Barbados’s standout showing at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Championships has emerged as a defining marker of the small island nation’s rising athletic prowess across the regional competitive landscape. The Caribbean country’s delegation secured a total of 16 medals – three gold, six silver and seven bronze – during the tournament held in Mexico, a result head coach Jamal Grosvenor attributes to months of strategic preparation, unyielding athlete resilience and clutch performance when competition pressure peaked.
Returning to their home soil on Monday, the Under-18 and Under-23 NACAC squads were all smiles as they cleared customs at Grantley Adams International Airport, with photographers capturing the celebratory mood of the group. In comments to reporters following the team’s arrival, Grosvenor outlined the cohesive strategy that drove the squad’s success, noting that the team set a high competitive standard from the opening day of competition, carried that winning momentum through subsequent rounds, and closed out the championship with strong final-day performances.
“We also came away with a lot of personal bests and the focus was really on just keeping prepared, staying sharp and executing to the best of your ability. That really came through from the first day,” Grosvenor said. Four of the team’s medals came in relay events, a outcome Grosvenor says directly reflects the Athletics Association of Barbados’ renewed commitment to investing in relay training and development across all age-group programs. He emphasized that prioritizing relays not only accelerates the overall growth of the sport in Barbados but also gives emerging athletes critical experience competing at high-stakes regional meets.
The coach also extended praise to athletes who narrowly missed out on podium positions but still hit new personal best marks, noting that these breakthrough performances hold equal weight to medal wins for the long-term development of the country’s athletic program. While Grosvenor expressed widespread satisfaction with the overall result, he acknowledged that the team entered the championship with even higher medal ambitions. “We really wanted more medals, to be honest. In the Under-18 4x100m relay we were expecting to even get a national junior record. Unfortunately, there were some mishaps collectively as a team, but sometimes this is the nature of the sport,” he said, adding that the squad maintained excellent team spirit and strong camaraderie throughout the entire tournament despite minor setbacks.
One of the team’s standout gold medalists, US-based college middle-distance runner Layla Haynes, claimed top honors in the Under-23 Women’s 800 meters with a winning time of 2:07.86. “I’m just so happy to be able to represent Barbados at this level and to be able to come home with some hardware; that’s always the goal, so I’m just really happy I was able to execute that,” Haynes said. The runner shared that she plans to wrap up her 2024 competitive season after the NACAC win, marking her first full collegiate racing season that kicked off back in January. “I have pretty big goals over the next couple of years. This might be a really good time to take a little break before getting right back at it, to keep working on those bigger goals,” she explained.
Sprinter Jayden Green, who clocked a wind-assisted 20.17 seconds to take gold in the Under-23 Men’s 200 meters, called the win another key milestone in what has already been an extraordinary season for the young athlete. Green noted that his university training in windy conditions prepared him well for the NACAC meet, saying “It was quite comfortable with the conditions because of where I trained at university, and yeah, my body was good from the time I got there. Even though it was a little windy, I was still grateful that my body could get to that point.” Unlike Haynes, Green’s competitive season is far from over: he is already preparing to compete at the upcoming World Under-20 Championships, where he aims to clock an even faster personal best time.
The team’s breakout star was CARIFTA champion Jayden Walcott, who delivered a record-breaking performance in the Under-18 Boys’ Shot Put, shattering the previous championship record to set a new mark of 21.82 meters. The throw pushed Walcott’s personal best up by nearly a full meter and capped another dominant season for the young athlete, who now ranks as one of the top shot put throwers in his age group globally. “We had a really good competition and to throw almost an entire meter over my PR was really impressive. It’s a huge honor to be a world leader, especially from this side of the region where throws are not that big,” Walcott said.