Kamari Kennedy in action at the Carifta Games (© Dennis Taye Allen)
Jamaica dominated the Carifta Games, which concluded on Monday (21) after three days of action in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.
The Caribbean powerhouse earned 78 medals, 30 of them gold, giving them their 47th win since the games began in 1972. The Bahamas finished second with 16 gold medals ahead of the host nation, Trinidad and Tobago (9 gold).
In his introductory speech, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stated that the event is usually his first appearance in the athletics calendar each year. Stuart Young, the recently appointed Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and NACAC President and World Athletics Council Member Mike Sands were also in attendance.
Jamaica’s Kamari Kennedy was deservingly voted the most outstanding athlete. Kennedy collected the Austin Sealy Award after breaking two U17 championship records. He first won the shot put with 18.90m, adding 10cm to the previous mark, then returned the following day to win the discus with 60.87m, surpassing the previous record by more than seven metres.
Jamaican U20 record-holder Marla-Kay Lampart broke the Games record in an enthralling girls’ shot put final with a massive heave of 17.44m in the fourth round. Lampart, who got injured while completing the effort, watched anxiously as Bahamian rival Annae Mackey also breached the 17-metre mark with a lifetime best effort of 17.14m in the final round. Both went beyond the previous Games’ record of 15.75m.
“My expectations coming here was to beat my personal best of 15.98m,” said Lampart. “I started tentatively because I was nervous, but I stayed calm and gradually got my groove back and trusted my capabilities.”
There was a dramatic conclusion to the U20 girls’ long jump contest when Trinidadian Gianna Paul sailed out to 6.48m in the final round to leapfrog teammate and defending champion Janae De Gannes for gold. Gianna’s effort was two centimetres shy of equalling the Games record set last year by De Gannes.
In the girls’ U20 100m final, defending champion Sabrina Dockery and world U20 200m bronze medallist Shanoya Douglas were expected to finish 1-2 for Jamaica. But after Dockery suffered another false start – as had been the case at the 2023 Carifta Games – Douglas went on to win comfortably in a PB of 11.26 (0.3m/s).
“The crowd was noisy, and I just kept my composure and focused on blocking out the noise and executing the perfect race,” said Douglas, who went on to complete the sprint double by taking the 200m in 23.02.
In the boys’ equivalent, Jamal Stephenson – a late addition to the Jamaican team after Gary Card had to pull out with an injury – took the title in a PB of 10.24 (-1.4m/s).
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity and I’m happy to make my country proud,” said Stephenson, who suffered two disqualifications at the Jamaican High School Championships in March.
Stephenson’s compatriot Michael Graham won the U17 boys’ final in 10.53, while St Lucia’s Jady Emmanuel ran a lifetime best of 11.50 to win the girls’ U17 100m final. Emmanuel, who takes inspiration from her compatriot Julien Alfred, completed the sprint double in 23.47.
The 400m finals produced their fair share of surprises. After defending champion Tianna Springer of Guyana romped to victory in the U20 girls’ final in 53.07, teammate Malachi Austin, the defending champion in the boys’ equivalent, lost a thriller to Bahamian Zion Miller 46.51 to 46.54.
A few minutes earlier, the highly touted Bahamian Eagan Neely won the boys’ U17 final in 47.80. Tyra Fenton of Antigua and Barbuda ran a 53.93 lifetime best in the girls’ U17 final to stun pre-race favourite Keyezra Thomas (54.34) of The Bahamas.
Defending champion Michelle Smith of the US Virgin Islands continued her chokehold on both the 400m hurdles and 800m. Smith, who has not lost either event since 2022, romped to victory in 56.60 in the 400m hurdles before returning to wrap up proceedings in the 800m in 2:07.23.
Robert Miller won the U20 boys’ 400m hurdles in 50.42 while Bahamian Jahcario Wilson produced a storming homestretch run to win the U17 boys’ title in 52.44. He then added 110m hurdles title (13.70) the next day.
Defending champion Shaquane Gordon of Jamaica was pushed to a Games record (13.19) by compatriot Daniel Clarke (13.21) in an exciting U20 boys’ 110m hurdles final.
Christopher Sammy and Oshea Cummings raised the decibel levels of the home crowd several notches on Saturday when they won the U17 boys’ and girls’ 1500m titles respectively, a few minutes apart. Sammy, who was competing at his first Carifta Games, returned the next day to land the 3000m title in 9:11.51
Trinidad and Tobago’s Tyrique Vincent was impressive in winning the first-ever decathlon competition at the games, amassing 6522 points.
Jamaica’s U17 girls’ 4x100m team set a Games record of 44.86. The Bahamas, anchored by Eagan Neely, scored an impressive win in the U17 boys’ 4x100m in 41.11.
Jamaica, stung by a defeat in the U17 boys final, came roaring back in the U20 category. The girls ran 43.65, then the boys clocked 39.56, both teams registering world-U20-leading times.
The Bahamas outclassed defending champions Jamaica in the U20 boys’ 4x400m, clocking 3:06.18 to Jamaica’s 3:07.44.
Noel Francis for World Athletics