Jahcario Wilson at the NACAC U18/U23 Championships
Jahcario Wilson of The Bahamas became the fourth fastest U18 110m hurdler ever, while Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams, Alana Reid and Bouwahjie Nkrumie produced world-class performances to highlight the North, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 and U18 Championships, held at the Una Nueva Historia track in Apizaco, Mexico.
The city, located 2380m above sea level, was conducive to producing fast times and strong jumps, though excessive wind made many of the top performances ineligible for personal bests or championships records.
Thankfully for Wilson, the wind settled to a perfect 2.0m/s during the time of the boys’ U18 110m hurdles final. He stormed from the blocks and cruised to victory in 12.94, two tenths of a second faster than his previous best. The time places him fourth on the world U18 all-time list and is just 0.07 shy of Sasha Zhoya’s world U18 best.
Born on the last day of 2009, Wilson has succeeded in both sprint and long hurdles, winning silver in the 110m and finishing fourth in the one-lap event at the CARIFTA Games in April.
Lavanya Williams, the third leg runner on Jamaica’s victorious 4x100m team at this year’s World Relays, earned her first international individual medals. She first dominated the 100m in a marginally wind-assisted 10.91 (2.1m/s) ahead of Olympic relay finalist and world U20 champion Alana Reid (11.05) and Puerto Rico’s Frances Colon (11.23).
Two days later, Reid and Williams met again in the 200m final. Reid, who beat Williams for her first national senior title in June, took the upper hand again with 22.29 (3.0m/s). Williams (22.40) and Kelia Bentham (23.00) of Barbados followed her across the finish line.
Bouwahjie Nkrumie – who ran 9.99 as an U20 athlete in 2023 but then picked up an injury – returned to winning ways by taking the U23 men’s 100m title on the opening day. Nkrumie, the 2022 world U20 100m silver medallist, stopped the clock at 9.92 (2.7m/s), also wind assisted.
Fellow Jamaican Damor Miller finished second (10.03). He and Nkrumie later teamed up to win the 4x100m in 39.30.
Teenagar Jayden Green of Barbados won a close 200m final in 20.17 (3.5m/s), finishing 0.02 ahead of Aaron Charles of Trinidad and Tobago. Green, the 2025 Carifta champion, had set a wind-legal PB of 20.42 in the semifinals, and he will now switch his focus to the World U20 Championships in Eugene later this summer.
The U18 sprinters benefitted from ideal wind conditions in their respective finals. Trinidad and Tobago’s Mekhi Guischard-Yearwood won the boys’ 100m in 10.33, finishing 0.01 ahead of 15-year-old Kai Kelly of Jamaica.
At only 15 years old, Bahamian prodigy Jazae Johnson cruised to an 11.42 victory in the girls’ 100m. A long and triple jump champion at this year’s Carifta Games, she added the long jump silver in Apizaco with a PB of 6.13m, finishing behind Jamaica’s Zavien Bernard (6.21m). Bernard also won the U18 triple jump (12.73m).
Jamaica’s Jason Pitter cruised to a 45.98-second victory in the U18 boys’ 400m, his second sub-46-second run this year. 16-year-old Shameika McLean made it a Jamaican U18 double, winning the girls’ final in 52.27 as 15-year-old Eden Chee Wah of Trinidad and Tobago set a big PB of 52.48 in second.
A day later, Chee Wah won the 200m title in 23.10, pushed by a strong 6.0m/s wind.
Jayden Walcott of Barbados improved his personal best by more than 70 centimetres to win the U18 boys’ shot with 21.82m, moving him to 14th on the world U18 all-time list. Mexico’s Kendra Silvery Duany delighted the host nation by winning the U18 girls’ shot put (16.98m) and discus (48.02m).
Combining both age groups, hosts Mexico topped the medals table with 60 medals (22 gold, 16 silver and 22 bronze), followed by Jamaica and The Bahamas. 20 of the 26 participating nations won at least one medal.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for World Athletics