Caymanians Davonte Howell and Rasheem Brown delivered dominant performances at the inaugural Barbados Grand Prix, both taking first place in their respective events.
The Barbados Grand Prix, pioneered by Barbadian national athlete Aren Spencer and held 5 July at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, brought together 112 handpicked national and regional athletes, establishing a new format for track and field.
Athletes who accepted the invitation to participate in the meet became eligible to enter the draft and competed for a spot on one of the four Grand Prix teams: Panthers, Outlaws, Lions and Eagles.
Olympian Davonte Howell, representing team Outlaws, put on the “show” he hoped for in front of his extended family in the men’s 100 metre sprint.
He powered through to the finish line with an impressive first-place time of 10.15 seconds.
During his media interview after his victory, Howell said, “Honestly, it feels amazing”, adding, “It’s my first time running in Barbados … [and] in front of most of my family members, so I know they were really excited [and] I’m glad that I could bring home a win for them.”
Looking toward his upcoming competitions, Howell confirmed his focus remains on execution, having fun and winning his races rather than solely on the times he achieves in the event.
Brown, a last-minute addition to team Lions, made a significant impact in the men’s 110m hurdles, clocking a season-best time of 13.50 seconds to clinch first place.
His victory marked the third win for team Lions at the one-day meet, contributing valuable points to their overall second-place finish.
An elated Brown remarked in his post-race media interview, “It’s kind of a breakthrough time for me right now because I’ve been stuck at a certain time, but it shows that I have potential later on in the season to run faster so I am pretty excited. I didn’t want to leave [Barbados] not happy, so now I am happy.”
The team-based competition saw the Panthers emerge as the champions, followed by the Lions in second, the Outlaws in third, and the Eagles in fourth.
