Brion Scott, Tenique Vincent star as Trinidad and Tobago end Carifta Athletics with 25 medals

TEAM Trinidad and Tobago concluded the 2025 Carifta Athletics Championships on home soil with two final-day gold medals from Brion Scott and Tenique Vincent, adding a bright finish to the campaign.

The annual event, held this year at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, provided a platform for young Caribbean athletes to showcase their talent and compete for regional supremacy.

Scott powered to victory in the boys Under-17 800m, leading from the gun to the tape in 1:56.48, demonstrating his physical conditioning and tactical awareness.

Vincent, meanwhile, completed a dominant display in the girls Under-20 heptathlon, topping a strong field with standout results in the 100m hurdles, high jump, and javelin, finishing more than 350 points over her nearest challenger, Clementine Carias, from Guadeloupe.

Vincent's win mirrored the previous day's gold by her twin brother, Tyrique, in the decathlon – a rare double for the Vincent family, adding a unique narrative to TT's campaign.

TT ended the three-day athletics programme with nine gold, six silver, and ten bronze medals – 25 in total. The overall haul fell short of last year’s tally of 27 (four gold, 11 silver, 12 bronze), but this year the team earned more gold medals.

Jamaica finished atop the table with 78 medals (30 gold), while the Bahamas claimed 37 (16 gold), replicating the same top-three finish as in 2024.

TT's best-ever medal haul at the Carifta Games remains the 40 medals won at the 2010 games.

Still, this year’s crop left home fans with memories and moments of brilliance.

Scott’s win was clinical. The 15-year-old held his pace over the two laps to hold off Jamaica’s Kemarene Brown, who clocked 1:56.89. It was TT’s only gold on the track on April 21. Darion Whiteman finished fourth in the same race, adding to TT’s strong showing in the event.

Vincent’s heptathlon dominance was never in doubt. After leading overnight, she closed out two of the final three events with consistency – adding 715 points in the long jump, 527 in the javelin, and 507 in the 800m. Her total of 5,053 points was more than 350 points clear of runner-up Caris of Guadeloupe. In the High Jump section of the heptathlon, Vincent cleared 1.60m.

TT’s girls Under-17 4x400m quartet claimed bronze in 3:47.25, with Eden Chee-Wah, Kyah Hyson, Shian Lewis, and Durlaina Rouse showing grit to hold off the fast-finishing Jamaicans. Their performance underscored the depth of talent in TT’s junior ranks.

The girls Under-20 4x100m team (44.76) and the boys Under-17 4x100m team (41.61) also claimed bronze medals. The boys Under-20 4x100m earned silver in 39.75, finishing behind Jamaica (39.31).

In the boys Under-20 4x400m relay, the TT team of Makaelan Woods, Da Shaun Lezama, Daeshaun Cole, and Ben-Israel Bannister earned bronze in 3:09.62. Joshua Perry also ran in the semi-final, contributing to TT’s place in the final.

Sole Frederick was one of the stars of TT’s sprint crew. She claimed silver in the girls Under-20 200m (23.39), saving TT’s blushes in the 200m sprints after both Jayden Goodridge and Mikayla Granderson qualified for their respective finals but did not start. Frederick’s performance highlighted her potential as a leading sprinter for TT.

Lewis added an individual bronze to her relay medal with a third-place finish in the girls Under-17 800m (2:15.03), improving on her semi-final time of 2:18.41. Her ability to perform under pressure bodes well for her future in middle-distance running.

In field events, Michal Paul earned bronze in the boys Under-17 long jump with 7.03m, while TT's Elijah Soanes placing fourth (6.95m), and Michael Graham won silver (7.33m). In the girls U20 discus, Adrianna Quamina placed fourth with a throw of 47.11m. Ruth Irvine was sixth with 43.25m.

Keeran Sriskandarajah narrowly missed out on a medal in the boys Under-20 800m, finishing fourth in 1:52.21, although it was a significant improvement from his semi-final run (1:54.27).

Disqualifications and Tough Breaks

There were some disappointments. TT’s Omari Brown, a serious medal hopeful in the boys Under-17 110m hurdles, was disqualified after false-starting in the final. Romeo Devonte placed eighth in 15.33. Cheyne West placed sixth in the boys Under-20 110m hurdles in 14.16 seconds.

Zariah Pascall finished sixth in the girls Under-17 100m hurdles (15.03), and Gianna Paul placed seventh in the Under-20 equivalent in 14.25.

Two exhibition Special Olympics races were held as part of the programme. TT athletes claimed wins in both events, drawing loud cheers from the Hasely Crawford Stadium crowd.

As expected, Jamaica dominated. Among the standout performers was Shaquane Gordon, who smashed the boys Under-20 110m hurdles Carifta record with a time of 13.18. He was also part of Jamaica’s winning 4x100m relay team and took silver in the 100m.

His teammate Rickianna Russell left with three gold medals – winning the girls Under-20 200m (22.96), anchoring the 4x100m relay team, and taking the 400m title on day two.

The Bahamas’ sprinter Antoine Andrews was another standout, winning gold in the boys Under-20 100m and contributing to their 4x100m win.

The 2025 Carifta Games officially concluded with a closing ceremony on the night of April 21 at the host venue. The winner of the prestigious Austin Sealy Award, given to the meet’s top overall athlete, was announced after press time.