At 16 years old, Adaejah Hodge has solidified her place as one to watch in the track and field world.

Though she screamed potential a year ago, clocking 11.70 seconds for the 100m and 23.64 for the 200m — which made her one of, if not the top Under-16 girls in the world at that point — many may not have heard of the British Virgin Islands sensation.

However, she duly announced herself to Jamaican fans in particular with three impressive performances across all three days of the just concluded 49th Carifta Games at the National Stadium.

Hodge, who can only be described as a coach’s dream athlete, topped the girls’ Under-17 100m, 200m and long jump and was rightly adjudged winner of the coveted Austin Sealy Award.

The award is presented to the most outstanding athlete, either in terms of record accomplishment, or quality of performance when compared to other top medallists at the games.

Hodge, who was making her first appearance at the games, is the first athlete from the British Overseas Territory with a population of just over 30,000 to win the award, and the first non-Jamaican to do so since Briana Williams’ back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know that this award existed, but I’m happy that I delivered well in all of my events and I’m even more proud that I have an award to take home with my medals on my first time out,” Hodge told the Jamaica Observer.

The fleet-footed and determined Hodge first stormed to a new national record of 11.29 seconds in winning the Under-17 100m final on Saturday’s opening day.

She then returned on Sunday to claim her second gold medal of the games in the long jump with a wind-aided leap of 6.20 metres, leaving Jamaica’s Shemonique Hazel and Rohanna Sudlow with silver and bronze with marks of 5.85m and 5.84m, respectively.

What made Hodge’s performance in the long jump even more impressive, is the fact that she did so in between the 200m heats and semi-final.

And like she did in the 100m and long jump, Hodge again outdid the Jamaican pair of Sabrina Dockery and Theianna Lee Terrelonge in the 200m, cruising to victory in a new personal best 23.42s.

“Coming into the games I knew it was going to be tough, but I always look at the field (of competitors) before I come out. So watching the field, I felt confident coming into my events knowing that if I performed the way I want to and know I can, then I will get the three gold medals,” Hodge noted.

“So again I am really proud of myself and this just gives me more confidence and reassures me that I can achieve big things if I just believe in myself,” she added.

The diminutive athlete, who depicts Jamaica’s “likkle but tallawah” slogan, is by no means concerned about the growing attention surrounding her exploits and his fully focused on the next phase.

“The success of my career is fully in my hands and I have shown what I can achieve once I believe in myself. So my focus right now is on the upcoming regional sectional and state championships,” Hodge, who attends Alexander High School in Douglasville Georgia, declared.

Interestingly, despite Jamaica being dubbed the sprint capital of the world, Hodge said she was by no means intimidated by the country’s rising stars in the sprints.

Instead, she said the main Jamaican threat to her triple medal performance came in the long jump.

“Not in the sprints, but the long jump for sure because it was so back and forth. But on my last jump, I dug deep and won. The 200m win was great and easy, the headwind was a little bad, but I’m still proud of my time,” the bubbly personality, said, also shutting down rumours that she will be attend school in Jamaica next year.

“No, I won’t be attending high school in Jamaica,” she ended.