A total of 25 finals are to be contested on Saturday’s start of the 52nd Carifta track and field championships at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with Jamaica seeking a 38th-straight title and 46th overall.

An 84-member Jamaican team is among 26 territories that are in the two-island republic for the three-day champonships. The Jamaicans are expected to dominate once more as the event returns to Trinidad for the first time since 2005.

Jamaica’s athletes won 84 medals (45 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze) last year when the championships were held at Kirani James Stadium in St Georges, Grenada.

David Riley, technical leader of the Jamaica team, confirmed that the team had arrived in Trinidad on Thursday and is expected to do well.

After Friday’s opening ceremony, among the finals to be completed by this evening are the 100m, 400m and 1500m races for boys and girls in the Under-17 and Under-20 age groups. The same will apply in the field for both Under-17 and Under-20 long jump events; boys’ Under-17 triple jump and girls’ Under-20 triple jump; girls’ Under-17 high jump; and boys’ Under-20 shot put.

Both the octathlon for girls and decathlon for boys are to start, while the mixed 4x400m relay is the final event on the schedule.

A number of Jamaicans will be seeking to defend titles on opening day.

Zavien Bernard won the girls’ Under-17 high jump last year, while Ricoy Hunter won the boys’ Under-20 long jump. He is expected to face keen competition from Michael-Andre Edwards.

Sabrina Dockery won the girls’ Under-20 100m gold medal, and, along with Shanoya Douglas, will represent an outstanding shot at taking gold and silver medals.

Adora Campbell, who was second in the Under-17 100m last year, will seek to improve when she lines up against compatriot Shayon Smith.

Alikay Reynolds will also be hoping to improve on her silver medal in the Under-17 girls’ 1500m from last year.

Jamaica will be well represented in the boys’ Under-20 400m in which Tajh-Marques White and Marcinho Rose are down to wear the black, green and gold.

— Paul A Reid