Bahamas Carifta Pole Vault History

 

In April 19, 1976 the Carifta games were held in The Bahamas for the first time. This would be the first time The Bahamas entered an athlete in the pole vault discipline. The athlete who represented The Bahamas was Ricardo Lightbourne. Mr. Lightbourne won the event with a jump of 3.50m which he won by .30m! At the 1977 Carifta Games, The Bahamas entered two competitors in the pole vault discipline. Ricard Lightbourne grabbed the silver medal with a jump of 3.25m and Herbert Oembler took bronze with a jump of 3.25m. The Carifta Games returned to Nassau, Bahamas in 1978. Unlike the 1976 games, two athletes represented The Bahamas this time in the pole vault event. The outcome was different from the previous years. Archie Johnson and Herbert Oembler jumped 4.11m and 3.67m and finished first and second adding to The Bahamas medal count. During the 1987 Carifta Games Brent Johnson won the pole vault event in 4.26 meters setting the National Jr. Record for The Bahamas and the Carifta Record . Also, in 1987 Brent Vanderpool set a new National Record in the pole vault with a jump of 4.89m. Since then, The Bahamas has won numerous medals in the event at the Carifta Games. Along with Carifta, The Bahamas also won a number of medals at the Central American & Caribbean Championships in Pole vault.