By BRENT STUBBS 

Chief Sports Editor 

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, was hopping around the Hasely Crawford Stadium like an Easter bunny over the Easter holiday weekend.

Archer couldn’t contain himself as he paraded around saluting and congratulating the athletes as they competed at the 2025 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad & Tobago.

The 78-member team rose to the occasion, producing its best showing in more than a decade with a second-place finish and 37 medals, including 16 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze.

Although Team Bahamas gave Jamaica a run for their money over the first day of competition, the perennial kingpins slowly pulled away on the second day and ended with a flurry on the final day with 30 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze for their tally of 78 medals.

Host Trinidad & Tobago was third with 25 medals, inclusive of nine gold, six silver and 10 bronze.

At one point, Archer was hopping again telling the local media that despite what the medal count showed, the Bahamas “won CARIFTA,” based on its tremendous showing from day one.

“CARIIFTA has come to a close and as predicted, I’m very pleased with the performances,” said Archer after the games came to a close on Monday night with the under-20 boys adding the final pieces of the puzzle to The Bahamas’ success.

“I was not expecting the gold-medal rush that we had because we exceeded the 15-gold medal barrier,” he pointed out.

“As you were aware, in 1981, we got 15 medals and in 1990 we got 15 medals, but in 1984, amassed a total of 19 gold medals.

“And after the performances here, we amassed a total of 16 gold medals and that puts us as the second highest performing team in the history of CARIFTA for Team Bahamas.”

As elated as could be like the energiser bunny, Archer said he was happy that they achieved the goal with such a young team that was led by the 1-2 punch of Eagen Neely and Jahcario Wilson, who both got two individual gold medals and a pair of gold medal relay teams.

Neely electrified the crowd with his performances in winning the under-17 boys’ 400m from lane eight and coming from behind in lane four to snatch the 200m gold medal, while Wilson dominated both the under-17 boys 110 and 400m hurdles.

Archer was so energised that he said that the BAAA will be looking at improving on the performance in Trinidad & Tobago by coming back next year wherever the 53rd edition of the biggest junior track and field competition in the region takes place.

And he said they will continue to pursue Jamaica with the view of dethroning them again. The Bahamas not only brought home the hardware, but the team of Jonathan Higgs, Wilson, Jireh Woodside and Neely shattered the games’ under-17 boys’ 4 x 400m record in 3:12.72; Jade Ferguson got a games’ record in the open girls’ pole vault (3.10m); team captain Annae Mackey got a junior national record in the under-20 girls’ discus (55.87m) and the quartet of Zion Davis, Aiden Kelly, Emmanuel Adams and Zion Miller pulled the curtain down on the games with their junior national record of 3:06.18 for the final gold in the under-20 boys’ 4 x 400m relay.