Latest News
Jamaicans chase medals, Worlds qualification at NACAC
August 14, 2025
Twenty-one of the country's senior athletes will begin their hunt for medals on tomorrow's opening day of the three-day NACAC Senior Athletics Championships in Freeport, Bahamas.
For several of these athletes, it could also be one of their last chance to achieve the qualification standard for the World Athletics Championships, as the deadline for entries will close on August 24, approximately one week after the meet.
Fedrick Dacres, who will be seeking the qualification mark for Tokyo, along with Chad Wright, will be the first Jamaicans in action tomorrow. At 8:15 a.m. Jamaica time, they will contest the men's discus final, the first final of the Championships. Dacres has a season best of 66.30m and Wright 62.92m.
Sanique Walker and Janieve Russell will be the first Jamaican athletes on the track, competing in the preliminary round of the women's 400m hurdles at 8:55 a.m. Walker, with a season and personal best of 55.30 seconds, is ranked number two, while Russell, with a season best of 59.67, is ranked ninth.
At 9:30 a.m., Assinie Wilson (48.42) and Malik James King (48.49), who have both already booked their tickets for Tokyo, will contest the preliminary round of the men's 400m hurdles.
World Champs-bound Amoi Brown, coming off a fifth-place finish on Tuesday in the women's 100m hurdles at the Budapest World Continental Tour Gold meet, will contest the 100m hurdles at 10:35 a.m. alongside Yanique Thompson, the former World Youth gold medallist. Brown has a season best of 12.67 seconds, done at the National Senior Championships where she finished third, while Thompson's best is 12.78.
World Championships-bound Demario Prince and Jaheim Stern will contest the men's 110m hurdles. Prince has a season best of 13.12, and Stern 13.27.
Nickeisha Pryce (49.63) and Dejanea Oakley (49.65) will contest the first round of the women's 400m at 11:10 a.m., while national champion Rusheen McDonald and National Senior Championships runner-up Delano Kennedy will both make another attempt to hit the qualification standard for Tokyo in the men's 400m. McDonald, who won at the Championships in 44.89s -- just outside the 44.85 automatic standard -- failed in his recent bid two days ago in Budapest, finishing fifth in 45.28. Kennedy's best is 44.91.
The first session will close with the preliminary rounds of the women's and men's 100m, where athletes will hope to secure spots in the finals scheduled for later in the day.
Fourth-place finisher at the National Senior Championships, Jodean Williams (11.02), and fifth-place finisher, Jonielle Smith (11.03), will contest the women's 100m at 11:45 a.m., while Ryiem Forde and Shakur Williams will contest the men's 100m. Forde has a season best of 9.98, while Williams' season best is 10.23.
The second session will begin at 4:30 p.m., with Nia Robinson competing in the finals of the women's long jump for Jamaica, where she has a season best of 6.55m.
National record holder Navasky Anderson and national champion Tyrice Taylor will contest the preliminary round of the men's 800m.
Four track finals will close the opening day's competition: the women's 100m hurdles at 5:30 p.m., men's 110m hurdles at 5:45 p.m., women's 100m at 7:30 p.m., and men's 100m at 8 p.m.
