). (Record 4:29.29 by Sharette Garcia in 1992, USA)

1500m Male (14 entries): 1st Place – Brandon Adolphus (4:14.63); 2nd Jordan Santos (4:38.02); 3rd Christopher Broaster (4:40.05). (Record 3:56.35 by Adrian Jorgensen in 1998, USA)

3000m Female (1 entry): 1st Place – Anna Lopez-Camp (11:56.09). (Record 10:13.5 by Sharette Garcia in 1996, USA)

5000m Male (6 entries): 1st Place – Brandon Adolphus (17:03.56); 2nd Ian Gordon (19:37.06); 3rd Kamrone Sainsbury (19:53.89). (Record 14:22.93 by Patrick Fuller in 2005, USA)

Long Jump – Female (3 entries): 1st Place – Tricia Flores (4.99m); 2nd Jada Logan (4.70m); 3rd Thayesse Alvarez (4.34m). (Record 5.97m by Tricia Flores in 2010, PAN)

Long Jump – Male (9 entries): 1st Place – Ahamaad Faisal (6.55m); 2nd Martin Flowers (6.30m); 3rd Kareem Jenkins (6.21m). (Record 7.76m by Michael McKoy in 1998, VEN)

Triple Jump – Female (1 entry): 1st Place – Thayessee Alvarez (9.10m). (Record 12.79m by Althea Gilharry-Moses in 1996, USA)

Triple Jump – Male (3 entries): 1st Place – Kirk Elrington (13.06m); 2nd Kevin Jones (12.93m); 3rd Frederick Usher (12.78m). (Record 16.22m by Brandon Jones in 2016, ESA)
High Jump – Male (3 entries): 1st Place – Kerwin Palacio (1.90m); 2nd Kevin Jones (1.75m); 3rd Martin Flowers (1.44m). (Record 2.03m by Joel Wade in 1997, BZE)

Javelin throw – Female (3 entries): 1st Place – Lionelle Myers (19.75m); 2nd Treya Menzies (17.00m); 3rd Thayesse Alvarez (11.40m). (Record 37.68m by Katy Sealy in 2015, NIC)

Javelin throw – Male (3 entries): 1st Place – Arlen Pou (44.90m); 2nd Kian Trejo (38.38m); 3rd Bernadino Choc (25.91m). (Record 48.48m by Ron Nicholas in 2001, ESA)

Shot put – Female (3 entries): 1st Place – Mia Sylvester (12.46m); 2nd Tikiyah Orosco (8.89m); 3rd Gina Tejada (7.59m). (Record 16.20m by Itohan Aikhionbare in 2016, ESA)

Shot put – Male (3 entries): 1st Place – Cojac Smith (13.60m); 2nd Waylon Gordon (12.79m); 3rd Bernardino Choc (8.36m). (Record 14.31m by Khambrell Gomez in 2011, USA)

Discus throw – Female (2 entries): 1st Place – Mia Sylvester (38.09m); 2nd Lionelle Myers (33.33m). (Record 47.40m by Itohan Akihionbare in 2016, USA)

Discus throw – Male (2 entries): 1st Place – Canaan Smith (37.01m); 2nd Ally Fernandez (19.66m). (Record 41.11m by Khambrell Gomez in 2011, USA)

4x100m Relay – Female (2 entries): 1st Place – (Tricia Flores, Kirsha Avilez, Tonyalee Nunez, Thayesse Alvarez in 55.95); 2nd (Hilary Gladden, Anna Lopez-Camp, Jada Logan, Akeelah Arnold in 57.16). (Record 46.61 by Faith Morris, Kaina Martinez, Tricia Flores, Samantha Dirks in 2016, ESA)

4x100m Relay – Male (6 entries): 1st Place – (Rahim Monsanto, Shaun Gill, Mark Anderson, Fred Usher in 43.8); 2nd (Tahj Reid, Jaheim Neal, Gianni Jones, Gary Neal in 44.19); 3rd (Jihaad Ahmaad, Hance Card, Joshire Stanley, Faisal Ahmaad in 44.85). (Record 41.16 by Rahin Monsanto, Brandon Jones, Mark Anderson, Shaun Gill in 2017, NIC)

4x400m Relay – Female (2 entries): 1st Place – (Akeelah Arnold, Anna Lopez-Camp, Treya Menzies, Jada Logan in 5:31.30); 2nd (Thayesse Alvarez, Kera Hyde, Tonyalee Nunez, Giana Hemsley in 5:36.84). (Record 4:01.32 by Samantha Dirks, Tricia Flores, Ashantie Carr, Ashontie Carr in 2017, NIC)

4x400m Relay – Male (5 entries): 1st Place – (Gary Neal, Jaheim Moguel, Tahj Reid, Mario Vivas in 3:34.42); 2nd (Kirk Elrington, Rahim Monsanto, Frederick Usher, Amir Ramos in 3:37.44); 3rd (Kenen Castillo, Ervin Euceda, Leopold Vasquez, Rackeem Augustine in 3:39.63).

(Record 3:16.80 by Michael McKoy, Joel Wade, Jayson Jones, Elston Albert Shaw in 1997,