Jamaica started the defence of the Carifta Track and Field Championships on a strong note yesterday, winning 23 medals on yesterday’s opening day of the 48th staging of the event, at the Truman Bodden Complex in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.

At press time, the Jamaicans had won eight gold, 11 silver and four bronze medals with a number of finals still to be completed.

Male team Captain Kai Chang, the IAAF World Under-20 discus champion, led the way with a winning mark of 59.36m to upgrade from the silver medal he won last year.

Compatriot Ralford Mullings took the silver medal with 54.91m, ahead of the twins Djimon Gumbs (54.76m) and Diamnate Gumbs (52.85m) of the British Virgin Islands.

Marie Forbes and Kimone Reid also had a first and second finish in the Under-20 girls’ discus throw for Jamaica.

Forbes threw 47.63m for the gold, while Reid took silver with 44.60m.

Christopher Young won the Under-17 boys’ shot put with 16.00m and Kobe Lawrence was second with 15.86m.

Britannia Johnson, the only Jamaican in the Under-17 girls shot put, failed to make a legal mark in the competition.

Jamaica also won gold medals in both girls high jump yesterday as Janique Burgher won the Under-20 gold ahead of teammate Daniela Aglin, both clearing 1.77m.

Annishka McDonald had got the medal rush under way when she won the first final contested, the Under-17 high jump with 1.74m, while teammate Malaika Cunningham was fourth with 1.65m.

Jamaica won just one of the four 400m gold medals, the girls’ Under-20, whichShaquena Foote streaked to the line to beat her teammate Ann-kay Allen with Marrisa White of the Bahamas taking the bronze.

Terrance Jones of the Bahamas just beat the Jamaican pair of Anthony Cox, the pre-race favourite, and Evaldo Whitehorne.

Another Bahamian, Wendell Miller, won the Under-17 boys’ quarter-mile in 48.45 seconds to beat two Jamaicans — Tahj Hamm (48.54 seconds) and Tariq Dacres (48.70).

Jamaican took the bronze in the Under-17 girls’race as Rickiann Russell was third in 54.18 seconds behind Bermuda’s Caitlyn Bobb, who ran 53.69 seconds for the gold, and British Virgin Islands’ Akrisa Etistee took silver with 54.10 seconds.

Jamaicans won two of the four 1500m finals, the Under-20 boys’ and Under-17 girls’, but picked up seven medals on the way.

Tyrese Reid produced a brilliant late run to pass the Bahamas’s Garbriel Curtis, who led for most of the race, to win the Under-20 gold in 3:55.38 seconds, dragging his teammate Fabian Campbell to the silver in 3:56.23 seconds.

Curtis took the bronze in 3:58.11 seconds.

It was gold and silver again in the Under-17 girls’ event as Samantha Pryce won in 4:47.34 seconds ahead of Jodyann Mitchell’s 4:49.49 seconds with Shaquka Tyrell of Guyana third.

J’Voughn Blake was second in the Under-17 race in 4:10.52 seconds behind the Bahamas’s Curtis Mitchell (4:09.34 seconds), while the other Jamaican Tafari Hinds was edged for third by Bermuda’s Nathan Armstrong after both ran 4:11.47 seconds.

It was silver and bronze for Jamaica in the Under-20 girls’ 1500m beaten by Guyana’s Claudrice McKoy, who kicked wide into lane three with 200 metres to go and crossed the line in 4:39 46 seconds.

Kellyann Beckford took the silver with 4:40 49 seconds and Aniesha Lawrence was third with 4:41.19 seconds.

Meanwhile, seven Jamaicans have advanced to the four 100m finals as only 14-year-old Carletta Bernard failed to advance in the Under-17 section after she false-started in her heat.

Glacian Loutin will be the only Jamaican in that final, while gold medal favourite Briana Williams and Kemba Nelson both qualified in the Under-20 section.

Bouwajhie Nkrumie and Adrian Kerr are the Jamaicans in the boys’ Under-17 finals, with Oblique Seville and Ryiem Robertson, the winner at the Carifta trials, in the men’s Under-20 final.