(PANAM SPORTS)
The 49th edition of the premier Caribbean U-20 athletics event ended on April 18 with Jamaica earning 45 gold medals and 92 total medals.
The Bahamas finished second with four golds and 17 medals and the British Virgin Islands in third with four golds and 11 total medals.
The CARIFTA Games returned after a two-year hiatus this weekend, with Jamaica stepping in to host the event at Independence Park in its capital of Kingston.
After the three-day showcase of the Caribbean’s young athletics talent, the host nation came away victorious with an outstanding 47 gold medals, leaving only 21 events where another country topped the podium.
Three of those golds went to rising star Adeajah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands who won the Austin Sealy award as the top performer in the competition.
She took home the gold in the women’s U-17 100m in a time of 11.29 seconds, the 200m in 23.42 seconds and the long jump with a flight of 6.20 meters. Her incredible performance helped BVI finish third in the final standings.
Jamaica’s new record medal haul was highlighted by a new U-20 world record in the women’s 4x100m relay event. Serena Cole, Brianna Lyston and sisters Tina and Tia Clayton led the team to victory in a new record time of 42.58 seconds. Jamaica swept the 4x100m and 4x400m relay golds in both age groups.
The Clayton sisters turned from teammates to rivals in the U-20 100m event, as Tina claimed the gold medal over Tia in times of 11.22 and 11.30 seconds.
The Bahamas were led by Keyshawn Strachan who won gold in the javelin and set a Games record of 79.89m in the process, topping Lima 2019 and World Champion Anderson Peter’s mark for Grenada of 78.28m. His teammate Dior-Rae Scott also earned the gold in the U-17 javelin with a championship record of 44.57m.
Other outstanding performances came from Michelle Smith of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Attoya Harvey of Guyana and Keeran Sriskandarajah of Trinidad and Tobago. Smith claimed two golds in the U-17 400m hurdles and 800m, while Harvey and Sriskandarajah claimed the U-17 titles in the women’s and men’s 1,500m final.
Several stars past and present were on hand to watch the action in Kingston, including Jamaica’s Olympic legends Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as well as World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
The Caribbean now looks forward to the next major event in the region with the Caribbean Games of Guadeloupe 2022 set to take place from June 29 to July 3.
The 1st edition of these new regional Games will feature 800 athletes from 29 countries who will compete in seven sports.
The Guadeloupe 2022 Caribbean Games will be streamed live on the Panam Sports Channel.