KINGSTON, Jamaica — In a story of persistence that culminated in long-awaited victory, Lloydricia Cameron secured her first-ever Jamaican national women’s shot put title Saturday at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium, breaking a six-year streak of second-place finishes at the country’s top track and field competition.
Competing at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Championships, Cameron delivered a winning throw of 17.57 meters to claim the gold medal, outperforming a field of young, rising talent from top collegiate programs across the United States. The hard-fought win marks a career milestone for the thrower, who has finished as runner-up at every national championship dating back to 2019, each time falling short of the top spot behind national record holder Danniel Thomas-Dodd.
Born in the United States and a former athlete for the University of Florida, Cameron now trains full-time in Kingston as she builds toward major international competitions later this year. Among her upcoming goals is improving on her fourth-place finish at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, a result that already cemented her status as one of the region’s top shot put talents.
In the final standings of Saturday’s competition, Kimeka Smith, a representative of Clemson University, took home the silver medal with a best throw of 16.03 meters. Rounding out the top three was Britannie Johnson of Purdue University, who claimed bronze with a throw of 15.55 meters.