Jamaica once again asserted its sprinting supremacy on the regional stage, as they copped three of the four 100m gold medals on offer in thrilling fashion at the 52nd Carifta Games at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday evening.
With a reputation built on generations of world-class sprinters, the black, green and gold brigade sent a clear message that the sprint factory is fully operational.
The girls’ Under-20 final took an unexpected twist before the starter’s pistol even fired, when defending champion Sabrina Dockery was disqualified for a false start leaving a golden opportunity for a new champion to emerge.
Enter Shanoya Douglas, the World Under-20 200m bronze medallist, who seized her moment with authority. Blasting out of lane four, Douglas maintained composure and pace through the phases to storm to gold in 11.26 seconds in a slight 0.3 m/s tailwind.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Geolyna Dowdye ran a strong race to secure silver in 11.43s, while Shatalya Dorsett of the Bahamas claimed bronze with 11.45s.
"This reaction is to serve as motivation for my teammates. Our fans are in the stands waiting, and we have to show up and show that we are Jamaicans and we’re always on top. They have to put some respect on our name," Douglas said with fire in her voice.
In the boys’ Under-20 event, it was a story of redemption for Jamal Stephenson. Coming off a rocky experience at Jamaica’s high school championships, where he was wrongfully disqualified, Stephenson was not even initially slated to contest the 100m at Carifta. But when the opportunity arose, he made it count.
Stephenson exploded from lane six and never looked back, clocking a new personal best of 10.24s in a -1.4 m/s headwind, eclipsing his previous best of 10.38s. Dylan Woodruffe closed hard for silver in 10.30s, with Grenada’s Ethan Sam finishing third in 10.41s.
"It’s a learning curve. The strongest soldier gets the hardest fight. All glory to God, thanks to my mother and my support system. I just came out to do my best. This was a very good experience, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to showcase my talent," he said.
Earlier in the evening, Michael Graham ensured Jamaica's sprint sweep began on a high note in the boys’ Under-17 100m final. Calm, composed, and clinical, Graham executed with precision to win in 10.53s.
Tiondre Frett of the British Virgin Islands battled to silver in 10.58s, while Jamaica’s Jaydon Collins grabbed bronze with a time of 10.68s.
"It was good because I executed the race properly. In the semi-final, I don’t know what happened, but I got it right this time. I’m happy," Graham noted.
The one gold that escaped Jamaica’s grasp came in the girls’ Under-17 100m, where St Lucia’s Jady Emanuel stunned the field with a personal best 11.50s to secure her country’s first gold of the meet.
Adora Campbell of Jamaica finished second once again with 11.67s, repeating her silver-medal feat from last year. Brion Ward of the Bahamas clocked 11.78s for bronze.
"I feel amazing and I think people back home are also feeling proud," Emanuel said.