Adaejah Hodge Is Disappointed About Caritfa Games Withdrawal

Tonya Hodge, the mother of  200m Under-20 World Record holder Adaejah Hodge, disclosed that her daughter is disappointed she will not participate in the 50th Carifta Games due to a sore ankle.

Hodge on Saturday, April 8, withdrew from the much anticipated U20 100m race in the Thomas Robinson Track and Field Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.

Her mother explained: “She rode her ankle…we monitored it, we iced it, elevated it, rested it. No swelling, no major injury, it’s just a little soreness. Today (April 8) when she was trying to execute out the blocks, her acceleration wasn’t powerful enough so we decided to pull her to prevent any further injuries that can occur.”

“She is a bit disappointed. She was preparing…for the Carifta Games, coming back to defend the Austin Sealey Award.”

Adaejah won the award at the 2022 Carifta Games in Jamaica where she won the 100m in 11.29, the 200m in 23.42, and gold in the long jump with a distance of  6.20 metres

This year, the 16-year-old British Virgin Islander travelled to the Bahamas with the 30-member BVI team just a few weeks after being named MileSplit50 Athlete of the Year.

She has had an impressive season, racing 22.33 seconds and smashing a national record in the 200m that re-set a new World U20 record at the New Balance Indoors High School Championships in Boston.

Tonya said Adaejah is “in good spirits. She understands that she is gifted and she has to protect her gift. This is just one event.”

The territory’s athletes have performed well on the track on the first day of competition – April 8 – setting personal best times and advancing to the next rounds.

Jah’Kyla Morton won BVI’s first goal – a silver in the highly competitive high jump.

The Carifta Games were inaugurated by Austin Sealy, then president of the Amateur Athletic Association of Barbados in 1972.

The main goal behind the well known junior regional competition ( Under 17 and Under 20) is to improve relations between Caribbean countries using sports.