ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Sporting Alert – Defending champion Jamaica swept all four of the gold medals on offer in the 4x100m relays on another dominating second day at the 2016 Carifta Games on Sunday.
The team of Michael Stephens, Christopher Taylor, Jhevaughn Matherson and Dejour Russell set a new Carifta Games record in the Under-18 boys’ sprint relay after they teamed up to record a time of 40.40 seconds.
Matherson and Taylor were each picking up their second gold medals at the championships.
The silver medal went to the Bahamas in 41.42, with Grenada taking the bronze in 41.89.
In the U20 boys’ section, 100m champion Nigel Ellis and Raheem Chambers helped Jamaica clocked 39.74 seconds en route to the gold medal.
Bahamas landed the silver in 40.27 and Barbados took third in 40.97.
On the girls’ side, Jamaica’s U18 team bagged the gold medal in 45.87 — beating Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago to the finishing line.
In the U20 category, Jamaica dominated with a 44.30 secs performance.
The Bahamas followed them home second in 45.62, with Trinidad and Tobago getting the bronze with a time of 46.68.
Jamaica was winning all four 4x100m relays for the second successive year.
MORE DOMINATING PERFORMANCE FROM JAMAICA
Shiann Salmon and her Jamaican teammate Shannon Kalawan both set championships records on their way to winning the Under-18 and Under-20 girls’ 400m hurdles crowns.
Salmon sizzled to victory in the U18 section with a time of 59.50 secs, which improved the 59.55 secs, set by Jamaica’s Junelle Bromfield at last year’s Carifta Games.
And it was a 1-2 finish for the Jamaicans in the event, as Sanique Walker crossed the line in 59.60 to take the silver. Bahamas’ Gabrielle Gibson finished with the bronze medal with a time of 1:01.16.
In the U20 division, Kalawan took down a long-standing meeting record when posting 56.29 secs for the gold medal. She broke the 56.61, set by another Jamaican, Camille Robinson at the 2003 Carifta Games.
Lakeisha Warner from the British Virgin Islands took second place in 58.14 while Nicolee Foster of Jamaica ran home third in 58.34.
Rasheeme Griffith of Barbados won the Under-18 boys’ 400m hurdles with a time of 52.22 — leading a 1-2 finish for his country, with Nathan Fergusson grabbing the silver in 53.56 and Jamaica’s Dashinelle Dyer taking the bronze in 54.05.
Timor Barrett won Jamaica’s third gold medal in the 400m hurdles, following his 51.79 secs performance to beat Rivaldo Leacock of Barbados, who ran 52.07 and another Jamaican, Jauvaney James (53.56).
At press time, Jamaica had 53 medals, including 25 gold medals.