Grand
Cayman, Cayman Islands –
Several of Jamaica's top athletes will miss the 48th
annual CARIFTA Games, but the Jamaica Athletics Administrative
Association (JAAA) is confident the team will once again top the
medal standing when the meet takes place this Easter weekend (20 to
22 April) at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. The country, which
produced the likes of Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Asafa
Powell, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Yohan Black, has topped the medal
table 41 times and its last defeat was in 1984 when The Bahamas won
at home.

In
2018, team Jamaica earned 82 medals (43 gold, 28 silver, 11 bronze)
in the Bahamas, four medals shy of the 86 they hauled in back in 2017
(39 gold, 28 silver, 19 bronze) in Curacao. Their medal count in
2018 was 47 medals clear of their nearest rival (and hosts) The
Bahamas, who had 35 (6 gold, 14 silver, 15 bronze). Trinidad and
Tobago placed third with 17 medals (4 gold, 6 silver, 7 bronze).

Garth
Gayle, JAAA General Secretary, said based on the performances from
the trials, he is confident Jamaica will once again dominate.

“When
you look at the Trinidad, Barbados and Bahamas trials, 98 per cent of
our athletes are ahead by performances on the track and in the field.
Once they are wearing their national colours the Jamaican athletes
always outperform and do well for their country, and so we are
expecting the same this year," said Gayle.

Jamaica currently has
four ladies on the world 100m list, but they have all decided to skip
the event. Ashanti Moore (11.17) and Kevona Davis (11.19), who are
first and second respectively in the U20 division and twin sisters
Tina Clayton (11.27) and Tia Clayton (11.37), who are first and third
respectively on the U18 world list, will not be making the trip to
Cayman.

However,
the world’s fastest junior female, Briana Williams, is expected to
lead the way for Jamaica. Williams, who made her mark by winning the
sprint double at the 2018 World U20 Championships, enters the event
as the overwhelming favourite. She won the U17 sprint double last
year at CARIFTA and helped Jamaica to the 4x100m title, earning her
the 2018 Austin Sealy award but says she is not sure if she will
double at this year’s Games.

In
the U20 boys 100m, with the world leader Oblique Seville at 10.13 and
second on the world list this year along with Ryiem Robertson at
10.19, Jamaica should face minimal problems in finishing first and
second. Jeremy Farr and Wayne Pinnock are also world leaders in
their events. Farr leads the world 400m list but will run the 200m,
while Pinnock’s 8.05m personal best in the long jump should set him
up for a win.

Kai
Chang, a World U20 champion in discus, is another athlete expected to
do great things in Cayman and Ackera Nugent, who leads the world in
the U20 girls' 100m hurdles with 13.26, a personal best done at
Jamaica’s trials, will be untouchable.

Team
Jamaica will make the short journey to Cayman with a full team of 80
athletes and 12 officials.

CARIFTA
tickets (Mackie Seymour Stand) are still available for purchase at
Funky Tangs and all Reflections locations and also on
www.caymancarifta2019.ky.