by R J Michaels

Grenada successfully fielded a highly efficient 8-member athletic delegation to the 2026 Association of National Olympic Committees of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (ANOCES) OECS Track and Field Championships in Basseterre, St Kitts, marking the return of the sub-regional event for the first time since 2017.

The small but potent contingent maximised their entries to re-establish the tri-island state’s competitiveness at the OECS senior level, returning home with a noteworthy haul of 4 gold and 3 bronze medals.

The Spice Isle athletes made immediate waves in the individual sessions, rewriting the local stadium record books across 4 distinct disciplines.

Grenada’s field and multi-event athletes continued to rack up podium points to round out the weekend’s successes.

In the Men’s Javelin, Jayvonni Neckles secured a bronze medal performance with a solid throw of 56.61m, finishing behind Antigua & Barbuda’s Malique Francis, who set a new national junior record of 66.11m.

Meanwhile, Cheffonia Houston pulled gruelling triple duty on the final day. Before executing a brilliant lead-off leg for the gold-medal mixed relay team, Houston placed 6th in the open women’s 400m (57.61s) and fought her way onto the podium in the Women’s Long Jump, capturing a bronze medal with a leap of 4.51m.

Grenada’s sprint core also made their presence felt in the open short sprints. In a highly competitive women’s 100-meter dash, Keishawna Phillip crossed the line in 12.11 seconds to take 6th place overall, while teammate Shade John clocked 12.38 seconds to secure eighth. The duo, alongside Thomas and Houston, were favoured to contest the Women’s 4x100m relay, but the event was ultimately cancelled by meet organisers.

With a 100% execution rate from the limited roster, the championship concludes a relatively successful regional campaign for Grenada’s senior athletes as they build vital momentum toward the peak of the summer athletic calendar.