Jamaica claim 38th straight Carifta Games title

Team Jamaica had no equal at the final day of the 2024 Carifta Games as the nation’s athletes claimed their 38th straight Carifta Games title in Grenada last night. Jamaica led the way with 84 medals – 45 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze.

Bahamas finished second overall with 35 medals – nine gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze. Trinidad and Tobago were third on the table with 27 medals – four gold, 11 silver and 12 bronze.

Jamaica started the day with promise, as the pair of Rasheda Samuels and Dejanae Bruce finished first and second respectively in the under-20 girls’ high jump final. Samuels won gold with her highest clearance of 1.78m while her teammate Bruce took silver with a best of 1.76m. Keneisha Shelbourne of Trinidad and Tobago took home bronze with 1.70m.

Jaeda Robinson secured another Carifta record for Jamaica in the under-17 girls’ triple jump as her gold-medal winning distance of 12.69m, erased the mark of 12.61m set by Rochelle Farquharson in 2009. Tessa Clamy of Guadeloupe took silver with 12.09m while high jump gold medallist Zavien Bernard claimed another medal when she took bronze with 11.63m.

Jamaica swept the sprint hurdles events, extending their dominance throughout the day.

In the under-17 girls 100m hurdles final, Malayia Duncan led the way as she took gold in 13.63 seconds ahead of Jenna-Marie Thomas of Trinidad and Tobago, 13.74, and Curaçao’s Zsa-Zsa Frans who took bronze in 14.21.

In the under-20 girls’ final, the Jamaican duo of Habiba Harris and Briana Campbell led the way. Harris recorded a wind-assisted time of 12.93. Despite eclipsing the Carifta record set by Alexis James last year, Harris’ time will not be considered for the meet record as the tailwind was above the legal limit of plus 2.0 metres per second. Campbell stopped the clock in 13.11 ahead of Sofia Swindell of the US Virgin Islands who took bronze in 13.95.

WINNING TIME

Michael Dwyer took the under-17 boys’ 110m hurdles final with his gold-medal winning time of 13.81. He finished ahead of Bahamian Jahcario Wilson who claimed silver in 13.94 while Jamaica’s Robert Miller was third in 13.97.

Jamaica again reigned supreme in the under-20 boys’ 110m hurdles final. The pair of Shaquane Gordon and Daniel Beckford secured a one-two finish for Jamaica while Curaçao’s Lizheng Zhuang took bronze. Gordon won in 13.15 ahead of teammate Beckford, 13.25. Zhuang rounded off the podium positions with his time of 13.94.

Michelle Smith of the British Virgin Islands added to her under-20 girls’ 400m hurdles gold medal when she won the 800m final. Smith took gold in 2:06.18 ahead of Haiti’s Victoria Guerrier 2:07.45. Jamaica had to settle for bronze as Monique Stewart crossed the line in 2:07.56.

Jamaica had a series of storming performances in the 4x400m relays to close out the night’s performances.

The team took gold in the under-17 4x400m final in 3:41.84 ahead of silver medallists Bahamas 3:47.13 and bronze medallists Barbados 3:49.68.

Boys’ under-17 400m record holder Nickecoy Bramwell ran a blistering anchor leg to carry Jamaica to gold in the under-17 4x400m final in a time of 3:18.43. Trinidad and Tobago took silver in 3:21.24s while Grenada secured bronze in 3:21.92.

It was a sizeable gap between the Jamaicans and the rest of the pack in the under-20 4x400m final as they took gold in 3:34.69. Trinidad and Tobago collected silver in 3:47.51 with Barbados taking bronze in 3:48.21.

The under-20 boys completed the 4x400m sweep in 3:10.58 ahead of Trinidad and Tobago 3:11.10 and Guyana getting third in 3:14.05.