Reigning Junior Sportswoman of the Year, LaNica Locker, is now Antigua and Barbuda’s new record holder in the 200 meters indoor event, following her outstanding performance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Championship held at the TTU Sports Performance Center in Texas over the weekend.
Locker, representing the Hinds Community College, registered a time of 23.35 seconds to finish third, eclipsing the previous record of 23.38 held by Joella Lloyd. Lloyd had set the record in January of 2023.
The former Ottos Comprehensive Secondary (OCS) standout recently signed a full scholarship with top Division 1 NCAA school in the US, Louisiana State University (LSU). Locker has also, already hit the Carifta qualifying mark in the 200 meters.
Meanwhile, Jamaica-based middle distance runner, Hannah Charles, brought the number of athletes to have qualified for April’s Carifta Games to nine after registering a time of 10.55.81 seconds in the 3000 meters. Charles, who was competing at the Corporate Area Championship in Kingston, Jamaica, bettered the Antigua and Barbuda Athletics Association (ABAA) standard of 11.05.0 seconds for the event.
Charles also just missed qualification for the 1500 meters event after clocking a time of 4.48.86 seconds to finish just outside the 4.45.0 qualifying standard.
This will be Charles’ second Carifta Games appearance after she competed at the 51st game last year in Grenada.
The other previous qualifiers are Kasiya Daley (100 and 200), Dwayne Fleming (200 and 400), LaNica Locker (200), Geolyna Dowdye (100 and 200), Tyra Fenton (100, 200 and 400), Zonnique Edwards (javelin), Javon Simon (400) and Ranique Richards (shotput).
