The CARIFTA Games, the Caribbean’s premier regional junior track and field competition, wrapped its 2024 edition with a historic final-day surge from Team Barbados that secured the nation its strongest result in eight years. Holding the highest medal total and placing fourth overall in the standings, Barbados amassed 17 total medals – six gold, three silver, and eight bronze – matching its 2016 medal haul when the Games were last hosted in St George’s, Grenada. The event’s crowning moment for the island nation came in the Under-20 Boys’ 4x400m relay, where the Barbadian quartet broke a 11-year-old meet record to claim the final gold medal of the competition.
After a slow start to the final competition day, the gold streak kicked off with Jayden Walcott’s unexpected shot put victory. Competing in his first ever Under-20 Boys’ Shot Put event amid intermittent rain showers, the tall Combermere School athlete threw 18.41 meters to take top place. Even his second-best effort would have outperformed Jamaica’s reigning discus champion Joseph Salmon, who took silver in the event.
Middle-distance runner Ashlyn Simmons continued Barbados’ winning momentum, claiming her second gold medal of the Games. The 17-year-old Alexandra School student had already secured the Under-20 1500m title earlier in the Easter weekend, having won the Under-17 1500m division three years prior. She crossed the finish line of the Under-20 800m in 2:09.07 to add a second gold to her personal haul, with teammate Danya Skeete following close behind to take silver in 2:10.50.
The McIntyre family earned its second medal of the Games when 17-year-old Luke McIntyre of Harrison College took bronze in the Under-20 Boys’ 5000m. Spurred on by cheers from traveling Barbadian fans along the final straight, McIntyre clocked a personal best of 15:42.51, just days after his sister won silver in the Girls’ Open 3000m event.
Barbadian relay teams delivered consistent podium results across age divisions on the final day. In the Under-17 Boys’ 4x400m, anchor runner Jalino Hamlett pulled off a dramatic late pass of Trinidad & Tobago’s Michal Paul on the final stretch, guiding teammates Khalil Bryan, Taje Coward, and Jakio Devonish to a bronze medal finish in 3:19.90. The Under-20 Women’s 4x400m relay team matched that result, with 400m silver medallist Kadia Rock splitting a blistering 51.20-second final leg after a strong setup from Kanedra Morgan, Ashlyn Simmons, and Danya Skeete to edge out Trinidad & Tobago and secure bronze in 3:40.68. Aaron Massiah added one more bronze before the final event, clearing 15.26m in the Under-20 Boys’ triple jump.
Indisputably, the standout performance of the Games for Barbados was the victory in the Under-20 Boys’ 4x400m relay. The four-person team of Nadal Seale, Aidan Moore, Jahkye Brewster, and Shamari Greenige-Lewis clocked a winning time of 3:05.49, breaking the previous Games record that had stood untouched since 2013. This gold capped off a historic medal haul for Barbados, matching the six golds the nation won at the 2016 CARIFTA Games hosted in Grenada, and pushing the total medal count to 17 – also the highest since that 2016 competition.
Team Barbados has earned double-digit medals at seven of the last eight editions of the CARIFTA Games, but officials and fans alike have called this 2024 performance the strongest in recent memory. Looking ahead, Barbados has formally expressed interest in hosting the 2028 CARIFTA Games at a newly renovated national stadium. No official decision has been announced regarding the host of the 2027 Games, but the Barbadian team has made clear its goal to carry the momentum from this 2024 performance into future competitions.