HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Regional powerhouses Jamaica wasted precious little time in stamping their mark on the 41st CARIFTA Games, winning four of the five finals in the morning session on the opening day here yesterday.
The medals, shared equally among the boys and girls divisions, were four of seven for the Jamaicans who also picked up three bronze to storm to the top of the medal tally.
In the boys Under-20 discus, Fedrick Dacres measured 58.57 metres to take gold with French Guiana’s Dean-Nick Allen (53.50m) finishing a distant second and Jamaican Ashinia Miller (50.37m) taking bronze.
Jamaica also captured the Under-17 shot putt through Jamaican Demar Gayle who also won easily with a throw of 17.31 metres.
Trinidadian Kenejah Williams (16.75m) finished with silver while Bahamian Drexel Maycock was third with 15.67m.
The Jamaicans also took care of business on the girls’ side, winning the Under-20 triple jump along with Under-17 high jump.
Sabina Allen won the Under-20 triple jump with a measurement of 12.18 metres, with the Bahamian pair of Tamara Myers (11.62m) and Anthonique Butler (11.43m) taking silver and bronze respectively.
Jamaica’s fourth gold medal came through Jehvania Whyte who clinched gold in the Under-17 high jump with a leap of 1.60 metres, to finish ahead of Curacao’s Nargalis Statie (1.60m) and fellow Jamaican Samara Spencer (1.55m).
Yanis David broke the Jamaican dominance, winning the Under-17 triple jump for Guadeloupe with a leap of 12.73 metres.
Her teammate Marine Vidal (12.21m) was second but even then Jamaica sneaked in to claim bronze through Tamara Moncrieffe (11.57m).