Jamaica’s bid for a 38‑year reign at the CARIFTA Games remains intact—but only by a hair—after a bumpy opening day at Port of Spain’s Hasely Crawford Stadium on Saturday. The defending champions finished Day One with 19 medals (7 gold, 6 silver, 6 bronze), clinging to a narrow cushion over the Bahamas, who tallied 12 medals, including six golds. Host nation Trinidad & Tobago sit third with five. Home – Jamaica Observer
Sub‑par start compared to 2024
A year ago in Grenada, Jamaica stormed to 26 medals on the first day en route to a record‑setting 84‑medal haul. Saturday’s reduced yield underscores the pressure on the 84‑member squad as it chases a 46th overall team crown. Home – Jamaica Observer
Sprinting to the rescue
Early stumbles in the 400 m and 1500 m left Jamaican supporters uneasy, but the island’s trademark speed arrived just in time. The green‑and‑gold sprinters captured three of four 100 m finals:
- U20 Boys – Jamal Stephenson ripped a lifetime‑best 10.24 s (‑1.4 m/s), edging Trinidadian Dylan Woodruffe (10.30 s) and Grenada’s Ethan Sam (10.41 s). Home – Jamaica Observer
- U20 Girls – With defending champion Sabrina Dockery ejected for a false start, Shanoya Douglas seized the moment in 11.26 s (0.3 m/s), comfortably clear of Antigua & Barbuda’s Geolyna Dowdye (11.43 s) and Bahamian Shatalya Dorsett (11.45 s). Home – Jamaica Observer
- U17 Boys – Michael Graham prevailed in 10.53 s, holding off BVI’s Tiondre Frett (10.58 s). Jamaica’s Jaydon Collins collected bronze in 10.68 s. Home – Jamaica Observer
St Lucia interrupted the sweep when Jady Emmanuel upstaged Jamaican favourite Adora Campbell in the U17 Girls 100 m, producing a personal‑best 11.50 s. Home – Jamaica Observer
Field highlights
- Triple Jump (U17 Boys) – Taj‑Mikel Phillips soared a wind‑aided 15.58 m (3.0 m/s) to eclipse the meet record on a legal back‑up jump of 15.26 m (‑0.7 m/s). Grenada’s Crystophe Calliste grabbed silver (15.25 m, w/a). Home – Jamaica Observer
- Discus (U20 Boys) – Joseph Salmon kept Jamaica on top with a 56.82 m effort, while Grenadian Dylan Logan (52.57 m) and Jamaican teammate Devonte Edwards (50.97 m) rounded out the podium. Home – Jamaica Observer
- Triple Jump (U20 Girls) – Trinidad & Tobago secured home‑crowd cheers as Keneisha Shelbourne leapt 12.98 m to deny Jamaica’s Sabrina Atkinson (12.83 m). French Guyana’s Leane Alfred took bronze. Home – Jamaica Observer
What’s next
With middle‑distance finals and the 4 × 100 m relays on today’s slate, Jamaica will need depth beyond the straight‑away to protect its fragile advantage. The Bahamas, buoyed by field‑event success, and Trinidad & Tobago, energized by partisan support, both smell an upset.
Still, if Saturday’s late‑evening sprint fireworks are any indication, Jamaica’s dynasty—though shaken—remains very much alive. Day Two could decide whether that dynasty survives its toughest opening‑day test in years or yields to a rising rival in Port of Spain.
