Photos courtesy: CLAYTON CLARKE/Sportscore Tobago

Taken at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony at the Radisson Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain on Saturday, January, 7, 2017.

Spinks-Top Youth Female
Jenea Spinks (left) collects the Top Female Youth Athlete of the Year award from quadruple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon (right). 

Horsford-Top Male Youth
Tyriq Horsford (left) is presented with the Top Male Youth Athlete of the Year by quadruple Olympic medallist Ato Boldon (right) . 

World U20 championships 100m bronze medallist Khalifa St. Fort took home the top Female Junior (Under 20) Award at the National Association of Athletic Administrations (NAAA) 2016 annual awards ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in Port of Spain on Saturday, January, 7.  St. Fort also raced the gold in the girls under 20 category at the Carifta Games and set a new national under record of 11.16 in taking fourth place at the National Senior Championships. Her fourth place finished earned the 18 year old a place on T&T's women's 4x100m Olympic team which she anchored to fifth place in the finals in Rio. St. Fort ended the year at third on the IAAF World Under 20 women's 100m list.  Akanni Hislop (Bishops High), the Carifta 200m champion and reigning National Secondary Schools 100m/200m gold medallist,  secured the Top Male Junior Trophy. Hislop reached the men's 200m semifinals at the World U20 Champs where he set a personal best of 20.87. He ended the year ranked 36th on the World Junior 200m list. St. Fort was also the Top Under 20 Female Track Athlete for 2016 while Hislop took the Male version. Another Carifta champion and Secondary Schools winner Tyriq Horsford (Signal Hill Secondary) was the top Male Youth (Under 18) winner after his gold medal effort in the boys under 18 javelin at the Carifta Games in Grenada. He also improving the record to 73.00m, smashing the mark he set the previous year. The sixth former completed the season at 12th on the World Youth Rankings in his event. Horsford was also honoured for his Carifta record throw. Horsford was also the Top Male Under 18 Field performer. World Under 20 Champs 100m semifinalist Jenea Spinks (Holy Name Convent-POS) took home the Top Youth Female award. Spinks was the youngest semifinalist at the World Under 20 Champs in Poland in July at 15 years old. She also reached the women's 100m finals at the National Senior Championships where she clocked a personal best of 11.65, time which earned a ranking of 28th on the IAAF World Under 18 Perfomance list for 2016. Spinks won the 100m titles at the Carifta Trials, National Junior Champs, Falcon Games and the Abilene Track Classic. She also helped T&T's Girls Under 18 4x100m relay team to bronze at the Carifta Games.  St. Fort and Hislop were the Top Female and Male Youth Athletes of 2015.​

Horsford and Spinks
Jenea Spinks (left), Top Female Youth Athlete of the Year and Tyriq Horsford (right), top Male Youth Athlete of the Year at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony. 

​Chelsea James (formerly Signal Hill Secondary) and Che Richards (formerly St. Mary's College) walked away with the Under 20 Field divisions. James was the best Female after her bronze medal performance in the discus at the Carifta Games. James also secured the shot put ad  discus titles at the Carifta Trials and the National Junior Champs. She also won the women's shot and discus at the Falcon Games and the shot put at the Southern Games. The three-time Carifta champ won the women's discus crown at the National Senior Champs and was third in the shot put in a personal best of 14.85 which qualified her for the World U20 Champs in Poland. Richards topped the field in the boys under 20 long jump at the Carifta Trials and the National Junior Champs. He also beat the men in the event at the National Senior Champs, the Falcon Games and the Field Events and Hurdles Festival. At the Carifta Games Richards was fourth. He was also honour for Academic Excellence after he named the 2015 National Open Language Scholarship winner. He is currently studying at the University of Edinburgh in the UK.

Ianna Roach (Bishops Anstey) and Onal Mitchell (Pt. Fortin East Secondary) copped the Under 18 Female Field and Male Track Honours. Roach won silver in the Girls under 18 shot put at the Carifta Games and also took the Carifta Trials and National Junior Championshpis titles while Mitchell returned home with Carifta boys under 18 400m bronze and also won bronze with the 4x400m. Mitchell was given the top honour over Carifta boys under 18 200m silver medallist Tyrel Edwards (Toco Secondary). He also won the one lap gold at the Carifta Trial, Falcon Games, Abilene Track Classic and the National Junior Championships.

Rae-Ann Serville (St. Joseph Convent-POS), Avindale Smith (Queen's Royal College), Safiya John (Scarborough Secondary) and Christopher Crawford (Pentecostal Light and Light High) were winners of the Under 16 category. Serville was named the Top Track competitor in the division after her winning in the 100m hurdles, 100m and 200m at the National Junior Championships. The 14 year old was impressive in the 400m with her 55.15 clocking which was superior the qualifying standard (55.25) for the World U20 championships. However, at 14 years of age Serville was too young to compete at the global meet. She stepped up to the under 18 class at the Carifta trials and won the 400m. Serville received the President Rising Star Award from NAAA president Ephraim Serrette. Smith took home the most outstanding track competitor after his 100m/200m victories at the National Junior Championships. He also secured the 100m crown at the Abilene Track Classic and was third in the under 18 100m finals at the Carifta trials which earned him a spot on T&T's 4x100m team to the Carifta Games. Smith ran the third leg on the team which finished fourth. John took care of the high jump and long jump gold medals at the National Secondary Schools Champs and the long jump and javelin titles at the National Junior Champs. She competed against the under 18 competitors at the Carifta trials and was second in the long jump and third in the high jump events. However, she was the top local to finish in both disciplines as the athletes finishing ahead were foreigners. The 15 year old was second in the women's long jump at the National Senior Championships. Crawford landed the boys 13-15 shot put and discus trophies at the National Primary Schools Champs and was also beat the field in the Under 16 discus at the National Junior Champs and Field Events and Hurdles Festival.

List of Awardees

James-top Under 20 Female Field
Chelsea James, shown competing the 2016 World U20 Championships in Poland in July, won the Top Under 20 Female Field Athlete of the Year award at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony. (Photo courtesy-KERMIT TAYLOR/Bahamas Athletics)

Hislop-Top Male Junior 
Akanni Hislop, shown in action at the 2016 World U20 Championships in Poland in July,  won the Top Male Junior Athlete of the Year award at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony. (Photo courtesy-KERMIT TAYLOR/Bahamas Athletics)

Smith-Top U16 Male Track
Avindale Smith (left) accepts the Top Under 16 Male Track trophy from NAAA Director Durly Lucas. 

Serville-Top U16 Female Track
Rae-Ann Serville (left) is the Top Under 16 Female Track Athlete of the Year. Serville accepts her award from NAAA Secretary Dexter Voisin.  

Crawford-Top U16 Male Field
Christopher Crawford (left) wins the Top Under 16 Male Field Athlete honour. Crawford is presented with his award by NAAA Director Durly Lucas. 

Mitchell-top U18 Male Track
Onal Mitchell (left) was named the Top Under 18 Male Track Athlete of the Year. Mitchell accepts his award from Samuel Sankar (right) of TIDCO.

Sprinters St. Fort and Hislop run away with NAAA Junior Awards. ……Horsford and Spinks grab Youth Honours.

by Clayton Clarke (sportscoretobago@gmail.com)​​; 11.1.17

St. Fort-Top Junior Female
Top Female Junior Athlete of the Year Khalifa St. Fort (left) receives her trophy from President Anthony Carmona (right) at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony at the Radisson Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain on Saturday, January, 7. 

Roach-Top U18 Female Field
Ianna Roach (left) accepts the Top Under 18 Female Field Athlete of the Year from Hayden Straker (right)  of TIDCO. 

Richards-Top U20 Male Field
Che Richards, in action at the 2016 National Junior Championships in Bacolet, was named the Top Under 20 Male Field Athlete of the Year at the NAAA's 2016 Annual Awards Ceremony. 

John-Top Under 16 Female Field
Safiya John (left) accepts the Top Under 16 Female Field Athlele award from NAAA Secretary Dexter Voisin. 

Secondary Schools' Track & Field