Jamaica has always been a happy medal hunting ground for Barbados at the CARIFTA Games.
It is the place where Barbadian athletes have recorded their second and third highest medal hauls since the games started in 1972.
Led by former track and field darling Janelle Inniss, Barbados captured 26 medals at the 1996 edition in Kingston, including nine gold, eight silver, and nine bronze to finish second in the table behind the powerhouse host nation. Inniss captured the junior girls’ 800-metre at the time.
In 2011, Barbados went one medal better, gaining 27 in Montego Bay with Anthonio Mascoll, Jerrad Mason and Cindy Forde all winning golds in the 800 metres. The tally was nine gold, eight silver, and 10 bronze.
However, the land of wood and water is also where Barbados had its worse performance to date, only leaving with six medals – no gold, two silvers, and four bronze in 1982.
Barbados’ best outing at the games is at home in 1997 when the team won 33 medals – 11 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze. It was a memorable final day as well when then team captain Stephen Jones captured the senior boys’ 110-metre hurdles event in his swansong race in front of the home crowd.
This will be the eighth time the Games are staged in Jamaica. (1974, 1979, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1996, 2011).
In 2019 in Cayman Islands, Barbados captured 11 medals – three gold, four silver and four bronze. (AGB)