Jamaica lit up the opening day of the NACAC Senior Championships in Freeport, Bahamas, capturing 4 gold medals by way of Jonielle Smith (girls’s 100m), Amoi Brown (girls’s 100m hurdles), Demario Prince (males’s 110m hurdles), and Fedrick Dacres (males’s discus).
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Their triumphs propelled the island nation to a commanding begin, with a complete of seven medals—4 gold, one silver, and two bronze—by day’s finish.
Smith’s beautiful dash to gold
The highlight belonged to Jonielle Smith, who delivered the shock of the night within the girls’s 100m closing. Getting into the race as solely the fourth-fastest qualifier after operating 11.21 seconds in her warmth, Smith rose spectacularly to the event, sprinting to victory in 11.05 seconds (+0.1 mps).
Lirayl Alonso Teseda of the Dominican Republic was second in 11.10 seconds, whereas hometown favourite Anthaya Charlton of The Bahamas claimed bronze in 11.12 seconds. Jamaica’s Jodean Williams, who had posted a personal-best 11.00 seconds within the heats to qualify quickest, was edged out into fourth at 11.13 seconds.
Forde earns silver in males’s 100m
The boys’s 100m closing introduced additional Jamaican pleasure as Ryiem Forde powered to silver in 10.01 seconds. Canada’s Jerome Blake lived as much as his billing as favourite, setting a brand new championship file of 9.95 seconds (+0.4 mps) to erase Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake’s 2022 mark of 9.98 seconds. Rikkol Braithwaite of the British Virgin Islands positioned third in 10.15 seconds.
Brown and Prince hurdle to victory
Within the dash hurdles, Jamaica’s energy was plain.
- Girls’s 100m hurdles: Amoi Brown, quickest from the heats, was unchallenged within the closing, taking gold in 12.83 seconds (-0.1 mps). Canada’s Tatiana Aholou (13.01secs) and St. Lucia’s Assia Lourencin (13.04secs) rounded out the rostrum. Yanique Thompson completed fifth for Jamaica in 13.19 seconds.
- Males’s 110m hurdles: Demario Prince delivered a nail-biting victory, clocking 13.35 seconds (-1.4 mps) to edge American Dylan Beard (13.39secs). Jamaica’s Jaheim Stern added bronze in 13.63 seconds.
Dacres dominates discus throw
Fedrick Dacres ensured Jamaica’s presence on the sphere was simply as commanding. The seasoned thrower launched the discus to 65.10m, securing gold forward of American Sam Mathis (64.06m). Chad Wright added bronze for Jamaica with 62.85m. Regardless of victory, Dacres nonetheless eyes the 67.50m qualifying mark required for the World Championships in Tokyo.
Rising stars impress in qualifiers
Past the medal rush, a number of Jamaicans superior impressively from preliminary rounds:
- Sanique Walker surprised within the girls’s 400m hurdles with an enormous private better of 54.20 seconds, advancing because the quickest qualifier. Teammate Janieve Russell additionally reached the ultimate, clocking 56.80 seconds.
- Malik James-King (49.69) and Assinie Wilson (50.31) reached the lads’s 400m hurdles closing.
- Nickisha Pryce, nationwide champion, was unmatched within the girls’s 400m, blazing 50.39 seconds for the day’s solely sub-51 time to qualify quickest for Sunday’s closing.
- Within the males’s 400m, Rusheen McDonald (45.48secs) and Delano Kennedy (45.59secs) each secured closing spots, with American Jenoah McKiver main in 44.96 seconds.
- Within the males’s 800m, Navasky Anderson (1:46.81mins) and Tyrice Taylor (1:49.12mins) additionally superior to Sunday’s closing.
Eyes on Tokyo
For Jamaica, day one was each a medal triumph and a proving floor. With 4 golds already secured, athletes are sharpening their kind and chasing qualification marks forward of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the place they intention to transform regional dominance into international success.
