By SHAVAUGHN MOSS

NG Sports Editor

Chafree Bain started off the Bahamian medal rush at the ColinaImperial Central American and Caribbean Senior Track and Field Championships as The Bahamas won 15 medals on home turf.

And it was a showing which impressed team manager Ralph McKinney as the athletes competed at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

"We have won medals in other CACs but to have it here in The Bahamas, gave the people a chance to see how competitive CAC really is," he said.

"It's been a tough competition for us," he said of the 45-member local contingent, "but just as tough for the other countries as well as no one ran away with this meet," he said.

And it was a results oriented quality meet for the Bahamian contingent, with collegian sophomore Tiavannia Thompson erasing a 16-year-old national record in the women's 100 metres hurdles.

She did not win a medal, but just breaking a national record was enough for her.

After the first day of competition, The Bahamas had won two medals, both of which came from the women.

Bain won a bronze medal in the women's discus to start the medals rolling in, but Chandra Sturrup stepped it up a notch, when she began the quality medal haul, with a gold medal win in the women's 100 metres on Saturday.

After the second day of competition, the country's medal haul had increased to nine.

Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling showed the home fans the kind of performances she has done on the international scene as she captured gold in the women's 400 metres and 40-year-old Lavern Eve showed she can still compete with the best of them in the women's javelin as she mounted the highest post on the medal podium.

Leevan Sands led a Bahamian 1-2 sweep of the men's long jump, with Osbourne Moxey.

The women's 400 metres sprint relay team of Tamicka Clarke, Philipa Arnett-Willie, Sevatheda Fynes and Chandra Sturrup gave a good showing picking up a silver medal for a squad that hasn't practised together.

And Chris Brown took individual bronze in the men's 400 metres.

The men's 400 metres sprint relay team of Jamial Rolle, Dominic Demeritte, Grafton Ifilll and Derek Atkins ran to the bronze medal in 39.08 seconds, just shy of the 39.00 they needed to run to qualify at the "A" standard for next month's Helsinki World Championships.

The Bahamas' participation was capped off Monday night with an additional six medals won.

Christine Amertil who did not compete in the 400 metres, ran the half-lap event and carted off the silver, while Jackie Edwards picked up a bronze in the women's long jump. And Dominic Demeritte ran to a bronze medal showing in the men's 200 metres.

On the final day of competition, Leevan Sands became the most decorated individual performer at the meet, with two medals, as he picked up a bronze medal in his specialty - the triple jump.

And the country got a chance to see its first women's 1,600 metres relay team in a long time compete at an international meeting.

Sasha Rolle, Christine Amertil, Shakeitha Henfield and Williams-Darling, running in that order took home the silver medal.

A men's 1,600 metres relay team of Aaron Cleare, Andrae Williams, Nathaniel McKinney and Chris Brown ran to the gold medal win to close out this year's competition with a gold medal in front of a huge cheering Bahamian crowd.

"As expected we knew we would win some medals, but one of the most important things was that we be competitive in every event we participated in, and we did that," said McKinney.

"This team's performances showed us that the selection committee did a good job in putting the team together.

"We have won medals in other CACs but to have it here in The Bahamas, gave the people a chance to see how competitive CAC really is," he said.

"And it's been a tough competition for us as well as the other countries. Nobody ran away with the competition," he said.

The Bahamas finished third overall. The Cubans who competed as a team for the first time in more than two decades won the meet, and returned home with 49 medals - 18 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze. The Jamaicans finished second with 20 medals, nine gold, six silver and five bronze.

Chandra Sturrup & Tonique Williams Darling