CARIFTA GAMES 2026: Guyana smashes 4x400m Mixed Relay record; wins five medals on day one

Guyana’s burgeoning track and field stars signalled their dominance on the opening day of the 53rd CARIFTA Games in Grenada, shattering a major record and hauling in five medals to set the Kirani James Athletics Stadium alight.

The highlight of a scintillating Saturday night came in the 4x400m Mixed Relay, where the Guyanese quartet did not just win—they obliterated the record books.

The team of Tishawn Easton, Akeela Dover, Malachi Austin, and Tianna Springer clocked a staggering 3:20.79s to take gold.

In a testament to the surging quality of Caribbean athletics, all three podium finishers dipped under the previous record of 3:23.51s (set by Guyana in 2024).

Jamaica followed in 3:22.27s for silver, while the Bahamas took bronze in 3:23.11s.

Moreover, Guyana continues to hold both the CARIFTA Games and Commonwealth Youth Games 4x400m mixed relay records.

It is a testament to the programme’s continuity, as both Austin and Springer were members of the 2023 Commonwealth squad that clocked 3:22.07 in Trinidad.

Earlier in the evening, Guyana’s star duo proved why the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s elite programmes in the United States of America recruited them.

Austin, now a freshman at Louisiana State University, bid farewell to his final CARIFTA Games in style. Fresh off setting a South American U20 record (45.37s), Austin controlled the Boys U20 400m final from the break, clocking 46.01s to reclaim the title he first won in 2024.

Tianna Springer, the University of Georgia standout, continued her unprecedented streak of CARIFTA dominance.

She secured gold in the Girls U20 400m in 52.47s. While she fell short of her sub-51.30s record goal, the victory marks her fourth consecutive CARIFTA gold across the U17 and U20 levels since 2023.

The medals weren’t limited to the long sprints as Guyana’s middle-distance athletes showed immense heart in two of the night’s most tactical battles:

In the Boys U17 1500m, Jermaine Shepherd was involved in a lung-bursting home-stretch duel. He missed out on gold by a mere 0.20s, clocking 4:11.12s behind Jamaica’s Jevaughn Tomlin.

Additionally, the seasoned campaigner in Javon Roberts added to Guyana’s tally in the Boys U20 1500m, finishing a hard-fought third in 4:01.42s in a race won by Jamaica’s Joel Morgan.

In the 100m dashes, Onesi Dunn (10.54s) and Malique Kendall (10.94s) both secured sixth-place finishes in the U20 and U17 finals, respectively, gaining valuable experience against the region’s fastest teenagers.

Action continues Sunday morning at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium, with Guyana looking to build on their most successful opening day in recent history.

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Day One Medal Tally

Gold (3): Malachi Austin (U20 400m), Tianna Springer (U20 400m), 4x400m Mixed Relay.

Silver (1): Jermaine Shepherd (U17 1500m).

Bronze (1): Javon Roberts (U20 1500m).