Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer

Jamaica's Waquar DaCosta celebrates with the national flag after winning the boys' Under-17 1500m on Saturday at the CARIFTA Games in St Kitts. - Anthony Foster

Basseterre, St Kitts:

Jamaica closed the 37th CARIFTA Games here at the Bird Rock Athletics Stadium in style yesterday by sweeping the 4x400m relays.

In the end, Jamaica ended with 69 medals - 29 gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze to finish ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (10G, 10S, 10B); Bahamas (8G, 3S, 12B); Barbados (7G, 10S, 9B) and Martinique (5G, 3S, 6B).

In the Under-17 girls' 4x400m, Petra Fanty, Shericka Jackson, Danielle Dowie, and Sandrae Farquharson secured victory in 3:39.62 ahead of St Kitts & Nevis (3:49.13) while the boys' team of Nolan Williams, Roland Reid, A-Shawni Mitchell and Javere Bell won in 3:19.26 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:21.20).

In the Under-20 section, the girls' quartet of Kayon Robinson, Shana-Gaye Tracey, Nikita Tracey and Alecia Cutenar won in 3:39.12 ahead of Trinidad & Tobago (3:43.63).

The boys' Under-20 quartet of Keiron Stewart, Ramone McKenzie, Nickel Ashmeade and Andre Peart clocked 3:09.71 to beat Trinidad & Tobago (3:11.34).

Individually, Ashmeade and Stewart were the star performers on the day.

In the boys' Under-20 200m, Ashmeade, supported by a very strong 5.2 metres per second (mps) wind, well above the legal limit, stormed to victory in 20.16 seconds ahead of Ramone McKenzie (20.33) and Trinidad & Tobago's Kendall Bacchus (20.78).

Ashemade was very happy. "I went out there just to do my best, and despite the fact that I was feeling a little pain, I wanted to do my best and that what I did," Ashmeade said.

Stewart, however, was the most impressive on the day by taking the boys' Under-20 110m hurdles in 13.50 seconds, one hundredth of a second outside his own national junior record set last year in Turks and Caicos Islands.

In dominating the field from start to finish, Stewart, running in a negative wind, defeated his teammate Warren Weir, who celebrated Jamaica's one-two even before he crossed the line in 14.13.

Jamaica picked up medals in all the other obstacle events. Rosemarie Carty was beaten by a fast-finishing Kierre Beckles of Barbados, who broke Jamaica's Shermaine Williams' one-year-old mark of 13.51 with her well-executed 13.43. Carty was second in 13.63 while Janelle Gordon, who stumbled at the first hurdle, was seventh in 14.99.

Samantha Elliott, who failed to finish the 300m hurdles on Sunday, returned to pocket silver in the girls' Under-17 100m hurdles. Elliott was timed in 14.17 behind Barbados' Kenrisha Brathwaite (14.04).

In the girls' Under-20 200m, Jura Levy ran a personal-best 23.28 seconds to finish third behind Bahamian Nivea Smith (23.01) and St Kitts and Nevis (23.11).

Earl Lee was also third in the boys' Under-17 event in 21.89 behind Grenada's Kirani James (21.38) and Moriba Morain of Trinidad & Tobago (21.74).

In the 800m events, Jamaica won all but the boys' Under-20 where Gavyn Nero (1:51.94) beat Theon O'Connor (1:52.49) and Bermuda's Aaron Evans (1:52.61).

Natoya Goule, who led from start to finish in the girls' Under-20, posted a personal best of 2:05.90 to beat Trinidad & Tobago's Afiya Walker who fell way back off the pace to finish second in 2:10.20.

Goule was pleased with her run, but more so with her personal best. "This race was comfortable," she said. "I could have pushed more, but I did not want to blaze too much and don't get to PR, but 2:05.90 ... I am very proud of myself."

Chantal Duncan (2:13.46) and Ristananna Tracey (2:13.77) gave Jamaica a one-two finish in the girls' Under-17 800m while Javere Bell (1:56.12) and Waquar DaCosta (1:58.99) finished first and third for Jamaica, split by Antonio Mascoll of Barbados (1:56.68).

Natoya Goule wins the under-20 800m in a personal-best 2:05.90 on yesterday's final day of the 2008 CARIFTA Games in Basseterre, St KItts. - Anthony Foster