Perennial champions Jamaica held a slight lead in the medals table after Saturday’s first day of the 52nd Carifta track and field championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad, winning 19 medals to kick start their defense.

Jamaica, who fielded an 84-member team, are seeking a 38th straight title, and their 46th overall.

However, the Jamaicans are well off last year’s medal pace after they struggled at some points on the first day.

At last year’s championships in Grenada, Jamaican athletes won 84 medals- 45 golds, 23 silver and 16 bronze. After the first day, they had amassed 26 medals-12 gold, eight silver and six bronze going into the second day.

In contrast, after the first day in Port of Spain, Jamaica lead with 19 medals – seven gold, six silver and six bronze. They are followed closely by the Bahamas with 12- six gold, four silver and two bronze, and Trinidad and Tobago in third place with five medals, two gold, a silver and a bronze.

Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana and St Lucia are all on one gold each.

After struggling earlier in the 400m and 1500m events, the Jamaicans reminded everyone about their sprinting pedigree, winning three of the four 100m gold medals on a day full of drama. Jamal Stephenson and Shanoya Douglas both ran personal best ties to win the Under 20 boys and girls 100m titles respectively while Michael Graham won the Under 17 title.

Stephenson ran a big lifetime best 10.24 seconds (-1.4m/s), lowering his previous best of 10.38 seconds to take his first Carifta gold medal, beating Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Woodruffe- 10.30 seconds and Granada’s Ethan Sam- 10.41 seconds, both also lowering their lifetime bests.

Defending champion in the Under 20 girls 100m, Sabrina Dockery was disqualified after a false start in the final while both Jamaicans pulled up in the Under 20 boys 400m final and failed to finish the race.

After Dockery’s disqualification, Douglas, the 200m champion from last year, delivered in a big way, running 11.26 seconds (0.3m/s), comfortably ahead of the field and under her previous best of 11.28 seconds set last year.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Geolyna Dowdye took the silver medal in 11.43 seconds, just ahead of Shatalya Dorsett of the Bahamas who took the bronze medal with 11.45 seconds.

Graham clocked 10.53 seconds (0.0m/s) to win the Under 17 boys 100m gold, getting to the finish line ahead of Tiondre Frett of the British Virgin Islands- 10.58 seconds and Jamaica’s Jaydon Collins was third in 10.68 seconds.

Adora Campbell repeated her silver medal performance from last year after she ran 10.67 seconds (0.2m/s) in the Under 17 girls 100m, beaten by St Lucia’s Jady Emmanuel who ran a personal best 11.50 seconds while Brion Ward from the Bahamas was third with 11.78 seconds.

Phillips set a meet record as he won the Under 17 boys triple jump with a wind aided 15.58m (3.0m/s) but his second best mark, 15.26m (-0.7m/s) was better than the previous meet record 15.19m set in 2013 by Miguel Van Assen of Suriname. Grenada’s Crystophe Calliste of Grenada was second with a wind aided 15.25m (3.1m/s) and Jamaica’s Khi-Anthony Hall was third, also with a wind-aided 14.21m (2.5m/s).

Sabrina Atkinson was second in the Under 20 girls triple jump with 12.83m (0.0m/s) behind Trinidad’s Keneisha Shelbourne- 12.98m (0.4m/s) with French Guyana’s Leane Alfred third with 12.82m (-0.7m/s).

Joseph Salmon won the Under 20 boys discus throw gold medal with a best mark of 56.82m, Grenada’s Dylan Logan took the silver medal with 52.57m and Jamaica’s Devonte Edwards was third with 50.97m.