Jamaica’s athletes swept the girls’ and boys’ Under-17 400m races, with the Under-20 events going to Guyana, as action continued on the opening day of the 51^st Carifta Games at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium in Grenada on Saturday.

Nastassia Fletcher of Jamaica finished tops in the girls’ Under-17 event, as compatriot Nickecoy Bramwell topped the boy’s Under-17 event in a championship record, while the impressive Guyanese duo of Tianna Springer and Malachi Austin were a cut above rivals in the Under-20 events.

Fletcher started the series with a tidy 54.32s-clocking to win the girls’ Under-17 event ahead of the fast-finishing Keyezra Thomas (54.59s) of Bahamas, with Antigua and Barbuda’s Tyra Fenton (54.89s) finishing third.

Bramwell then followed suit, as he successfully defended his boys’ Under-17 title. The smooth striding athlete had the field beaten from 200m out, but pushed himself to stop the clock in 47.27s, which lowered Usain Bolt’s 47.33s Championship Record set in 2002.

Kemron Mathlyn (47.96s) of Grenda and Eagan Neely (48.16s) of the Bahamas were the runners-up.

Meanwhile, Springer the Under-17 champion from last year, produced a breathtaking performance to top the girls’ Under-20 final in personal best 52.31s. She closed well to better the Jamaican pair of Abigail Campbell (52.85s) and Shaquane Williams (53.03s).

Austin, a Commonwealth Youth Games silver medallist, then brought the curtains down on the series, as he also produced a late charge to win in a new personal best 46.35s. He denied Jamaica’s Marcinho Rose (46.59s), with Joshiem Sylvester (46.93s) of Grenada in third.

The Carifta Games can be seen live on SportsMax and the SportsMax App.

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has named a 23-member team for the 51st edition of the Carifta Games scheduled for March 30 to April 1, in Grenada.

Headlining the team are, Tianna Springer and Javon Roberts, along with Nerissa McPherson, Attoya Harvey, Malachi Austin, all of whom bring valuable experience to the team having enjoyed success at previous stagings of the Games. The likes of Sahel Cornett, Charisa December, Nalicia Glen, Rondell Green, Jamal Sullivan, Robert Marcus and Dhanielson Gill, who will compete in Under-20 category, are also expected to represent the Golden Arrowhead well.

Meanwhile, the Under-17 unit consist of Athaleyha Hinckson, Duel Europe, Skylar Charles, Kaidon Persaud, Ezikeil Millington, Easter Mc Kinnon, Ryan Joseph, Akilla Blucher, Keneta Fraser, Marissa Thomas and Nathaniel Samaroo.

The selection process involved a rigorous three-day trial recently, where 19 members were initially selected, 11 of which gained selection through qualifying process. The other four members were eventually shortlisted after several meetings, to complete the final squad. The AAG has high expectation that this team will make its mark at the three-day Easter Weekend meet.

Thelson Williams (Manager), Akeem Stewart (Physiotherapist), Wayne Pantlitz (male coach), Trishel Thompson (female coach), will accompany the team.

NB: The Carifta Games will be live on SportsMax and the SportsMax App. 

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana brought the curtains down on the Commonwealth Youth Games in fine style, with the latter establishing one of three new records on Thursday’s final day of the six-day spectacle in Trinidad and Tobago.

While the twin island republic won a few medals to improve their tally and finished seventh on the medal table as the highest ranked Caribbean nation, Guyana’s record-breaking feat, handed them a second gold medal which saw them end 11th on the standing.

Trinidad’s 15 medals, includes four gold, five silver and six bronze, with Guyana tallying two gold, one silver and one bronze. Cayman Islands was 10th with two gold, one silver and three bronze, while Jamaica, which had no competitor on the final day, placed 13th with their two gold and two bronze.

The Guyanese team of Malachi Austin, Narissa McPherson, Javon Roberts and Tianna Springer Guyana topped the 4X400m Mixed Relay in 3:22.07. That bettered the previous Commonwealth Youth Games Record of 3:25.08, set by Australia in 2017.

They won ahead of England (3:22.29s) and Australia (3:26.23).

It was a Nigeria one-two in the women’s 200m final where Faith Okwose (23.36s), bettered her compatriot Justina Eyakpobeyan (23.47s), with Antigua and Barbuda’s La’nica Locker (23.56s), taking bronze.

Nigeria also topped the men’s event courtesy of Samuel Uchenna Ogazi, who stopped the clock in 21.22s, some way ahead of Scotland’s Dean Patterson (21.45s) and England’s Rusciano Thomas-Riley (21.59s).

The West African country also had success in the 4X100m Mixed Relay, as the team comprising Okwose, Eyakpobeyan and Ogazi, won in a Commonwealth Youth Games Record of 42.68s. They lowered the previous best of 43.19s set by Australia in 2017.

England (42.71s) and Trinidad and Tobago (42.77s), were second and third, with Jamaica (42.95s), just missing out on a medal.

Phoebe Gill of England clocked a new Commonwealth Youth Games Record of 2:02.30 in winning the women’s 800m final. She lowered the previous mark of 2:04.23 set by South Africa’s Caster Semenya in 2008.

India’s Asha Kiran Barla (2:04.99) and Fleur Cooper (2:05.86) of Australia, were second and third, respectively.

Kenya’s Kelvin Koech won the men’s event in 1:50.14, ahead of Miles Waterworth (1:52.21) of England and Caleb McLeod (1:52.83) of Scotland. Keeran Sriskandarajah (1:59.89) of Trinidad and Tobago, finished eighth.

Australia’s Toby Stolberg (1.78m) and Izobelle Louison-Roe (1.75m) placed first and third in the women’s high jump final, separated by England’s Thea Brown, who also cleared 1.78m, but had to settle for silver on the count back.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Keneisha Shelbourne (1.70m) was fifth and Mikayla Gumbs (1.60) of St Kitts and Nevis, seventh, while and Jah’kyla Morton of British Virgin Islands, failed to register a mark.

The men’s javelin throw was won by South Africa’s Willem Jansen, who was a cut above rivals with a mark of 79.85m. England’s Tom Rutter (67.54m) and India’s Arjun Arjun (65.94m) took the next two medals, as Grenada’s Rayvohn Telesford (65.65m), just missed the podium.

In Para- Athletics action, Australia’s Jackson Love (4.86m) and Ori Drabkin (4.62m) finished first and second in the men’s T-38 long jump, with William Bishop (4.44m) of Wales, in third.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s Makaira Wallace, added two medals to her country’s tally and Syndel Samaroo, added another, at the National Cycling Velodrome.

Wallace won bronze in the women’s 500m Time Trial, after she clocked 36.791. She finished behind Australia’s Liliya Tatarinoff (36.023) and Sarah Johnson (36.214) of Scotland.

The positions were reversed in the women’s Keirin, with Wallace (12.309), placing second behind Johnson (11.969), while Tatarinoff (12.367), finishing third on that occasion.

Samaroo was third in the men’s Keirin. He clocked 11.620 behind Australia’s Tayte Ryan (11.392) and Darwish Muhd Sanusi (11.462) of Malaysia. Another Trinidadian Raul Garcia was fourth.

Earlier, New Zealand topped both the men’s and women’s beach volleyball competition at the Black Rock Facility. The team of Tineke Hinton and Kiana Stevenson defeated Kenya 2-0, while the men’s team of Calum Stewart and Juraj Krajci, were 2-1 winners over Cyprus.

Canada took bronze in both sections with identical 2-0 victories over Australia and England, respectively.

In Fast5 netball, Trinidad and Tobago finished seventh after bettering St Vincent and the Grenadines 25-13. Australia won gold with a 39-29 win over South Africa, while England took bronze by defeating Scotland 34-29, as the Shaw Park complex.

Jamaica’s Alana Reid and the Cayman Islands’ Davonte Howell won the respective Under-20 Girls and Boys 100m titles on day one of the 50^th edition of the CARIFTA Games at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas.

Reid, who ran a spectacular National Junior Record 10.92 to win gold in the Class 1 Girls 100m at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships last week, easily took home gold in 11.17 ahead of teammate Alexis James who ran 11.53 for second and Trinidad & Tobago’s Sanaa Frederick who ran 11.65 in third.

The Boys final did not have the same excitement due to the absences of Jamaica’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, who suffered an injury in the prelims, and De Andre Daley, who was disqualified in his semi-final due to a false start.

Nevertheless, Howell produced an excellent 10.30 for gold ahead of the Bahamian pair Carlos Brown (10.38) and Adam Musgrove (10.44). Brown and Musgrove both ran personal bests.

The Under-17 Girls final was won by the Bahamas’ Jamiah Nabbie in 11.67 ahead of St. Lucia’s Naomi London (11.72) and Trinidad & Tobago’s Alexxe Henry (11.81).

Jamaica’s Tramaine Todd took home gold in the Boy’s equivalent in 10.52 ahead of the Bahamas’ Ishmael Rolle (10.62) and Grenada’s Ethan Sam (10.71).

Moving on to the 400m, Jamaica secured the top to spots on the podium in the Under-20 Boys through Jasauna Dennis (46.43) and Delano Kennedy (46.50) while St. Vincent & the Grenadines’ Amal Glasgow took bronze in 47.18.

Jamaica also took gold in the Girls Under-20 final through Rickiann Russell (51.84). Bahamas took silver and bronze through Javonya Valcourt (52.12) and Lacarthea Cooper (53.12).

Nickecoy Bramwell made it three 400m gold medals out of four for Jamaica by winning the Boys Under-17 final in 47.86 ahead of St. Kitts & Nevis’ Jaylen Bennett (48.59) and the Bahamas’ Andrew Brown (48.68).

Guyana’s Tianna Springer took gold in the Girls Under-17 final in 54.32 ahead of Jamaica’s Jody-Ann Daley (54.81) and St. Kitts & Nevis’ De’Cheynelle Thomas (55.46).

In the field, Trinidad & Tobago’s Immani Matthew took gold in the Boys Under-17 long jump with 7.13m ahead of Barbados’ Aaron Massiah (6.49m) and Cayman’s Junior Anthony Chin (6.48m).

Jamaica took the top two spots in the Boys Under-20 discus through Kobe Lawrence (60.27m) and Shaiquan Dunn (57.28m). Antwon Walkin of the Turks & Caicos Islands was third with 52.25m.

Jamaican World Junior Champion Brandon Pottinger teammate Chavez Penn shared gold in the Boys Under-20 high jump with clearances of 2.00m while Trinidad & Tobago’s Jaidi James took bronze with 1.95m.