Intermediate hurdler Roshawn Clarke was the biggest winner on the weekend after he collected the Austin Sealy award for the top performer at the 50th Carifta Games which took place in the Bahamas.
Clarke posted a good 49.92 to win the under-20 Boys event and he also ran a leg of Jamaica’s 4x400m relay which won gold.
In what can be described as a competitive and controversial staging, perhaps with an unfair share of disqualifications, Team Jamaica came home with seventy-eight medals, including 40 gold, 22 silver and 16 bronze, fourteen short of the 92 they won at home last year.
Jamaica’s two high-profile sprinters, Alana Reid and Bouwahjgie Nkrumie had contracting ends to attempts at glory. Reid came away the easy winner of the 100m for under-20 Girls posting 11.17 into a -1.0mps wind. She opted out of the 200m but returned to inspire the 4x100m to a good win.
On the other hand, Nkrumie had a forgettable outing in the 100m as he pulled up midway through the race with a hamstring strain and did not finish. He will be out for a few weeks for rehabilitation.
Rickiann Russell ran 51.84 to continue her good form.
Meanwhile, at the Marimar Invitational in Florida, Jamaican athletes competed well and laid down excellent early season marks. Sprinters Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake finished 1-2 in the 100m with 9.91 and 9.93 respectively, aided by a 2.2m/s wind. Amoi Brown ran 12.69 for second to American Tonea Marshall who posted 12.62, albeit with a 2.2m/s wind. Natasha Morrison produced 11.05 for 4th, although she was far adrift of American Sha’Carri Richardson who breezed to 10.57, aided by a 4.1m/s wind.
Charokee Young (51.58) was ahead of Shericka Jackson (51.64) in the 400m won by American Shamier Little in 50.27.