Sunday brought thunder — not from the skies, but from Jamaica’s relay quartets and field champions rewriting the narrative at the 52nd Carifta Games at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The green-and-gold contingent won three of the four 4x100m relays, ending Day Two in dominant fashion.
The Under-17 girls, a rocket squad of Shayon Smith, Adora Campbell, Malayia Duncan, and Rihanna Scott, shattered the championship record with a blistering 44.86 seconds, eclipsing the 2018 Jamaican benchmark once set by future stars like Briana Williams and Tia Clayton.
In the Under-20 girls’ race, Sabrina Dockery redeemed herself, leading a perfectly synchronized team with Tiana Marshall, Abigail Wolfe, and Shanoya Douglas, who anchored with fierce determination to a 43.65-second finish.
On the boys’ side, Jamal Stephenson returned, joined by Shaquane Gordon, Antonio Powell, and Tyreece Freeman, as they clocked 39.56 seconds to avenge last year’s defeat to Trinidad and Tobago. The Under-17 boys, however, suffered from a fumbled handoff, finishing fifth.
Field day: Records fall beneath Jamaican throws and leaps
The field was where Jamaica truly sparkled. Marla-Kay Lampart, already a national record holder, obliterated a 23-year-old Carifta mark with a massive 17.44m throw in the Under-20 girls’ shot put. Her teammate, Kimeka Smith, secured bronze, while Annae McKay of The Bahamas nearly matched Lampart with 17.14m for silver.
The shot put glory continued with Kamarai Kennedy, who delivered a personal best 18.82m to take gold in the Under-17 boys’ event. Michael Andre Edwards soared to 7.41m to clinch gold in the Under-20 long jump, and Selethel Johnson led a Jamaican one-two in the Under-17 high jump with a 2.03m clearance.
Track triumphs: Hurdling toward greatness
On the track, Robert Miller made his Under-20 debut one to remember, blazing to 50.42 seconds and gold in the 400m hurdles. Teammate Princewell Martin finished strong for silver. The younger hurdlers followed suit with Jaedean Campbell and Eshanee Powell earning silver and bronze, respectively, in the Under-17 boys’ hurdles.
Among the girls, Shevaughn Thomas and Alyssa Campbell added to the medal count with podium finishes in the hurdles. In distance action, Ashara Frater edged Sushana Johnson in a Jamaican sweep of the 3000m open, finishing in 10:27.29 to Johnson’s 10:28.01.
Day 2 Medal Table:
Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1 Jamaica 17 12 14 43
2 Bahamas 10 10 2 22
3 Trinidad 5 5 6 16
4 Cyaman Isl 2 0 1 3
5 Grenada 1 3 4 8
Day 1: Sprinting to the summit
Meanwhile, Jamaica opened its campaign with determination etched in every stride on Saturday. Though early struggles in the 400m and 1500m hinted at vulnerability, the island’s famed sprinting legacy soon took over the track — emphatically.
The day’s climax came in the 100m finals, where Jamaica snatched three of the four available gold medals in dazzling fashion. Jamal Stephenson surged to a lifetime best of 10.24 seconds in the Under-20 boys’ final, silencing a fierce challenge from Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Woodruffe and Grenada’s Ethan Sam.
In the Under-20 girls’ final, Shanoya Douglas, cool under pressure after teammate and defending champion Sabrina Dockery’s disqualification for false-starting, thundered to gold in 11.26 seconds, rewriting her own personal best.
Michael Graham, with textbook form and ice-cold composure, secured the Under-17 boys’ 100m gold in 10.53 seconds. Meanwhile, Adora Campbell battled to silver in the Under-17 girls’ final, just behind St. Lucia’s Jady Emmanuel, who dazzled with a personal best of 11.50 seconds.
Elsewhere in the field, Jamaica’s Phillips soared into the record books, winning the Under-17 boys triple jump with a wind-aided 15.58m, while Joseph Salmon added gold in the Under-20 discus with a commanding 56.82m throw.
Jamaica ended Day One with 20 medals, seven gold, six silver and seven bronze. The Bahamas came next with 12 medals, six gold, four silver and two bronze, followed by Trinidad and Tobago with 3 gold, one silver and one bronze medal.
The road to glory continues
As the curtains prepare to close on the 52nd Carifta Games, Jamaica stands tall and unyielding — not merely leading the medal table but inspiring the region with a blend of resilience, redemption, and sheer athletic brilliance.
The third and final day beckons, and all eyes remain on the black, green, and gold — a nation running not just to win, but to make history.
