Jamaica’s young quarter-miler Nickecoy Bramwell took centre stage on the opening day of the 51st Carifta Games at Kirani James Stadium in St George’s, Grenada, on Saturday.
Bramwell, a 16-year-old student from Calabar High, successfully defended the Boys’ Under-17 400m title with an impressive time of 47.26 seconds, shattering Usain Bolt’s longstanding championship record of 47.33 seconds set in 2002.
Grenada’s Kemron Mathlyn claimed second place with a time of 47.96 seconds, while Eagan Neely from the Bahamas secured third with a time of 48.16 seconds. Bramwell’s teammate Paul Henry finished fourth with a time of 48.63 seconds.
Natassia Fletcher secured another gold medal for Jamaica in the 400m event. Fletcher triumphed in the Girls’ Under-17 400m, clocking a time of 54.32 to defeat Keyezra Thomas of the Bahamas (54.59) and Tyra Fennton of Antigua and Barbuda (54.89). Fletcher’s teammate Tresha Lee Sutherland finished sixth with a time of 58.50.
In the Girls’ Under-20 400m, Abigail Campbell (52.85) and Shanque Williams (53.03) of Jamaica secured second and third, respectively, while Tianna Springer of Guyana claimed the gold with a time of 52.31.
The Boys’ Under-20 400m title went to Malachi Austin of Guyana in 46.35, with Macinho Rose of Jamaica (46.59) and Joshiem Sylvester of Grenada (46.93) taking second and third places.
Jamaica swept the 1500m finals.
Dallia Fairweather produced 4:45.86 to lead home a Jamaica 1-2 finish in the Girls’ Under-17 1500m. Alikay Reynolds clocked 4:46.14 for her second-place finish while Shian Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago finished third with a time of 4:48.58.
In the Boys’ Under-17 division, Shemar Green claimed the title with a time of 4:11.91, with Wyndel Beyde of Aruba finishing second at 4:12.80. Sekani Brown of Jamaica took third place, clocking in at 4:15.21.
The Girls’ Under-20 1500m final saw Rickeisha Simms leading another Jamaica 1-2 finish, crossing the line at 4:31.94. Kaydeen Johnson followed closely with a time of 4:32.49 for second place. The Jamaican pair finished well ahead of Kaleigh Forde from Trinidad and Tobago, who registered a time of 4:41.71 to secure third place.
The Boys’ Under-20 1500m race also resulted in a one-two finish for Jamaica, with Kemarrio Bygrave clocking 3:58.10 to get the better of Jaquan Coke, who recorded a time of 3:58.38. Jake Brislane of Bermuda rounded out the top three with a time of 3:58.83.
Jamaica concluded the first day of competition by capturing two of the four 100m gold medals through Nyron Wade and Sabrina Dockery.
Wade claimed the Boys’ Under-17 100m gold in 10.43 (-0.1m/s), matching his personal best time set when he won the Class Two title at the Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, known as Champs, at the National Stadium in Kingston on March 20. Kadeem Chinapoo of Trinidad and Tobago took second place with a time of 10.59, while Jamaica’s Malike Nugent finished third in 10.74.
Dockery stunned her teammate Theianna Lee Terrelonge to secure the Girls’ Under-20 100m title. The sprinter from Lacovia High School claimed victory in a new lifetime best 11.26 (0.3m/s), handing Terrelonge her first defeat at this distance this season. Terrelonge, who had set a personal best of 11.22 to defeat Dockery at Champs last week, finished second in 11.32. Geolyna Dowdye took third place with a time of 11.64.
In the Girls’ Under-17 100m, the Jamaican pair of Adora Campbell (11.51) and Poshannalee Blake (12.15) finished second and fifth, respectively. Athaleyha Hinckson of Guyana claimed victory in 11.44, while Aniya Nurse of Barbados finished third with a time of 11.76.
Jamaica’s Javorne Dunkley secured third place in the Boys’ Under-20 100m, trailing the Cayman Islands’ Devonte Howell and Jaiden Reid. Howell won with a time of 10.15 (0.5m/s), while Reid and Dunkley were credited with the same time of 10.34. Jamaica’s Raheem Pinnock did not progress beyond the preliminary round.
Earlier, Zavien Bernard of Hydel High secured the first gold medal for Jamaica.
Bernard clinched the Girls’ Under-17 high jump. She jumped 1.71m to claim gold, with Alexandria Komolafe of the Bahamas finishing second on countback despite clearing the same height. Third place and the bronze medal went to Trinidad and Tobago’s Tenique Vincent, who failed her three attempts to clear 1.71m. Her best effort was 1.68m.
Bernard’s victory came a week after she smashed the Girls’ Class Three high jump meet record when she cleared a personal best 1.83m to defend her title at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships at the National Stadium.
Shortly after Bernard’s victory, Jamelia Young secured a second gold medal for Jamaica in the morning session by triumphing in the Girls’ Under-17 shot put.
The Clarendon College student threw 14.24m to secure victory, beating Trinidad and Tobago’s Peyton Winter (14.21m) and the Bahamas’ Terrell McCoy (14.11m). Her performance mirrored her success at the Carifta Trials earlier this month, where she won with a throw of 13.33m.
Jamaica, the defending champions with a remarkable track record, enter the games with optimistic aspirations, eyeing their 38th consecutive title at this regional meet. Jamaica lead comfortably in the medal standings as they head into day two on Sunday, boasting a total of 28 medals, including 12 gold, nine silver, and seven bronze.
In second place is Guyana, boasting a medal haul of three, all of which are gold. Following closely behind in third place are The Bahamas with two gold, three silver, and two bronze medals, totalling seven medals.
