by RJ Michaels
- Smart produced winning throw of 65.09 metres — new personal best
- Gold medal effort finished 3.76 metres shy of 2024 CARIFTA Games record
- Claimed Junior title with best mark of 64.56 metres in InterCol 2026
Grenada celebrated its first gold medal of the 2026 CARIFTA Games on 4 April, as Deshawn Smart captured the Under‑17 Boys Javelin Throw title in emphatic fashion. Smart produced a winning throw of 65.09 metres, a new personal best, securing Grenada’s first — and only — medal at the close of Day 1 competition.
The gold medal effort finished 3.76 metres shy of the CARIFTA Games record of 68.85 metres, set by Maliek Francis of Antigua and Barbuda in 2024, but confirmed Smart’s status as one of the region’s leading young throwers.
Smart’s success at CARIFTA is the culmination of steady and measurable progress across both the primary and secondary school levels, highlighted by consistent improvements in competitive distances:
- 2023 GUT National Primary School Championships: Won the Under‑13 title with a throw of 30.24m, representing St Patrick’s Branch
- InterCol 2024: Placed 6th with a best throw of 36.62 metres
- InterCol 2025: Established a new Sub‑Junior record with a throw of 58.54 metres
- InterCol 2026: Claimed the Junior title with a best mark of 64.56 metres, contributing to St Andrew’s Anglican Secondary School’s (SAASS) overall sweep of the boys’ and girls’ divisions
- ARIZA National Championships 2026: Won the National Under‑17 title with a throw of 65.07 metres
- CARIFTA Games 2026: Captured Under‑17 gold with a personal best of 65.09 metres
Smart’s winning mark currently stands as the leading performance for the Grenadian delegation at the 2026 CARIFTA Games.
