ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Jamaica swept the sprint hurdles finals along with the distance relays. Still, controversy left its mark on the 51st CARIFTA Games when it overshadowed the last event on the final day of the showpiece at the Kirani James Athletic Stadium here on Easter Monday.
At the start of the boys’ Under-20 4×400 meters relay, a second gun saw Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda pull up less than 100 meters into the first leg. At the same time, the remainder of the field Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada continued.
Jamaica dominated the event, winning in three minutes, 10.58 seconds, ahead of Guyana (3:14.05) and Grenada (3:14.53).
A predictable protest ensued, leading officials to stage a timed final for the three affected teams about an hour later to find them redemption.
Even then, more drama followed as Trinidad and Tobago produced a superb effort to clock 3:11.10 and edge out Guyana for silver, while the Bahamas were timed at 3:11.18 to snatch bronze instead of Grenada.
In yet another twist, however, the Bahamas were disqualified, leaving Guyana to sneak in for bronze after being booted from the podium earlier.
The shambolic end to the relays in no way tainted the statement made by powerhouses Jamaica, however. Amidst the confusion, their boys under-20 dominated the event, Marcinho Rose producing a storming second leg to give his team the advantage after Malachi Austin had put Guyana out front on the first lap.
Earlier, Jamaica stopped the clock at 3:41.84 to win the girls Under-17 equivalent, and the boys followed up with a time of 3:18.43 to win the corresponding age group comfortably.
Shanoya Douglas, who had earlier sparkled in clinching 200 meters gold, propelled Jamaica over the line in the girl’s Under-20s to win in 3:34.69.
“It was a very wonderful event. I love this. I did this for my teammates and my country, and this whole CARIFTA experience has been excellent, and I’m grateful,” Douglas said.
The 17-year-old was timed at 23.03 as she edged out Trinidadian Sole Frederick (223.07) in a tight finish in the Under-20 200-meter final.
Douglas’s teammate, Sabrina Dockery, held on for bronze in 23.13, but defending champion Sanna Frederick missed out on the podium when she finished fourth.
The boy’s equivalent was won by 16-year-old Gary Card, who overcame injury concerns to sizzle to an impressive personal best of 20.60 seconds, becoming the 13th-fastest Jamaican junior ever.
He outgunned Barbadian Aragorn Straker, who finished second in 20.76, while Davone Howell of the Cayman Islands was third in 20.90.
“I knew I would always have a chance; it’s just to see what the physio says. If I can run, it means I have all the chance in the world,” Card said.
In the Under-17s, Natrece East clinched gold for the girls in 23.74 seconds, while Trinidadian Kadeem Chinapoo ensured there would be no sweep for the Jamaicans by capturing the boy’s equivalent in 21.78.
Oshane Jervis of Jamaica pulled up at the line in discomfort but finished with silver in 22.16.
“It was brilliant. It means a lot, it’s what I was training for,” Chinapoo said.
Jamaica’s dominance in the sprint hurdles was headlined by Shaquane Gordon and Habiba Harris, who set new marks in the Under-20s.
Gordon sped to 13.15 seconds in the boy’s event to reset the 10-year-old mark of 13.23. His teammate Daniel Beckford finished second in 13.25, and Curacao’s Lizheng Zhuang clinched bronze in 13.94.
“This week, I just came out here to do my best,” Gordon said.
Meanwhile, Harris clocked 12.96 to topple the old mark of 13.06 established last year in Nassau, leading home teammate Briana Campbell (13.11).
Malaysia Duncan won gold in the Under-17 girls’ event in 13.63 seconds, while Michael Dwyer dominated the boys’ equivalent in 13.81 seconds.
Trinidadian Janae De Gannes, meanwhile, stole off with the prestigious Austin Sealy Award for the Most Outstanding Athlete when she measured 6.50 meters to win gold and establish a new record in the girl’s Under-20 long jump.
The effort erased the old mark of 6.48 meters – ironically set in Grenada eight years ago – and positioned her third in the world in the Under-20 category.
Jamaican Javontae Smith also shone with his second gold medal when he won the Under-17 discus with a throw of 52.71 meters, to go with his earlier success in the shot put.
“It’s a great feeling. It wasn’t as I expected and didn’t go as expected, but it’s still a good feeling to win both titles,” Smith said.
Jamaica finished with 83 medals, comprising 44 gold, 23 silver, and 16 bronze, while the Bahamas ended with 34 – nine gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze.
Trinidad and Tobago picked up four gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 12 bronze medals to finish the championship with 27 medals.
Hosts Grenada were the only other team in double digits, with 14 medals, including one gold, six silver, and seven bronze.
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