The Bahamas will be strong in the sprint hurdles at CARIFTA

There’s a new phenomenon brewing in track and field locally right now, and it’s in the sprint hurdles on the junior side.

The Bahamas is loaded in that area heading into the 52nd CARIFTA Games over the Easter holiday weekend in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

There were seven qualifiers for The Bahamas for the CARIFTA Games in the four divisions at the Splice & Connect/Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) CARIFTA Trials at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium over the weekend.

As a result, The Bahamas will be well represented in the sprint hurdles heading into Trinidad, as there will be eight athletes competing — two in each age group.

In the under-17 girls division, Jayla Smith and Jasmine Thompson will be the flag bearers for The Bahamas. The Bahamas will be represented by Jahcario Wilson and Rohman Rolle in the under-17 boys division. Darvinique Dean and Bayli Major will carry the hopes of the country in the under-20 girls division, and Jehiel Smikle and Tahj Brown will compete for The Bahamas in the under-20 boys division.

Nassau Guardian Sports was able to catch up with three of the four J’s in the sprint hurdles — Jayla, Jahcario and Jehiel. All three go to St. Augustine’s College (SAC) and all three won their respective events at the Splice & Connect/BAAA CARIFTA Trials.

Smith, a 14-year-old 10th grader, said she’s looking forward to the experience. She’ll be competing in her first CARIFTA Games, representing The Bahamas in the under-17 girls 100 meters (m) hurdles.

“I’m excited. It feels good,” she said. “I worked very hard for this moment and it’s very exciting getting to this point. I’m looking forward to the experience — the culture and just the feeling of being at CARIFTA.”

Smith said she was pleasantly surprised when her name was called as a member of the team because she wasn’t sure if she had made it, and now the work doesn’t stop. She said she feels she needs to sharpen up on some skills before going to Trinidad. She won her event easily at the trials, running 14.89 seconds.

“I have to work on my drive phase and snapping down off the hurdles a bit more. I feel good. I’m just excited to go there and compete. I’m looking to perform at my best and just have a good time in Trinidad,” she said. “I want to thank my parents, my coaches, my family members, my godparents, my Star Trackers family and my CDC (Calvary Deliverance Church) family for all the support. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The sprint hurdles will be one of the final individual events of the CARIFTA Games. The heats are set for the morning session on Easter Monday and the finals will be held in the evening session.

Smith and Thompson are expected to represent The Bahamas well in the under-17 girls 100m hurdles in Trinidad.

Wilson, a 15-year-old 10th grader at SAC, is a favorite for a gold medal in the under-17 boys 110m hurdles at CARIFTA. He goes into the three-day CARIFTA Games with the fastest time in the region — a personal best time of 13.44 seconds, which was done at the Splice & Connect/BAAA CARIFTA Trials.

Not only that, but according to World Athletics Top Performance List for 2025, Wilson has the fastest time in the world for under-17 athletes for 2025. He’s looking to perform at his best in Trinidad.

“I feel like I still have some work to do. I have to fix my trail leg and be a lil smoother over the hurdles,” said Wilson. “The goal is to go to CARIFTA and win gold. I’m looking forward to it.”

Wilson won the under-17 boys 110m hurdles at the trials by more than a full second. Rohman Rolle was a distant second in 14.77 seconds and both re-qualified for CARIFTA, going under the qualifying time of 14.87 seconds. Wilson also competes in the 400m hurdles, and has the fastest time in the world for under-17 boys in that event as well. Both Wilson and Rolle are expected to perform well in Trinidad.

In the under-20 girls division, Dean and Major will be a formidable 1-2 punch for The Bahamas in Trinidad, with both being medal contenders. Major won at the trials, running 14.21 seconds, and Dean was a close second in 14.23 seconds. They both re-qualified for CARIFTA, going under the standard of 14.68 seconds.

In the under-20 boys division, Smikle saved his best performance of the season for the trials, running a personal best time of 13.88 seconds to go under the CARIFTA qualifying time of 14.20 seconds legally for the first time this season. It came at exactly the right time for him, booking his ticket to Trinidad & Tobago for the CARIFTA Games. Brown was second in that final in 14.06 seconds after running 13.96 in the heats, qualifying for CARIFTA as well.

“I just want to thank God, my coaches, my family and everyone who helped me get to this point. Hopefully, I could go to CARIFTA and bring back a medal to The Bahamas,” said Smikle. “It took a lot of hard work to get to this point. I feel good with where I’m at and I’m ready to run.”

Smikle, an 18-year-old 12th grader at SAC, said he’s confident in his ability going into CARIFTA. He and Brown are expected to be a great 1-2 punch for The Bahamas, with both being in contention for a medal. Both have run under 14 seconds legally, which could be considered the benchmark for quality 110m hurdles performances for junior athletes in the region.

All things considered, The Bahamas could look forward to some high-level performances from the sprint hurdlers at the 52nd CARIFTA Games, set for the Easter holiday weekend, April 19-21, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

The Bahamas’ 78-member team will leave for Trinidad next week Thursday and will return to The Bahamas on Tuesday April 22.