A number of athletes secured qualification for the 2026 CARIFTA Games over the weekend during the Dominica Athletic Association’s 1st CARIFTA Trials at Benjamin’s Park in Portsmouth.
Four sprinters lit up the track in the 100m event, officially booking their tickets to CARIFTA 2026.
In the Under-17 Boys 100m, Keyoni Esprit of the Pioneers Athletics Club clocked an impressive 10.8 seconds, while Delanie George of Aspirers Athletics Club followed closely in 11.0 seconds to secure qualification.
On the girls’ side, Kedella Victor of Aspirers Athletics Club ran 12.2 seconds in the U17 Girls 100m to punch her ticket, while Akiesha Luke of Pioneers Athletics Club clocked 11.9 seconds to qualify in the U20 Girls category.
Esprit and George returned on Day Two to stamp their authority once again in the U17 Boys 200m. Esprit crossed the line in 22.8 seconds, with George right behind in 22.9 seconds.
Field events also produced standout performances. Khumaar John-Baptist qualified in the U20 Triple Jump after setting a new U18 National Record of 14.77m. He also established a new U18 National Record in the High Jump but narrowly missed the CARIFTA qualifying standard in that event.
Zaiden Cornelius of Aspirers Athletics Club secured qualification in the U17 Javelin with a throw of 51.83m.
With these performances, Team Dominica now stands at 10 qualified athletes for CARIFTA 2026, the largest contingent of qualified athletes in the nation’s history.
