Jamaica win 32 straight CARIFTA Games title

The Jamaicans picked up another 31 medals on the final day to equal their 2015 tally of 86 medals.

Jamaica’s medal count comprises 42 gold, 28 silver and 16 bronze, well ahead of second place Bahamas with six gold, 16 silver and 13 bronze for a total of 34.

Barbados finished third with six gold, six silver and eight bronze for a total of 20.

Jamaica closed the championships in a blaze of glory by winning all the gold medals in the 4×400-metre relays.

The previous day, Jamaica swept the sprint relay finals.

The  quartet of Jauvaney James, Timor Barrett, Nathan Brown and Akeem Bloomfield won the final gold medal of the championships.

The Jamaicans completed the Boys’ Under-20 4×400-metre relay in 3:10.55 to easily beat the Bahamas (3:12.99) and Barbados (3:19.63).

In the girls’ equivalent, the quartet of Satanya Wright, Semoy Hemmings, Junelle Bromfield and Tiffany James outclassed the field to win the gold medal in 3:34.84.

The Bahamas clocked 3:48.06 for silver, while hosts Grenada took the bronze in 4:11.10.

In the Under-18 section, Jamaica also secured easy victories for the gold medals.

The quartet of Shanoi Powell, Shiann Salmon, Stacey-Ann Williams and Sanique Walker clocked 3:39.31 for the gold in the Girls’ Under-18 4×400-metre relay. The Bahamas (3:43.08) and the British Virgin Islands (3:47.43) took silver and bronze respectively.

And in the Boys’ Under-18 4×400-metre relay final, Jamaica’s team of Dashinelle Dyer, Anthony Cox, Jhevaughn Matherson and Christopher Taylor clocked 3:12.54 for the gold medal.

Barbados clocked 3:13.16 for silver, while the bronze went to Trinidad and Tobago, who completed the trip in 3:15.33.

Jamaica also won all the gold medals in the hurdles.

Dasazay Freeman (13:44) won the Girls’ Under-18 100-metre hurdles while her teammate Joda Campbell (13.78) took the bronze; Rushelle Burton (13.36) led home a Jamaica one-two finish in the Girls’ Under-20 100-metre hurdles; Damion Thomas (13.32) took the Boys’ Under-18 110-metre hurdles and Rohan Cole (13.71) won the Boys’ Under-20 110-metre hurdles.

Earlier, Jamaica won two gold medals in the 200-metre finals courtesy of the Under-18 teams.

Shaniel English led home a one-two finish for Jamaica in the Girls’ Under-18 200-metre final.

English clocked 23.65 seconds to win the gold medal, while Britany Anderson finished second for the silver medal in 23.74 seconds.

Devine Parker of the Bahamas finished third for the bronze in 23.86.

Michael Stephens won the gold medal for Jamaica in the Boys’ Under-18 200-metre final. He won the event in 21.43 seconds. Trinidadian Tyrell Edwards took silver in 21.56, while the bronze went to Barbadian Matthew Clarke in 21.75 seconds.

Jamaica also accounted for two meet records on the final day.

Warren Barrett claimed the first meet when by winning the Boys’ Under-20 shot put final with a throw of 19.97 metres. That effort erased the previous record of 19.47 metres set  in 2011 in Jamaica by Ashinia Miller, also of Jamaica.

Jamaica’s other meet record came in the Boys’ Under-18 discus throw final where Jamaica won gold and silver.

Phillipe Barnett claimed the gold medal with an effort of 60.44 metres to erase the previous record of 54.41 metres set in 2014 in Martinique by Vashon Mc Carty, also of Jamaica.

Roja Stona also erased the previous mark with an effort of 55.30 metres for the silver meda