ST GEORGE’S, GRENADA — The 53rd edition of the Carifta Games, hosted at Grenada’s Kirani James Athletic Stadium, saw Jamaica solidify its dominant position in the tournament on Monday, adding three more medals — two gold and one silver — to its growing tally during the penultimate competition session of the event.
For the second consecutive day, wet weather forced delays to the competition schedule, but poor conditions did not slow Jamaica’s top young athletes. Two standout performances delivered gold for the delegation: Zavien Bernard claimed top honors in the girls’ Under-20 high jump, and Shamanda Wilmot secured first place in the girls’ Under-17 javelin throw. Talshawn Edwards added a silver to the country’s day total with a strong performance in the boys’ Under-17 long jump.
With only one final competition session remaining, Jamaica is on track to secure another overall tournament victory, holding a substantial lead in the overall medal table. The Caribbean nation has already collected 47 total medals, split evenly between 17 gold and 17 silver, with an additional 13 bronze medals.
Trinidad and Tobago holds the second position in the overall rankings with 26 total medals: seven gold, nine silver, and 10 bronze. The Bahamas follows in third with 19 total medals, including six gold, eight silver, and five bronze. Guyana sits in fourth place, having earned five medals (three gold, one silver, one bronze), while Barbados rounds out the top five with nine total medals: two gold, two silver, and five bronze.
For Bernard, Monday’s gold medal marked a personal redemption after underwhelming results in the long jump and triple jump events earlier in the competition. The young athlete, who won the Under-17 high jump gold at the Carifta Games two years ago, matched her 2024 season best clearance of 1.78 meters to take the top spot on the podium. Jah’kyla Morton of the British Virgin Islands took home silver, breaking her country’s national record with a 1.76-meter clearance, while Alexandria Komolafe of Curaçao claimed bronze with a 1.70-meter jump.
Wilmot’s gold medal win was one of the most dramatic moments of the day. Trailing defending champion Zonique Charles of Antigua and Barbuda heading into the final round of the competition, Wilmot threw a new personal best of 46.39 meters, surpassing Charles’ previous leading throw of 46.27 meters to claim first place. Niaviv Matrona earned Curaçao its second bronze medal of the session with a throw of 41.52 meters.
Edwards continued his strong run of individual results at the tournament, adding a silver in the long jump to the silver he earned in the triple jump on Sunday. The Jamaican athlete posted a best jump of 6.71 meters, finishing second behind leader Michal Paul of Trinidad and Tobago, who secured gold with a 6.93-meter jump in the opening round. Randal Monroe of St Lucia took bronze with a 6.60-meter jump.
Beyond the medal events completed on Monday morning, Jamaica also advanced two athletes to the final of each of the three sprint hurdles preliminary competitions held during the session. Macaela Gordon (13.45 seconds) and Tashana Godfrey (13.51 seconds) led qualifying for the girls’ Under-17 sprint hurdles. In the girls’ Under-20 100m hurdles, Tiana Marshall (13.40 seconds) and Akeelah Bell (13.62 seconds) posted the fastest qualifying times to advance. For the boys’ Under-20 110m hurdles, Romario Jibbison (13.76 seconds) and Robert Miller (13.70 seconds) both earned spots in the afternoon final.