CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – Jamaica’s athletes accentuated their regional dominance with a sweep of all 200 metres and three of the four 800 metres and 1600-metre relay titles in a riveting climax to the 38th CARIFTA Games on Monday night.
In striding to an awesome 25th consecutive medal-topping display at the regional meet, the Jamaicans gathered 67 medals, 39 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze medals to finish the four-day meet at the George Odlum Stadium firmly on top of the medal table.
Trinidad and Tobago, who finished with 29 medals inclusive of nine gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze, finished runners-up, followed by Barbados 21 (4-9-8).
Hosts St Lucia finished fourth with their best ever haul of four gold and two silver medals. Jamaica’s half-lap victories included an Under-17 record run by Jahzeel Murphy in 20.97 seconds.
In completing the sprint double, Murphy smashed the previous mark of Jamaican Dexter Lee of 21.09 two years ago.
Shericka Jackson won the Girls’ U17 200 in 23.62 to add to her 400-metre record victory, while World Youth and Junior Championship medallist Nickel Ashmeade won the Under-20 Boys 200 in a wind-assisted 20.56 and Jura Levy took the Girls’ event in 23.20, toppling Bahamian defending champion Nivea Smith, who took silver in 23.36.
Ashmeade won ahead of his team-mate Ramone McKenzie (20.60), while 100-metre champion Shekeim Greaves, of Barbados, pulled up with an injury.
Regional junior middle-distance superstars Gavyn Nero and Natoya Goule each remarkably recorded their 10th CARIFTA Games gold medal triumphs.
Competing in the senior 800-metre events, Trinidad and Tobago’s Nero stopped the clock at one minute 51.75 seconds to win the Under-20 Boys’ title, shortly after Jamaican Goule had landed the Girls’ U20 two-lap event in 2:09.27.
Both were completing double victories after capturing 1500-metre gold on Friday evening. Nero’s win denied Jamaica a sweep of the 800-metre titles.
He measured his race perfectly, sitting behind leaders for most of the event before launching a winning run 200 metres out.
He collared the front-running Bermudian Aaron Evans (1:52.54) entering the homestretch and stayed clear to the finish. Kadeem Smith, of St Kitts and Nevis, was third 1:54.45.
As an Under-17, Nero had won two 3,000-metre titles and gold medals at 800 and 1500 metres and since moving up to the senior (U20) division, he has taken the 800/1500-metre double three years in a row.
Goule outclassed her field and won ahead of her Jamaican team-mate Ristananna Tracey (2:10.08).
Also dominant from her U17 days, Goule has now copped five 1500m and five 800m CARIFTA Games gold medals.
Jamaicans Chris-Ann Gordon and Waquar DaCosta took the U17 800-metre titles.
Gordon (2:11.43) beat the Barbadian pair of Shani Adams (2:13.22) and Sonia Gaskin (2:13.80) in the girls’ event and DaCosta (1:55.70) won the boys’ equivalent over Barbadians Antonio Mascoll (1:56.32) and Jerrad Mason (1:57.13)
Overseas-based Barbadian Kierre Beckles, last year’s Austin Sealy award winner, was far superior to her rivals in the U20 Girls 100-metre hurdles, clocking a fine wind-assisted (2.6 mps) 13.31 as she came home a lonely winner, chased by Bahamian Ivanique Kemp (13.78) and Jamaican Kaymarie Jones (13.95).
