Junior athletes shine bright in stellar season

The year 2025 was another good one for the country’s junior athletes, with the likes of Briana Campbell, Shanoya Douglas, and Sabrina Dockery on the girls’ side, and Gary Card among the boys, producing outstanding individual performances.

Though the World Under-20 Championships was not on the calendar last year, several of the country’s junior athletes were still ranked highly in their respective events.

Campbell rules the world

Leading the way was Campell, a former St Jago High School sprint hurdler, who ruled the world in the women’s 100-metre hurdles. Campbell, who forewent her final year of eligibility at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), was the highest-ranked under-20 athlete in the country.

A freshman at Life University Junior College in Georgia, she clocked a personal best 13.01 seconds in winning the women’s 100m hurdles at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships at Wildcat Track in Marion, Indiana, in May. That time placed her on top of the world among her peers in the event.

Campbell, who has since transferred to Division One Clemson University where she will be guided by Jamaica’s Lennox Graham, also ended second on the World Under-20 indoor list in the 60m hurdles with a best of 8.09 seconds, done in Gainesville, Florida.

Following behind Campbell in the female rankings was former Lacovia High sprinter Sabrina Dockery. Dockery, who late last year signed a professional contract with Adidas and is now training overseas, was the fastest Jamaican woman in the 100 metres. She clocked a personal best 11.08 seconds to win the Class 1 event at Champs in March. That winning time placed her at number four on the World Under-20 top list.

It was also an outstanding year for former Muschett High School athlete Douglas. Douglas, who transferred to neighbouring Trelawny school, Holland High at the start of the 2025–26 season, was a double individual champion at both Champs, held in March, and the Carifta Games held in April at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad.

Douglas posted personal best times of 11.26 seconds and 23.02 seconds to win the under-20 sprint double at the Carifta Games, with the latter time seeing her ranked number 11 on the World Under-20 top list in the event. She was also a member of the winning Under-20 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, walking away with four gold medals at the Carifta Games.

Other notable individual performances among the women came from Kelly-Ann Carr of Edwin Allen High and Natassia Fletcher of Hydel High in the 400m hurdles. Carr won the event at Champs in 57.41 seconds, which placed her 19th overall on the World Athletics top list, while Fletcher, who was second in 57.92 seconds, was ranked 25th.

Card impresses

Wolmer’s Boys’ School sprinter, Gary Card, was the standout at the junior level. The 18-year-old had an outstanding year in both the 100 and 200 metres, ending it as the highest-ranked male Jamaican junior.

Card, who captured the Class 1 100 metres at Champs, posted a personal best 10.06 seconds in his semi-final, which put him at number seven on the World Under-20 top list. He was also the top Jamaican male in the 200 metres, as his time of 20.53 seconds, done at an earlier meet in March at the National Stadium, saw him ranked 17th in the event.

Former Calabar High intermediate hurdler Robert Miller was also a standout. Miller, who transferred to Hydel High for the upcoming season, posted a personal best 50.31 seconds in winning the men’s 400m hurdles at the National Junior Championships. Miller, who fell in the finals of the event at Champs, went on to win the Under-20 title at the Carifta Games in 50.42 seconds.

Hydel, KC claim Champs

Hydel and Kingston College ruled supreme at Champs in contrasting fashion. In a major upset, Hydel captured their second team title in three years after dethroning 10-time champions Edwin Allen. In a cliff-hanger, the Ferry-based institution tallied 277 points, with Edwin Allen finishing on 266 and Holmwood Technical closing the top three on 239.5 points.

Celebrating the school’s 100th anniversary, it was a timely birthday present for the North Street-based Kingston College, who recorded a convincing victory for their 36th overall title. They scored a whopping 277 points, leaving Calabar on 229.25 and a disappointing Jamaica College on 207 in second and third respectively, making it four wins in a row.

Jamaica dominates Carifta again

Once again, it was the same story at the Carifta Games, as the annual Under-20 and Under-17 championships saw the country’s junior athletes delivering another dominant performance. Jamaica ended with 78 medals – 30 gold, 27 silver, and 21 bronze – with nearest rivals Bahamas far behind in second with 37 medals, including 16 gold, 13 silver, and eight bronze.