Gold standard: Douglas was undoubtedly the star of the show

JAMAICA fell short of last year's medal tally at last weekend's Carifta Games in St George's, Grenada, picking up 71 medals--seven fewer than the 78 secured last year.

This year's tally included 28 gold, 27 silver and 16 bronze medals, compared to last year's 30 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze.

Coming off a very demanding five days of competition at the recent ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships, where they had little time to recuperate, it was indeed a commendable performance from the young athletes.

Undoubtedly the star for Jamaica, and the Games, was Shanoya Douglas, who stamped her authority in the sprints. Douglas, who had shown early signs this season that she could do something very special, did not disappoint. The defending champion in the Under-20 100 metres and 200m showed her class with two dazzling individual performances.

After a slip in the blocks in the 100m which saw her behind the field early, she stepped up over the last 50 metres, getting by her opponents with ease to post a solid 11.13 seconds for the win.

Her best came in the 200m. Determined to make up for her 100m start, she was out of the blocks quickly, separating herself from the field early. Coming off the curve with a big lead, she powered away from her rivals to win in a new championship record of 22.11 seconds. Her winning time was a world-leading mark, as she also improved on her own national junior record of 22.50 seconds set a week earlier at Champs. She also joined Allyson Felix of the United States with the third-fastest time ever for an Under-20 female athlete.

Douglas was not finished, as she picked up her third gold medal of the meet, running the anchor leg to pilot the Under-20 4x100m team to a comfortable victory in 43.76 seconds.

Her performances saw her walking away with the Austin Sealy Award, given to the most outstanding athlete at the meet. Douglas, the World Under-20 bronze medallist over 200m, looks set for something special at this summer's World Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she appears primed for the sprint double.

HURDLES SWEEP

Jamaica has produced several outstanding sprint and intermediate hurdlers who have been successful at the World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games, and the future looks bright following the country's sweep of all hurdles events at the Carifta Games, securing a total of eight titles.

Tashana Godfrey set the stage in the Under-17 100m hurdles. Fresh off her success at Champs in the 80m hurdles, where she won back-to-back titles, she romped to victory in an impressive 13.27 seconds into a negative wind of 0.4 metres per second. Her teammate, Macaela Gordon, finished second for silver in 13.39.

Defending champion Tiana Marshall remained unbeaten this season, winning the Under-20 100m hurdles in 13.43 seconds, also into a negative wind 3.2 m/s.

In the Under-17 and Under-20 boys 110m hurdles, Jamaica secured four medals. Mark Daniel Allen wrote his name in the record books in the Under-17 event, clocking 13.25 seconds, with teammate Brandon Bennett finishing second in 13.47.

Following his disappointment in the Under-20 400m hurdles, where he finished third, Robert Miller rebounded to win the 110m hurdles into a negative wind of 2.5 m/s, with teammate Romario Jibbison taking bronze in 13.73.

Allyson Carty led the charge in the girls' 400m hurdles, winning the Under-17 event in 1:01.84 to improve on her bronze medal from last year, while Imani Lowe finished third in 1:03.69.

Nastassia Fletcher (58.05) and Marria Crossfield (58.74) secured a one-two for Jamaica in the Under-20 400m hurdles.

Oneil Lawrence and Jahvanie Tyrell closed out the sweep for Jamaica with wins in the Under-17 and Under-20 divisions. Lawrence took gold in 53.06 seconds, with Kavian Minott securing silver, while Tyrell won the Under-20 title in 49.35 seconds, with Miller returning to claim bronze.

With Jamaica's young athletes sweeping the hurdles, the future indeed looks bright as the country appears well set to continue its excellence over the barriers in the years ahead.