Cejhae Greene

Shafiqua Maloney from St Vincent and the Grenadines and Sean Bailey of Jamaica were also winners at the meet where Antigua’s Cejhae Greene and Jamaica’s Nathon Allen ran season-best times in the 100m and 400m, respectively. Kimberly Williamson also won the high jump in a new personal best performance that makes her the second best Jamaican in the world this year.

The 20-year-old Blake, who along with Oblique Seville, is one of Jamaica’s most promising prospects this year, equalled his previous personal best of 10.08 in the preliminary round to be second fastest heading into the final behind Greene who qualified with a quick 10.06.

However, Blake sped a new lifetime best in the final to finish ahead of the Antiguan, who ran 10.02 for second place. The USA’s Kendall Williams was third in a season-best 10.05.

Maloney clocked a season-best 51.84 to comfortably win the 400m ahead of the USA’s Brittany Aveny (52.22) and Canada’s Kyra Constantine (52.26) who were locked in a hard-fought battle for second place.

Bailey won the men’s race in a season-best 45.18, just edging Jamaican compatriot Allen, who finished in 45.21, also a season’s best time and Bryce Deadmon of the USA, who was third in 45.23.

In the 400m hurdles for women, Andrenette Knight became the fastest Jamaican in the world this year, clocking a personal best of 53.39 but finished second to World Champion and world-record holder Sydney McLaughlin, who blazed a new world lead of 51.61.

Gianna Woodruff of Panama was third in 54.63.

In action in the field, Williamson cleared a massive new personal best of 1.93m to win the high jump. The former Edwin Allen and Kansas State jumper was three centimetres better than the USA pair of Rachel McCoy (1.90m) and Jelena Moore (1.85m), who were second and third, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Lloydricia Cameron threw a season-best 18.01m for a second place finish in the shot put that was won by Jessica Ramsey with her best throw of 18.26m.

Haley Teel of the USA (17.31) and Portious Warren of Trinidad and Tobago (17.23), were third and fourth, respectively.

 In their inaugural appearance, Antigua and Barbuda sent 10 athletes who competed in 11 events across two main disciplines. Calvin Greenaway, Conrad Mainwaring, Cuthbert Jacobs, Elroy Turner, Everton Cornelius, Fred Sowerby, Maxwell Peters, and Paul Richards represented the country in athletics, while Donald Christian and Patrick Spencer competed in cycling.

 One of the most renowned Olympic athletes from Antigua and Barbuda is Brendan Christian, who reached the semi-finals of the 200mm at both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. Another notable athlete, Daniel Bailey, made it to the 100m semi-finals in London 2012 and repeated this feat at the 2016 Rio Olympics, alongside teammate Cejhae Greene.

 As the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches, Antigua and Barbuda have announced a team of five athletes to represent them. This team, consisting of seasoned athletes and promising newcomers, will compete across various disciplines. Joella Lloyd has made history by setting a national record and qualifying for the women's 100m event, becoming only the second female athlete from Antigua and Barbuda to reach Olympic qualifying standards. Cejhae Greene will compete in the men's 100m. Sailor Tiger Tyson will participate in the kiteboarding event. In the pool, newcomers Jadon Wuilliez and 14-year-old Ellie Shaw will compete in the men's and women's 100m breaststroke events, respectively.

 The athletes will be supported by a group of officials and coaches, including Chef de Mission Joel Rayne and team manager Thomas Greenaway. While Antigua and Barbuda have not yet won an Olympic medal, this year’s games present an opportunity for the twin island nation to make history and showcase their talents on the global stage.

 The 2024 Paris Olympics could mark a turning point for Antigua and Barbuda, as their athletes aim to make their mark and bring home the nation’s first Olympic medal. With a mix of experienced competitors and fresh talent, the team is poised to make a strong showing and inspire future generations of Antiguan and Barbudan athletes.

Joella Lloyd was also selected but will but participate because of injury, the Antigua and Barbuda Athletics Association said. All three athletes were selected based on their regional and world rankings.

The 27-year-old Greene holds the 100m games record of 10.00 set in Barranquilla in 2018. Skerritt will compete in the 200m and has a lifetime best of 21.08 from August 2022.

His 2023 season-best time is 21.18 run at Kingston’s national stadium in June.

Lloyd, who was selected for both 100m and 200m, misses out because of a long-term injury that has affected her all season. She last competed in February when she ran 23.43 to finish third in the 200m at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.

Greene, 28, who represented his country at the 2016 and 2020 Games in Rio and Tokyo respectively, has qualified for this summer's Paris Olympic Games scheduled for July 26 to August 11.

He achieved the feat when he placed second behind American Kendal Williams who registered a world leading time of 9.93 seconds. Greene's time of 10.00s, is the fourth fastest time this year, as he copped silver ahead of Puerto Rico's Eloy Benitez, who clocked a time of 10.04 seconds.

The Antiguan had previously clocked 10.16 seconds in the preliminary round.

Dominican triple jumper Thea Lafond was among the first to share her arrival in Paris. In an Instagram post captioned "We Made It," she stands proudly with her husband and coach in front of a Paris 2024 banner, capturing the excitement of reaching this milestone. Her coach and husband, Aaron Gadson, has been documenting their stay in Paris on his Instagram page, showcasing their arrival, the layout of the Olympic Village, and various facilities, including the training center, cafeteria, and entertainment center.

Team Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also in Paris ahead of the games. The SVG Olympic Committee shared images on Instagram of their team, which includes swimmers Alexander Joachim and Kennice Greene, poolside and in training for the Olympics. Joachim and Greene are set to compete in the 50m freestyle events. Track and field athletes Shafiqua Maloney and Handal Roban, competing in the women's and men's 800m events respectively, have also been spotted training on the track.

 Jamaica's athletes have started to arrive in Paris as well. Navasky Anderson, who will run in the 800m, posted on Instagram about his arrival and shared videos from the Olympic Village, showing his teammates in high spirits. Jaydon Hibbert, set to compete in the men's triple jump, detailed his journey to Paris in a vlog on his X and Instagram accounts, capturing the excitement of arriving with teammates and settling into the Olympic Village.

Long jumper Chanice Porter took to Instagram to share photos of herself and other athletes in Paris. She reposted a photo with Cejhae Green, an Antiguan and Barbudan sprinter competing in the men's 100m. In an Instagram story, Porter can be seen sitting in the Olympic rings beside teammate Jehlani Gordon, who will compete in the 4x100m relay.

 Barbadian athlete Sada Williams, who will compete in the women’s 400m, announced her arrival in Paris with a picture captioned "Paris, I've arrived!" on Instagram, adding to the growing excitement among fans.

 Fans have been flooding the athletes' posts with positive comments, offering words of encouragement and praise. The vibrant social media updates have not only provided a behind-the-scenes look at the Olympic preparations but have also heightened the anticipation and excitement for the upcoming games.

 As more Caribbean athletes continue to arrive in Paris, their enthusiasm and high spirits are palpable. They are eager to represent their countries and showcase their talents on the world stage, bringing pride to their nations and inspiring fans back home.

He did say, however, that he intends to go a bit faster over the course of the season as the Olympic Games draw nearer.

Also at the meet held at the Tropical Park Stadium, Jamaica’s Akeem Bloomfield and Natalliah Whyte, Greene’s MVP International training partners, enjoyed impressive wins over 200m.

The 25-year-old Greene was second in his preliminary round heat in 10.27 behind the USA’s World Championship 400m medalist, Fred Kerley, who won in 10.15. However, he managed to turn the tables on his more celebrated American rival in the final, winning in 10.01.

Kerley was second in 10.11, the third-fastest time in the world this year, while Jeremy Bascomb was third in 10.51.

Greene said the time came as a bit of a shock.

“I was surprised to see 10.01 show up on the clock but coach been saying I am in good shape, I have been training well so once I executed a good race I should run fairly fast, but in my head, fairly fast meant 10.1/10.2, so it just shows that if you listen to your coach and do what you have been doing in practice you should be fine,” said Greene, who ran with a trailing wind of 1.2m/s.

He revealed that having Fred Kerley in the race also played its part in his fast season-opener that bumped China’s Bingtian Su’s 10.05 that was run earlier Saturday, from the top spot.

“Fred’s presence made me have to focus a little bit more because we all know Fred is fast so it kind of forced me to compete at a higher level,” Greene said.

“Fred’s presence really changed the game because I knew I had to execute a really good race because Fred is fast and he is strong, he is one of the best 400m athletes in the world so I know I had to execute the start very well to win the race.”

Realistically, it should not have been that much of a surprise for the 2016 Olympian given how well he says he has been training at MVP International’s base camp in Florida. He said the competitive nature of training has helped him bring out his best.

“My training group definitely helped me push a little harder this year. Being alongside Akeem Bloomfield, Nathon Allen and Teray Smith each day at practice, it gets really competitive and we push each other and we go at it. Every day is like a race so I think that really helped me to push myself to be in a lot better shape this early,” he said while revealing that he intends to dip below 10 seconds in time for the Olympic Games this summer.

“The goal is to go sub-10 and once we keep healthy and keep listening to the coach and keep executing races, getting race sharp, that should happen. So my goal is to keep improving each week in practice, stay healthy and go on to the Olympics and do great things.”

He said he is likely to race next in Clermont on April 4, where he could be running the 200m.

“I want to improve my 200 times. I know once I can improve over the 200m it should translate pretty good into the 100 so I’ll probably give it a shot down there.”

Bloomfield was also impressive at the meet seemingly exerting relatively little effort in winning the 200m in 20.75 over Teray Smith (20.90) and Zaza Wellington (21.05), respectively.

In the women’s event, Whyte, a sprint relay gold medalist at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, was the fastest Jamaican in the world with her winning time of 22.88.

In the time trial, Angela Tenorio was second-best in 23.06 while Ashley Kelly was third in 24.18.

Williams, who missed out on individual representation at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, clocked 12.64 to win the 100m hurdles. Sharika Nelvis of the United States finished second in 12.81 while Evonne Britton third in 12.96.

Earlier, Trinidad’s Cedenio was a comfortable winner in the 400m clocking a modest 45.98. Khallifah Rosser crossed the finish line in second place, stopping the clock in 46.35. Javon Francis, who has suffered a raft of injuries in the past few years was a distant third in 47.84.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Greene ran close to his season-best time of 10.00 while finishing third in the 100m won by Marvin Bracy in a fast 9.85. Jerome Blake was second in 10.06 just ahead of Greene’s 10.08.

Jevaughn Minzie, who was fifth in the 100m in 10.15, was on the podium in the 200m after he clocked 20.41 for a second-place finish behind Kyrie King, who won in 20.15. Devon Allen was third in 20.57.

Tynia Gaither of the Bahamas was third in the women’s race won by Dezereah Bryant in 22.78. Brittany Brown was second in 23.05 while Gaither clocked 23.33.

There was another third-place finish for a Caribbean athlete in the Women's 400m that was won by Shamier Little in 50.65 over Jessica Beard, who clocked 50.85. Anastasia LeRoy, who has struggled for form this season, was not even in the same zip code as she was a distant third in 54.15.

Thompson-Herah’s time was the second-fastest in the world this season. Only the USA’s Sha’ Carri Richardson has run faster with her time of 10.72 at the Miramar South Florida Invitational last month.

It was a Jamaica 1-2-3 in the race as Natalliah Whyte clocked 11.08 for second place with Ashanti Moore third in 11.10.

The men’s 100m was won by Antigua’s Cejhae Greene who ran 10.02 to win ahead of Jamaica’s Yohan Blake who was given the same time. Incidentally, both men ran the same time, 9.98s, the preliminaries. The times were run with a trailing wind of 2.7m/s.

The wind in the final was 2.1m/s also over the allowable limit.

Devin Quinn was third in 10.03.

Nickel Ashmeade, making comeback after a couple of years out after undergoing groin surgery, was seventh in 10.11.

Meanwhile, the Women’s 200m race was won by Shawnti Jackson in 23.15s. Natasha Morrison, fresh off her personal best 10.87 in the 100m last weekend, was second in 23.21. Kristina Knott was third in 23.31.

Nathon Allen ran 46.85 for second in the 400m won by Michael Mathieu in 46.80. Musa Isah was third in 46.94.

In the women’s equivalent, Shericka Jackson was a comfortable winner in 52.01 over Kaylin Whitney 52.29. Tiffany James clocked 52.67 for third with Christine Day fourth in 53.57.

Janieve Russell won the 400m hurdles in 56.02.

Gayle, the 2019 World Champion, jumped a world-leading 8.27m to win the long-jump competition in which five jumpers went beyond eight metres. However, those who won medals were Holland Martin of the Bahamas who jumped 8.15m for second place while Damacus Simpson finished third with his best jump of 8.05m.

Meanwhile, Thomas-Dodd was a class above the rest winning the shot put with a mark of 19.17m, the third-best in the world this year. She was almost half-metre better than second-placed Magdalyn Ewen of the USA, who managed 18.69m for second place.

Ewen’s compatriot Jessica Ramsay finished among the medals with her best throw of 18.61m.

Three-time NCAA champion Jamaica’s Natoya Goule was among the best Caribbean performers, the Jamaican finishing second in the 800m after leading the race for about 750m before she was passed by her US rival Ajee Wilson who crossed first in 2:00.57.  Goule’s clocked 2:00.92. Allie Wilson was third in 2:02.58.

In the men’s equivalent Jamaica’s Rahjay Hamilton, came out the worst in a three-way battle down the home stretch, finishing third in 1:48.32. Meanwhile, USA’s Kameron Jones, who led for most of the race was pipped at the line by Abe Alvarado who took the win in 1:47.29, three-hundredths of a second ahead of Jones, who clocked 1:47.32.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Cejhae Green ran a season-best 10.00 to finish third in the 100m won by Kyrie King in 9.97, just ahead of veteran Justin Gatlin, who ran 9.98.

Stephenie-Ann McPherson ran 51.09 for fourth and Chrisann Gordon-Powell 51.39 for sixth in the hotly contested 400m won by 400m hurdler Shamier Little in a lifetime best of 49.91, just holding off Quanera Haynes who was timed in 49.92.

Kendall Ellis made it a 1-2-3 finish for the USA as she was third in 50.48.

Thompson-Herah the Olympic 200m champion and Briana Williams, the 2018 World U20 200m champion, were fourth and sixth in 22.44 and 22.93, respectively in the half-lap sprint won by the USA’s Jenna Prandini in 22.29.

Bahrain’s Brittany Brown was second 22.39 with Candice Hill of the USA not far behind in 22.43.

The meet ended on a sad note for Jamaica’s Akeem Bloomfield, who fell to the track in the men’s 200m and did not finish. There was no official word on what was the nature of his injury in the race won by Kenny Bednarek in a windy 19.65. The race was run with a trailing wind of 4m/s, twice the allowable limit.

Emmanuel Matadi finished second in 20.20 while EJ Floreal was third in 20.41.

Antigua's Greene ran 10.23 to win the 100m, equaling his season’s best done a week earlier at the NACAC New Life Invitational in Freeport. Italy’s Diego Pettorossi was second in 10.28 while Miciah Harris was third in 10.29.

The men's 200m was won by Trinidadian Puma representative Eric Harrison in 20.55 ahead of Harris (20.56) and Jae'len Means (20.93).

Anderson, who is American-born but representing Jamaica, won the women’s equivalent in 23.37 ahead of Madeline Price (23.91) and Caira Pettway (24.00).

British-born Jamaica representative Adelle Tracey ran 2:02.03 for second in the women’s 800m behind American Ajee Wilson (2:01.28) while Allie Wilson ran 2:02.46 for third.

Olympic champion Rai Benjamin is tapping into his Antiguan roots to prepare for the upcoming 2025 Track and Field season.

The American 2024 Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist and son of former West Indies fast bowler Winston Benjamin is currently training at the Yasco Sports Complex in St. John’s Antigua & Barbuda as part of a week-long camp under the guidance of coach Joanna Hayes, a 2004 Olympic champion in the sprint hurdles.

Gardiner, who is making a return after missing the 2022 World Championships in Oregon with an inflamed tendon, will run the 200m against a line-up that includes Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Botswana’s World U20 100m champion Letsile Tebogo.

The USA’s Kenny Bednarek will also compete in the half-lap sprint that is expected to be electric.

Meanwhile, Jackson, the reigning world 200m women’s champion, will take on a crack field in what will be her third 400m run for the season. She will line up against fellow Jamaicans, the Olympic finalist Stephenie-Ann McPherson, Janieve Russell and Charokee Young as well as American 400m hurdler Shamier Little and Aliya Adams.

World championships finalist Oblique Seville is among 22 sprinters listed for the 100m. The Jamaican prospect will take on compatriots Ackeem Blake, Andrew Hudson, Raheem Chambers, Oshane Bailey, and Michael Campbell for a lane in the finals.

Cejhae Green of Antigua and Barbuda, Ian Kerr of the Bahamas and Eric Harrison Jr of Trinidad and Tobago will also be aiming to make it into the finals. American veteran Mike Rodgers and current star Ronnie Baker will also be in contention.

Among the women, Briana Williams returns to her former training ground, hoping to make up for her poor performance over 200m at the recent Velocity Fest meet at the national stadium in Kingston. However, she will have her work cut out for her as she runs her first 100m this season.

A crack field has been assembled that includes the mercurial American Sha’Carri Richardson, compatriots Twanisha Terry, Teahna Daniels, Cambrea Sturgis, Melissa Jefferson and Javianne Oliver as well as Jamaicans Natasha Morrison, Jonielle Smith, Shockoria Wallace and Kashieka Cameron.

The 200m dash for women also promises to be intriguing with the likes of Caribbean stars World Championship 400m bronze medallist Sada Williams lining up against Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas and Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte.

The race will also include the supremely talented Abby Steiner, Tamari Davis and Kyra Jefferson.

Machel Cedenio lines up in the 400m against Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald and Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas. They will represent Caribbean pride as they do battle with the USA’s Michael Cherry and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith.

Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines will take up the USA’s Ajee Wilson over 800m while Rajay Hamilton goes in the men’s equivalent against Puerto Rico’s Ryan Sanchez.

BVI’s Kyron McMaster will take on Marvin Williams of Jamaica and Andre Colebrook of the Bahamas over the 400m hurdles while Orlando Bennett, Damion Thomas of Jamaica and Shane Brathwaite of Barbados will challenge the might of American Daniel Roberts in the 110m hurdles.

Amoi Brown of Jamaica faces a tough field of Tonea Marshall, Anna Cockrell and Gabby Cunningham in the 100m hurdles that also features Haitian talent Mulern Jean.

In the field events, the long jump for both men and women should provide solid entertainment as 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle, who has been gradually making a return from a long-term knee injury has been included in a field that also has LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas and Andwuelle Wright of Trinidad and Tobago.

They will have their hands full facing Japan’s Shoutarou Shiroyama.

The women’s event promises to be an evenly matched affair as Jamaica’s Chanice Porter and Barbados’ Akela Jones will match skills against the USA’s Tiffany Flynn and Taliyah Brooks.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron will be aiming for podium spots in the shot put as they take on the likes of Adelaide Aquilla and Khayla Dawson of the USA.