On the final day of the 49^th Carifta Games held at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, thousands of fans from not only Jamaica, but also islands throughout the Caribbean region packed the grand stands to demonstrate their support for their country’s junior athletes.  In fact, it was the largest crowd by far of the three days of competition, and the weather was simply gorgeous.

In the end, Jamaica coasted to a decisive and much-deserved 36^th consecutive title at the 2022 Carifta track and field championships.  More than that, it was Jamaica’s 45^th overall Carifta games title.  As it happened, team Jamaica corralled a grand total of 92 medals—which included 45 gold, 29 silver, and 18 bronze.

Against this background, the photo highlights below seek to capture the key happenings on the Day 3 Finale of the Games.

Morning Session

The field events that were on tap for the morning session at Day 3 of the 2022 Carifta Games included:  javelin throw U-17 Girls’ (final), high jump U-20 Girls’ (final), and long jump U-20 Girls’ (final).  In turn, the events on the track consisted of:  100m hurdles U-17 and U-20 Girls’ (semi-finals), 100m hurdles U-17 and U-20 Boys’ (semi-finals), 4×400 relay U-17 and U-20 Girls’and Boys’ (finals).

J’Voughnn Blake had an impressive Day 3 outing by bagging a magnificent double-gold in the 800m and 1500m races.

Evening Session

The field events that were on the schedule for the evening session at Day 3 of the 2022 Carifta Games included:  triple jump U-17 Girls’ final, discus throw U-17 Girls’ final, shot put U-20 Boys’ final, triple jump U-20 Boys’ final, and the discus throw U-17 Boys’ final.

Events on the track featured: 110m hurdles U-17 and U-20 Boys’ and Girls’ finals, 800m U-17 and U-20 boys and Girls’ finals, 200m U-17 and U-20 Boys’ and Girls’ finals, 4x400m U-17 and U-20 Boys’ and Girls’ finals, and the 5000m U-20 Boys’ final.

Team Jamaica’s Alexis James and Oneka Wilson finished first and second, respectively, in the Girls’ U-20 100m hurdles.

The U-17 Boys’ 110m hurdles produced a 1 – 2 finish for Jamaica.

The Boys’ U-17 110m hurdles resulted in a 1 – 2 finish for Jamaica with Shaquane Gordon taking the gold and his teammate, Jadan Campbell, copping the silver.

Brianna Lyston ‘happy’ with her Carifta Games 2022 performances after winning the U-20 Girls’ 200m in 23.16. 

Lyston was pivotal in boosting Jamaica to a world-record performance in the 4x100m on Day 2 of the Carifta games.

British Virgin Islands’, Adaejah Hodge, Did Not Cease to Amaze in Carifta Finale

At present, the fastest under-17 aged female sprinter in the world is from the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) and her name is Adaejah Hodge.  This exciting speedster holds the world number-one rank in her age bracket in all three primary sprinting disciplines, which are the 100 meters, 200 meters as well as the 400 meters.

Hodge was nothing short of amazing on the Day 3 finale in that she blazed a time of 23.42 seconds in the U-17 200m dash to win the gold medal.  And not only did Adaejah Hodge complete a clean three gold medal sweep of the sprint races at the Carifta games, but she also dominated the long jump with a distance of 6.20 meters.

Boys’ U-20 5,000 meter race was filled with drama and suspense all the way up to the dramatic finish and post-race celebration.

In the U-20 800m, Jamaica’s Rushana Dwyer and Jody-Ann Mitchell came in first and second.

Jamaican boys victorious in the 4×400 meter relays.

Team Jamaica delivered a sparkling victory in the Girls’ U-17 4x400m relay.

The Jamaican team of Sabrina Dockery, Quana Walker, Deandra Harris, and Abigail Campbell were victorious in dominant fashion to win the U-17 Girls’ 4x400m relay ahead of Bermuda and the Bahamas.

Closing Ceremony

After it was all over, there were fireworks and a Bahamian junkanoo-style carnival atmosphere at the National Stadium.  The sounds of the drums pulsated throughout the ceremony which was attended by the athletes who gave it their all over the course of the three days of competition of the 2022 Carifta Games hosted by Jamaica in the country’s capital city of Kingston. Also in attendance was Jamaica’s darling sprinter and Olympic champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

All photos taken by Nick Ford, who lives and works in South Florida.