AS fans bask in the afterglow of another scintillating display by our young Caribbean athletes at the 39th Carifta Games in the Cayman Islands last week, a critical reflection from a Jamaican perspective is appropriate.

But before that, it is perhaps prudent to say, even as the world prepares to descend on Moncton, Canada, for the 13th World Junior Championships in July, that if last weekend was anything to go by, the Caribbean will be favourably represented at the meet.

Considering Jamaica’s depth, the final medal count at Carifta was not surprising, as was emphasised by head coach David Riley, who sought to dispel the spiralling notion that the other islands were catching up with the perennial powerhouse of regional and world sprinting.

A defiant Riley went further, declaring that conversely, he was disappointed with the comparative performances of the athletes from the other islands — this against the background of his team landing only three or so gold medals out of a possible eight in the 100 and 200 metres — and that essentially, Jamaica were positioned to dominate at this level in the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, I find it difficult to share all of Riley’s optimism or opinions regarding what unfolded at the three-day meet, even from the safe haven of television land.

In contrast, what I saw was Jamaica, apart from triumphing on the basis of team depth, strugggling to land medals in events that were previously a cinch, like the 400, 800 metres and the shorter sprints.

Again, I was awed by the high-quality display from a few athletes from the other islands, notwithstanding the splendid performances from Kemoy Campbell, Natoya Goule, Chad Wright, Odean Skeen, Shericka Jackson, Gleneive Grange, Chadrick Dacosta, Samantha Elliott, Frederic Dacosta, and a few others who donned the Jamaica colours.

In fact, I pondered the whereabouts of the other vaunted stars from Boys’ and Girls’ Champs as the valiant search for dominance in the traditional events assumed a measure of urgency, even among the Jamaican coaching staff.

For those who watched this riveting meet in Georgetown last week, the number of events that went down to the wire contributed to the thrilling atmosphere, with the Jamaicans having to summon their reserves and superior preparation to conquer marauding rivals from Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas and Barbados, in particular.

Despite their grudging respect for the quality and achievements of Jamaica over time, matching their skills against the metaphorical Goliaths of the region is the primary motivation for many an athlete from these islands, and I daresay the gap seems to be gradually closing.

Indeed, this catching-up has become more pronounced over the past few years, and for Jamaica to be lulled into a sense of snugness could spell disaster in inducing a rapid shift of power.

And while conceding that Jamaica was deprived of some of its best athletes — like Jazeel Murphy of Bridgeport and Antonique Campbell of Herbert Morrison — this is no excuse since as regional forerunners in the sport with the best accomplishments at the global level, and the most advanced in athletic acumen, much is expected, even by way of stewardship.

That our depth was tested and in some areas, found wanting, should not, however, detract from the high quality of last week’s meet which saw 13 new records and some world-best performances.

In this vein, record-breaking hurdler Jehue Gordon of T&T, Kirani James of Grenada and sprinter Allison Peter of the US Virgin Islands were the real stars of the Games.

The diminutive Goule, who was a rare Jamaican winner over the two-lap event and is in the mould of the Turner sisters, Kenroy Levy and Aldwyn Sappleton, was equally impressive as she continued to dominate at this level.

And while we laud virtually unstoppable Barbados in the 800-metre events, one notes that a positive for Jamaica was the number of medals won in the throws.

Also, as the drama was enacted before riveted eyes at the Truman Boden Complex last weekend, it occurred to me that in years to come, it won’t be the USA, but rather, our Caribbean neighbours who will be Jamaica’s nemesis on the international stage.

When one considers T&T’s Richard Thompson, Cuba’s Dayron Robles, Chris Brown of the Bahamas and Rennie Quow of T&T, that is a tangible possibility.