Shot putter Javontae Smith and intermediate hurdler Robert Miller set championships records at the Carifta Games being held at Kirani James Athletic Stadium in St George’s, Grenada, yesterday.

Smith grabbed the boys Under-17 shot put by the throat with a personal best 18.80m and he broke the previous record in the first round, while Miller lowered a 14-year-old record in the Under-17 400m hurdles, running 52.19 seconds.

Nastassia Fletcher added the gold medal from the Under-17 girls 400m hurdles to the 400m she won on Saturday, Chavez Penn won the Under-20 boys high jump with a personal best 2.13m, while Kaydeen Johnson dominated the girls 3000m open to retain her title.

Sloppy baton changes by the Under-20 boys 4x100m relay team, which placed second behind Trinidad and Tobago, prevented a clean sweep of the sprint relays as both girls teams and the Under-17 boys team romped to victory earlier.

A strong anchor leg saw Jamaica repeat their bronze medal from last year in the mixed 4x400m relay as a strong Guyanese team won in a championship record 3:23.51 minutes.

Grenada was second with 3:29.19, and Jamaica clocked 3:30.42 seconds.

At the end of the second day, Jamaica were well on their way to topping the medals tables for the 37th straight staging, with 49 medals — 24 gold, 15 silver, and 10 bronze. The Bahamas are next with 25 medals — seven gold, nine silver, and nine bronze.

After placing fourth last year, missing a medal by 0.20m, Smith made it up with a dominant display, as he broke the championships record on his first throw of 18.04m, well over 17.42m set in 2011 by compatriot Christopher Brown, and then improved on that mark two more times.

Four of his five legal throws were over 18.00m, and even his shortest mark of 16.82m would have won the gold. Jayden Walcott of Barbados took the silver medal with a throw of 15.37m and Jaylen Stuart of The Bahamas, who was fifth last year, took bronze with 15.28m, while Jamaica’s Kamari Kennedy was fourth with 15.07m.

Smith, who is ranked number four in the world and had a previous best of 18.58m, said afterwards he went to Grenada seeking redemption.

“Last year, I went to Carifta with the longest throw, but was fourth,” he said. “I knew that I would break the record, as my personal best was over the record and I had

high hopes.”

Miller, whose previous best time was 52.63s, ran 52.19s, smashing the 52.75s championships record set by Stephen Newbold of The Bahamas in 2010.

“I was hoping to break the 52 seconds mark, but I am happy with the gold medal,” he said.

Akanye Samuel-Francis of St Kitts/Nevis was second in 52.88s, and Jamaica’s Francisco Williams took the bronze in 53.19s.

Fletcher romped to a 1:00.10 seconds time to take the Under-17 400m hurdles, less than 24 hours after she won the 400m, as Darvinique Dean of The Bahamas was second in 1:00.66 and Jenna-Marie Thomas of Trinidad and Tobago third in 1:01.03.

Asked how she would celebrate her win, Fletcher paused before saying, “When I get home, it will be pot covers, pure pot covers.”

Penn, who will contest the triple jump on Monday, beat his previous best of 2.10m with 2.13m on his first try, while Grenada’s Timothy Greenidge took the silver medal with 2.05m, and Bernard Kemp of The Bahamas was third with 1.95m.

Johnson ran a personal best 10:04.44s to retain her title well ahead of her teammate Ashara Frater, who was second in 10:24.83, and Guyana’s Attoya Harvey was further behind in third, clocking 10:36.59.

Kelly-Ann Carr was second in the Under-20 girls 400m hurdles, running 57.06s, as Michelle Smith of the US Virgin Islands won her third straight gold medal in 56.28s, just off Shiann Salmon’s record 56.22 set in 2018. Aaliyah Mullings was third with 59.80s.

Shamer Blake ran 51.21s to win the Under-20 boys 400m hurdles in his first trip to the Carifta Games, dragging his teammate Princewell Martin to a personal best 51.34s for second, with Dorian Charles of Trinidad third in 52.70s.

Jamaica added two more gold medals yesterday.

Kimeka Smith won the Under-20 girls shot put and Rickoy Hunter took the Under-20 boys long jump titles.

Smith, who is also competing in the girls heptathlon, equalled her personal best when she threw 13.68m to win the gold medal, beating Annae Mackey of The Bahamas (13.58m), with Brianna Smith of the Cayman Islands third with 12.86m.

Dionjah Shaw, who medalled in the Under-20 girls discus throw on Saturday, missed a second medal and placed fourth with 12.26m.

Hunter jumped 7.48m in the final round to beat Bernard Kemp of The Bahamas (7.40m), while Barbados got their second bronze of the championships when Teon Hayes placed third with 7.32m.