Barbados’ impressive performance at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Championships has been hailed as a sign of the island’s growing strength on the regional stage.
Coach Jamal Grosvenor said the team’s 16-medal haul in Mexico — including three gold, six silver and seven bronze medals — was the result of careful preparation, resilience and the athletes’ ability to deliver when it mattered most.
The Barbadian delegation returned home on Monday following a campaign Grosvenor described as a success, highlighted by strong individual performances and several personal bests.
The NACAC Under-18 and Under-23 teams were all smiles on arrival at Grantley Adams International Airport. (Photo credit: Kurtis Hinds/Barbados TODAY)
“We also came away with a lot of personal bests and the focus was really on just keeping prepared, staying sharp and executing [to] the best of your ability. That really came through from the first day.
“We set the tone from the first day, carried that momentum in the second, and we finished strong,” the coach said.
Barbados also captured four relay medals, something Grosvenor believes reflects the Athletics Association of Barbados’ renewed emphasis on relay development.
“We would like to keep relays to be a focal point for all our programs.It really shows you the development of the sport, the development of the athletes and it gives them an opportunity to experience the different levels of sport,” he explained.
The coach also reserved praise for athletes who missed the podium but still achieved personal bests, describing those performances equally significant.
While pleased with the overall result, Grosvenor admitted the team had hoped to return with an even bigger medal haul.
“We really wanted more medals, to be honest. In the Under-18 4x100m relay we were expecting to even get a national junior record. Unfortunately, there were some mishaps collectively as a team, but sometimes this is the nature of the sport,” he said, adding that the squad had excellent spirit and displayed good camaraderie throughout the championship.
US-based middle-distance runner Layla Haynes was thrilled after striking gold in the Under-23 Girls’ 800 metres, crossing the line in 2:07.86.
“I’m just so happy to be able to represent Barbados at this level and to be able to come home with some hardware; that’s always the goal, so I’m just really happy I was able to execute that.
“I think this might be it for me for the remainder of the season. This is my first season since I’ve been in college, but I’ve been racing since January and I have pretty big goals over the next couple of years. This might be a really good time to take a little break before getting right back at it, to keep working on those bigger goals,” she revealed.
For Jayden Green, who clocked a wind-assisted 20.17 seconds in the Under-23 Boys’ 200m, the victory marked another important milestone in an outstanding season.
“It was quite comfortable with the conditions because of where I trained at university, and yeah, my body was good from the time I got there. Even though it was a little windy, I was still grateful that my body could get to that point.”
Unlike Haynes, Green’s season is far from over, with the sprinter set to compete at the World Under-20 Championships, where he will be chasing an even faster time.
CARIFTA champion Jayden Walcott was the team’s star performer, obliterating the Under-18 Boys’ Shot Put record, to set a new mark of 21.82 meters.
The mark capped another remarkable season for Walcott, who continues to rank among the world’s leading athletes in that event in his age group.
“We had a really good competition and to throw almost an entire meter over my PR was really impressive. It’s a huge honor to be a world leader, especially from this side of the region where throws are not that big,” he said.
(KH)
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