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Shian<br />
Salmon<br />
Zinedine<br />
Russell<br />
Aiko Jones<br />
JAMAICA<br />
DOMINATES<br />
CARIFTA...<br />
AGAIN<br />
L-R: Jehvaugn Matherson,<br />
Christopher Taylor,<br />
Dejour Russell,<br />
Michael Stephens<br />
By: Oliver ‘Elmo’ Harris<br />
Photos: Team Jamaica<br />
The 45th edition of the annual Carifta<br />
Games was held on the spice island<br />
of Grenada. Jamaica was expected<br />
to dominate the meet with stars like World<br />
Youth Gold medallist Christopher Taylor<br />
and Boys’ & Girls’ Champs stars – 400 metre<br />
prodigy, Akeem Bloomfield and Junelle<br />
Bromfield. The rest of the region also had<br />
their own stars – Yanis David of Guadeloupe<br />
and Suriname’s Miguel Van Assen who<br />
had both won Youth Olympic gold medals<br />
in the triple jump, while Khalifa St. Fort of<br />
Trinidad and Tobago had recently won the<br />
World Youth silver medal in the 100 metres.<br />
The host country of Grenada had their own<br />
stars in javelin throwers Anderson Peters<br />
and Candesha Scott, who were perennial<br />
winners at the Carifta Games.<br />
12<br />
As was expected, Jamaica topped the<br />
medal count, winning 42 gold medals. The<br />
top challengers were the Bahamas and<br />
Barbados who both won 6 gold medals.<br />
Although Jamaica dominated the meet, the<br />
top performers were athletes from other<br />
countries. Grenadian Peters broke Olympic<br />
gold medallist Keshorn Walcott’s Carifta<br />
javelin record of 77.59 metres by throwing<br />
78.28 metres. This performance allowed him<br />
to win the Austin Sealy Award, an honour<br />
given to the most outstanding athlete of the<br />
Games. Just as spectacular was Jonathan<br />
Jones of Barbados who won the 800 and<br />
1500 metres in the U18 category, breaking<br />
both records. He first ran 3 minutes 57.19<br />
seconds in the 1500M, breaking the 4:00.04<br />
record set by Jamaica’s Theon O’Connor in<br />
2007 and then ran an unbelievable 1:49.88<br />
in the 800m, becoming the first U18 Carifta<br />
athlete to break the 1:50 and 4:00 barriers in<br />
the 800 and 1500 metres.<br />
Five Jamaican athletes broke individual Carifta<br />
records, with throwers Warren Barrett,<br />
Zico Campbell and Phillip Barnett leading<br />
the way. Barrett broke Ashinia Miller’s<br />
U20 shot put record of 19.47 metres when<br />
he threw 19.97 metres, while Campbell<br />
was just as impressive in the U18 category<br />
throwing 17.75 metres. Barnett decimated<br />
the U18 discus record of 54.41 metres set by<br />
Vashon McCarthy in 2014, when he threw<br />
the implement 60.44 metres. Shannon Kalawan<br />
broke fellow Jamaican Camille Robinson’s<br />
long standing U20 400M hurdles
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