Mottley wins high jump bronze to start CARIFTA haul

Shania Mottley won Barbados’ first medal this morning at the 2026 CARIFTA Games in St George’s, Grenada.

Competing in the Under-17 girls’ high jump, Mottley cleared 1.69 metres to capture the bronze. It was two centimetres under her personal best clearance which gave her the silver medal at last year’s Games.

“I feel disappointed in my performance,” she said after the event.

“I was expecting to hopefully, go for gold this year and to a personal best this year, but that didn’t work out.”

The gold medal went to St Lucia’s Destinee Cenac who cleared 1.72 metres and silver to Stefvanco Henry of Jamaica, who also cleared 1.69 metres.

In other finals contested, Barbadian Ajalah Cumberbatch was eighth in the Under-17 boys’ javelin throw with a best of 45.11 metres. Deshawn Smart of Grenada won the event with 65.09m.

Gabriella Linton of Cayman Islands won the Under-17 girls’ shot put with 14.19m. Barbadians Jahzaria Ward and Siearra Burrowes were 12th and 14th, respectively with 10.84m and 9.33m.

Taysha Stubbs of The Bahamas won the Under-20 girls’ javelin with 48.84m. There were no Barbadians in the event.

On the track, Savannah Thorne (57.20) and Taje Coaward (49.58) both advanced to the finals of the 400 metres for Under-17s. Jahzara Inniss did not make the cut with a time of 57.79 seconds and it was a tough start for Jalino Hamlet who false started.

Kadia Rock became the first Barbadian quartermiler to reach the final with 53.05 seconds in the Under-20 girls’ 400, but Krystal Bentham was a non-started.

Shamari Greenidge-Lewis will see how he matches against the best in the region with 46.49 seconds, good enough for the final, but Aidan Moore’s 47.27 placed him just outside the qualifiers in ninth place.

In the 100m heats, Josiah Gill (10.68) was the lone qualifier from the Under-17 boys with a time of 10.68 seconds. Asher Brandford did not advance with 11.14 seconds, and neither did Gia Greenidge (12.24) nor Taylor-Rai Wiggins (12.33) in the Under-17 girls’ section.

Meanwhile Aniya Nurse raced to a new personal best time of 11.42 seconds (+0.9) wind). Semara Olton is also through to the final with 11.86, riding the same 6.0 tailwind that pushed Jamaica’s Natrece East to the fastest qualifier with a time of 11.28 seconds.

Neither Dahrion Brewster nor Shamari Addison, with 10.56 and 10.57 seconds, respectively, advanced among the Under-20 boys. (SAT)

Shania Mottley won Barbados’ first medal, bronze in the Under-17 girls’ high jump, at the 2026 CARIFTA Games. (Picture by Jameel Springer)

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