April 24, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF outdoor track & field freshman Afia Charles competed in the CARIFTA Games this past Saturday, representing Antigua. Charles finished third in the 400 meters (Under-20), earning a bronze medal in a personal-best time of 54.23.
The CARIFTA Games are an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) featuring member nations. This year's event was hosted by Jamaica at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex in Montego Bay.
Charles' time of 54.23 was more than a second faster than her previous-best mark, set in high school. It was also more than a second faster than the fourth-place finisher in Saturday's final. Charles qualified for the finals with a 54.99 in the preliminaries.
Charles and several other members of the Knights will return to competition after a week hiatus when they travel to Philadelphia and the historic Penn Relays beginning Thursday.