KINGSTON, Jamaica—There are heightened expectations as Jamaica starts their defence of the overall title as the 53rd staging of the Carifta track and field championships gets underway on Saturday at the Kirani James Athletics stadium in St George’s, Grenada, one of the most anticipated junior track and field championships on the globe.

Despite the technical staff being forced to make some changes to the team because of injuries, and on the evidence of last week’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships, the Jamaicans are once again set to dominate the medal table.

Last year, Jamaica won 78 medals- 30 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze, well ahead of Bahamas, which finished with 37 medals (16-13-8), hosts Trinidad and Tobago, 25 medals (9-6-10), Grenada, 13 medals (2-6.5) and Antigua and Barbuda-h5 medals (2-1-2), while Barbados won 14 medals, including one gold.

Jamaican athletes will try to defend several titles, including Shanoya Douglas, who will be defending her Under-20 girls’ sprint double with the 100m, which she won with 11.26 seconds, set for today’s opening day.

Last week, Douglas won the Girls Class 1 sprint double in 10.98 seconds and 22.36 seconds, the latter a national record and will start favourite to repeat.

Natrece East will be the other Jamaican in the Under- 20 girls’ 100m, while Azaria Harris and Rihanna Scott will line up in the Under-17 race.

Nyron Wade and Sanjay Seymore will contest the Under- 20 boys 100m, while Kai Kelly and Joshua Rickets are the Jamaicans in the Under-17 boys section.

The first rounds of the 100m in all four age groups, Under- 17 and Under -20 boys and girls, as well as the 400m, will be contested today, while four field events finals will be held in the first session, with another four field events finals set for the afternoon session.

Joseph Salmon, who broke the national Under-20 men’s discus throw record last week, and last year’s Austin Sealey Award winner Kamari Kennedy will carry the Jamaica flag in the Under- 20 boys discus throw.

Zavien Bernard, triple gold medallist at ‘Champs’ last week and last year’s Carifta Games silver medallist, Sabrina Atkinson, are set to contest the Under- 20 girls’ triple jump, while Talshawn Edwards and Joshua Patrick will contest the Under-17 boys’ event.