ABYMES – Perennial champions Jamaica swept all four 4x400-metre relays to climax the 35th CARIFTA Games.

It was a symbol of their regional junior athletics supremacy at the Rene Serge Nabajoth Stadium here on Monday night with an incredible haul of 68 medals.

The Jamaicans captured a whopping 39 gold medals, 21 silver, and eight bronze en route to their 22nd consecutive crown. Last year, their tally was 59 with 29 gold, 19 silver and 11 bronze. The Jamaicans also broke five of the eight records which went by the wayside.

But the honour of the Games' most outstanding athlete went to Trinidad and Tobago's middle-distance runner, Garvin Nero, who strode to victory in the Under-17 Boys' 800, 1 500 and 3 000 metres.

Nero added the 800 metres on the final day, darting to the finish line with a late sprint to overtake the front-running Jamaican Donohue Williams for his
third gold in 1:54.55 minutes.

The son of former Barbados athlete, Cirlene Collymore, Nero had earlier established new records in the 1 500 metres (4:00.78 minutes) and the 3 000 metres (8:53.42 minutes).

Jamaican Natoya Goule set her second record when she won the Girls 800 metres in 2:09.59 minutes from compatriot Teneisha Davis as an appeal from the Barbadian officials for the reinstating of Lotoya Griffith, who was disqualified for stepping on the inside of Lane 1 after she stumbled in her heat, was rejected. Goule also broke the 1 500 metres record (4:32.70 minutes).

The other record was set by Barbadian Ryan M. Brathwaite in the 110-metre hurdles when he raced home in 13.85 seconds to become the only current Barbados record holder in any of the 66 events contested at the CARIFTA Games, which were inaugurated in 1972.

The Bahamas, with 30 medals overall, were second in the medals table by virtue of their nine gold, 11 silver, and 10 bronze, while Trinidad and Tobago were third with eight gold, 11 silver, and 14 bronze in a 33-medal haul.

Barbados improved on last year's tally of 15 with 19 medals, but had two fewer golds. This time, the young Barbadian athletes got four gold, eight silver, and seven bronze while host country Guadeloupe rounded off the top five with 13 medals, consisting of three gold, three silver, and seven bronze.

The Jamaicans were unrelenting throughout the three days of competition and the Boys' 1 600-metre relay quartet of Jair Francis, Allodin Fotergill, Josef Robertson, and Tarik Edwards rounded off the Games with a record-breaking run of 3:07.75 minutes.

The Jamaican Under-20 Women's foursome of Aherine Pinnock, Kaleisa Spencer, Bobbi-Gayle Wilkins, and Sonita Sutherland also established a new record of 3:31.90 minutes in their 4x400-metre relay.

The junior girls, and especially the Under-17 Boys, who overcame a dropped baton, were also triumphant as the Jamaicans completed a sweep of both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays

Barbados' only medal in the 4x400 relays came from the Under-17 Girls' quartet of Kierre Beckles, Latoya Griffith, Althia Maximilien, and Sade Sealy, who were moved up from fourth to the bronze position after Trinidad and Tobago were disqualified.

The senior boys relay team of Alexander Forde, Jerry Lee Davis, Jamal Marshall, and Ramon Gittens also put in a spirited performance to finish fourth after Gittens ran another blistering anchor leg.

In the gruelling 5 000, yet another Jamaican, Kirk Brown, emerged as the long-distance king, winning in a commendable time of 15 minutes, 57.64 seconds.

* ezrastuart@nationnews.com