BAJAN CARIFTA TEAM CELEBRATED AS THEY ARRIVED AT GAIA

by David Harris

The first segment of Barbados’ contingent to the 2026 CARIFTA Games were met with fanfare from family, friends, and cultural performances by De Pompostters and Dancing Africa when they arrived at Grantley Adams Airport from Grenada (The Spice Isle) on Tuesday evening.   

The 63 member-squad placed fourth with 17 medals, six golds, three silvers, and eight bronzes; behind Jamaica (71), Trinidad and Tobago (35) and the Bahamas (30) after the 53 rd edition of the Games ended at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium on Monday evening. 

This was Barbados’ highest medal count and most gold medals since the 2016 Games also held in The Spice Isle. 

The final day of the Games (Monday) was a golden one for Barbados; in her last year at the Games, co-captain of the Barbados team Ashlyn Simmons won the Under-20 Girls 800 metres with a powerful performance; the 18-year-old student of the Alexandra School won the race in 2 minutes 09.07 seconds with one lap remaining. Her training partner Danya Skeete placed second in 2 minutes, 10.5 seconds.  

Simmon was truly Barbados’ golden girl at the Games; on Saturday evening, the second day of the meet, she clocked a personal best of 4.36.94 minutes in the 1500 metres to capture the gold medal in the Girls Under- 20 age group category. She opened a gap of over 10 metres on her opponents and held off the fast- finishing Jamaican Kevongaye Flower (4:237.39) to win Barbados’ first medal at the Games. 

    Her performance was significant improvement in the time of 4.40.06 she ran in the Frank Blackman and Sada Williams Zone at the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletics Championships. 

The highlight of the night was the record-breaking performance of Jahkye Brewster, Aidan Moore, Nadal Seale and Shamari Greenidge-Lewis in the Under-20 Boys’ 4x 400 metres relay in 3 minutes 5.49 seconds to set a new national and CARIFTA record.    

Oher golden performances came from Jayden Walcott who won the Boys’ Under-20 shot –put with a winning throw of 18.41; and Luke McIntyre gold in the Boys’ Under-20 5000 metres in a time of 15:422.51  

On Friday Shania Mottley won Barbados’ first medal at the Games for the second consecutive year with a bronze medal in the Under-17 Girls’ High Jump with a leap of 1.69 metres.     

Head Coach Desiree Gamble spoke glowingly of the team’s performance to journalists at the airport. 

“I am extremely pleased with the team’s performance. When we left here, the goal was to surpass last year’s medal tally of 14 medals – and we were able to gain 17 medals. And the big thing about that is the quality of those medals”, Gamble the first woman to be appointed head coach of a Barbados team to the CAARIFTA Games said.  

Prime Minister Mia Mottley lauded the Barbados’ performance at the Games, and commended their skill, determination and sportsmanship. 

“My heart is full. Team Barbados, you have made this country proud. You give us thrills, but even more than that, you gave us heart. We saw the determination, and the pride in every jump, every throw and medal”, the prime minister wrote on her social media page.    

A motorcade will be held in Bridgetown to celebrate the success of the team on Saturday.