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National Association of Athletic Administration of Trinidad and Tobago (NAAATT) general secretary Jehue Gordon has hailed Trinidad and Tobago’s 19-medal haul at the 2026 NACAC Under-18 and Under-23 Track and Field Championships, calling the performance a vital and encouraging step forward for the country’s development pathway.
Competing at high altitude at the Una Nueva Historia Sports Complex Stadium in Tlaxcala, Mexico, T&T’s 31-athlete contingent punched well above their weight to secure four gold, seven silver, and eight bronze medals.
“We are certainly pleased with the overall performance of the team,” Gordon said. “To come away from the NACAC U-18 and U-23 Championships with 19 medals, four gold, seven silver and eight bronze, is a very encouraging result for T&T and our athletics programme.
“What stood out for us was not only the medal count, but the number of athletes who produced personal best performances and stepped up when given the opportunity to represent the country. We were able to see strong performances across our track and field events, and the team remained competitive throughout the Championships.”
Spearheading T&T’s effort was teenage sprint sensation Eden Chee Wah. The Memphis Pioneers standout emerged as T&T’s most decorated athlete of the meet, showcasing her dominance in the Girls’ U-18 division.
Chee Wah saved her best for the final day, speeding to the 200m crown in a wind-aided 23.10 seconds. The gold-medal sprint completed a historic individual treble of podium finishes for Chee Wah, who earlier shattered national records with a blistering 52.48-second run for silver in the 400m—establishing a new T&T U-18 and U-20 benchmark.
Chee Wah’s stellar run anchored a powerhouse four-gold performance for the national team. Joining her on top of the podium were Mekhi Guishard-Yearwood (Point Fortin New Jets), who stormed to victory in the Boys’ U-18 100m in a personal-best 10.33.
Lalenii Grant (Mercury) hurled the discus 53.72m to claim the Women’s U-23 title and Janae De Gannes (Concorde) soared to gold in the Women’s U-23 long jump with a personal-best leap of 6.58m.
“At the U-18 and U-23 level, development is extremely important to us as this is an important transition pathway,” said the former World champion. “These Championships provide another opportunity for our young athletes to gain valuable international experience and understand what is required to compete at a higher level.”
T&T’s silver rush highlighted the squad’s depth across both individual and relay disciplines. Nyla Kerr showcased great range, grabbing silver in the Girls’ U-18 800m in 2:10.68, a personal best, before teaming up with Chee Wah, La Queen Welch, and Soleil-Marie Caruth to snatch silver in the 4x400m relay (3:44.72).
In the boys’ version, the U-18 4x400m quartet of twin brothers Khordel and Khordae Lewis, Brion Scott, and Christopher Sammy secured silver in 3:13.35.
In individual events, Aaron Charles clocked a wind-aided 20.19 seconds for silver in the Men’s U-23 200m, while Tobago Falcons’ LeBron James tossed his way to silver in the U-23 javelin (69.24m). Keneisha Shelbourne rounded out the second-place finishes with a strong 13.18m effort in the triple jump.
An additional eight bronze medals added shine to the final tally, featuring double-podium performances. Kerr claimed her third medal of the meet with bronze in the U-18 1500m, while Jael Peters took third in the U-18 200m behind teammate Chee Wah.
Reflecting on the collective effort throughout the three-day meet, Gordon praised the support staff behind the athletes.
“We must also acknowledge the coaches, management and support staff for the work they put in throughout the Championships,” Gordon said. “Overall, we are proud of the team, proud of the way they represented Trinidad and Tobago, and we see this as another positive step in the continued development of our athletes.”
T&T medals
Gold
Eden Chee Wah – Girls U-18 200m
Lalenii Grant – Women U-23 discus
Mekhi Guishard-Yearwood – Boys U-18 100m
Janae De Gannes- Women U-23 long jump
Silver
Eden Chee Wah – Girls U-18 400m
Nyla Kerr – Girls U-18 800m
Aaron Charles – Men U-23 200m
Keneisha Shelbourne Women U23 Triple jump
LeBron James – Men U- 23 javelin
Girls U-18 4x400m relay (Chee Wah, Kerr, La Queen Welch, Soleil-Marie Caruth)
Boys U-18 4x400m relay (Khordel Lewis, Khordae Lewis, Brion Scott, Christopher Sammy)
Bronze
Nyla Kerr – Girls U-18 1500m
Aniqah Bailey – Women U-23 1500m
Jael Peters – Girls U18 200m
Tenique Vincent Women U23 Heptathlon
Dorian Charles – Men 23 javelin
J’Quan Douglas – Boys U-18 100m
Giana Paul – Women U-23 long jump
Jaafair Shaw – Boys U-18 discus
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