The annual CARIFTA Games, one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious regional track and field competitions for young emerging athletes, delivered a series of standout results for Team Antigua and Barbuda this year, with five local competitors turning in career-topping performances across sprint and distance events.
The first wave of personal bests came during the competition’s morning session, where two young male sprinters dominated their respective age-group 200-meter races. Delbert Joseph, competing in the hotly contested Under-20 boys’ division, crossed the finish line with an official time of 21.73 seconds, shaving precious milliseconds off his previous best mark to set a new personal standard. Not to be outdone, 17-and-under sprinter Geron Henry recorded his own career best in the same event, stopping the clock at 21.92 seconds in his preliminary outing.
In the afternoon session, the island nation’s middle-distance competitor Jaeda Pigott matched her teammates’ momentum in the Under-17 girls’ 800 meters. The young runner crossed the line with a final time of 2 minutes and 18.03 seconds, securing a new personal best that capped a successful day of competition for Antigua and Barbuda’s track contingent.
Two more local distance runners turned in impressive career performances in the Under-17 boys’ long-distance events. Shawn-Ze Joseph finished with a time of 10:25.48, while teammate Elite Thomas crossed the line shortly after at 10:31.62, both hitting new personal milestones in the race.
In a post-competition statement, the Antigua Barbuda Athletic Association highlighted that the string of personal bests marks encouraging steady progress for the country’s track and field development program. The association noted that the results reflect a consistent upward trajectory for young Antigua and Barbuda athletes, who continue to push their limits and raise their competitive profiles against top regional talent at the tournament.