With the 52nd edition of the CARIFTA Games set to begin on Saturday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas’ 78-member team is brimming with confidence as they set their sights on ending Jamaica’s decades-long dominance at the regional junior athletics championships.

Among the athletes leading the charge is Zion Miller, who in early April won the Bahamas CARIFTA Trials in the Under-20 400m with a time of 46.79 seconds. Miller, part of what he describes as one of the fastest Bahamian teams he’s ever been around, believes the squad is both physically and mentally ready for the three-day battle ahead.

“Yeah, it's feeling great — especially mentally,” Miller told Bahamas media. “Physically, everyone’s ready, prepared to go to war over those big three days. This is one of the fastest squads I’ve ever been a part of in my track career, so everyone’s coming to get that gold for us.”

Jump specialist Joshua Williams, who captured both the long jump and high jump titles at last year’s Games in Grenada with marks of 7.03m and 2.00m respectively, is aiming for another double in Trinidad. His preparation, he says, has gone well, and the mindset is to leave it all on the field.

"You know, we just go out there to do our best,” Williams said. “My ambition is to medal again — hopefully win again, double again, and come out with the goods. I feel good right now, getting my jump together — high jump and long jump. Just trying to put it all together for the competition on Sunday."

The Bahamas has assembled one of its strongest teams in years as it looks to challenge the supremacy of Jamaica, who have not relinquished the overall CARIFTA title since the Bahamians last triumphed in 1984. With athletes like Miller, Williams, and several others in medal-winning form, the Bahamian contingent is hoping this could be the year the balance of power shifts.