by Petra Williams
The 2026 ABAA National Championships delivered far more than medals, records, and podium celebrations; it offered an energising reminder of the depth, ambition, and promise within Antigua and Barbuda athletics.
Over two days of competition at the YASCO Sports Complex, athletes representing clubs from Antigua and Barbuda and Montserrat delivered a lively showcase of talent, development, and competitive spirit that continues to advance the sport.
By the time the final relay teams crossed the finish line, two athletes had pulled away from an impressive field. Tyra Fenton of Roots Athletics Club and Dwayne Flemming of PSE Sports Club were named the Outstanding Female and Outstanding Male Athletes, respectively, capping championship performances that defined the weekend.
Just as encouraging, the championships highlighted a sport gaining strength across clubs, disciplines, and age groups.
Day One Sets the Tone
The opening day quickly set an upbeat tone, with headline performances arriving almost from the first gun.
PSE Sports Club’s Dwayne Flemming announced himself as a major contender by capturing the Men’s Open 100m title, reminding athletics fans of his quality while establishing himself as one of the athletes to watch throughout the championships.
The women’s sprint division proved equally competitive, with Geolyna Dowdye, also of PSE Sports Club, securing gold in the Women’s Open 100m, one of the marquee victories of the opening day. CARIFTA gold medallist and reigning national sprint standout Tyra Fenton of Roots Athletics Club opened her account by winning the Women’s Open 400m in 53.78 seconds. Her club colleague Jaeda Pigott began what would become one of the most impressive campaigns of the championships by winning the Women’s Open 800m in 2:21.04.
Meanwhile, Supernova Athletics Club’s Craig Prendergast demonstrated exceptional versatility by capturing gold in the Men’s Open 400m Hurdles while later adding bronze in the Men’s Open 400m.
The field events also produced quality performances, including Alyssa Dyett’s victory in the Women’s Long Jump for PSE and Phillip Telemaque’s silver-medal effort in the Men’s High Jump.
By the end of Day One, the championships had already built genuine momentum for an exciting conclusion.
Tyra Fenton Leads a Powerful Roots Challenge
If there was one athlete who best captured the confidence and excitement of the championships, it was Tyra Fenton.
Already recognised as one of Antigua and Barbuda’s brightest young athletics prospects, the 16-year-old delivered a performance worthy of her growing reputation.
Adding to her 400m gold, she returned to capture the Women’s Open 200 metres crown in 23.59 seconds.
Her influence extended beyond the individual events. Although originally scheduled for Day One, the Women’s Open 4×100 metre relay was contested on the final day, with Roots Athletics Club storming to victory in 48.28 seconds. Fenton formed part of the championship-winning quartet, adding relay gold to her individual successes.
The combination of 200m gold, 400m gold and relay gold made her the obvious choice for Outstanding Female Athlete honours.
Roots’ success extended well beyond Fenton with fifteen-year-old Jaeda Pigott emerging as one of the stars of the meet, completing a remarkable double by winning both the Women’s Open 800m and 1500m. She also added bronze in the Women’s Open 400m, showcasing rare versatility across sprint and endurance disciplines.
The club’s depth was further reflected through Aj’marie Davis, who secured bronze in the Girls Under-15 400m with a personal best performance, while Roots also captured the Men’s Open 4x400m relay title.
Collectively, the performances positioned Roots as one of the championship’s most complete and encouraging programmes.
Flemming Powers PSE Sprint Dominance
Dwayne Flemming emerged as the standout force in the men’s sprints.
After opening the championships with victory in the Men’s Open 100m, Flemming returned to produce one of the meet’s premier performances, capturing the Men’s Open 200m title in 20.65 seconds. He would also be pivotal in the 4*100m relay silver medal for his club, PSE.
The sprint double made him a compelling choice for Outstanding Male Athlete honours.
PSE’s strength in the sprints extended beyond Flemming. Jalen Dyett secured silver in the Men’s Open 200m in 20.78 seconds, while Kasiya Daley claimed bronze in 21.11 seconds, giving the club a sweep of the podium.
The club also enjoyed success in the field events. Alyssa Dyett captured the Women’s Long Jump title with a leap of 5.10 m, Phillip Telemaque secured silver in the Men’s High Jump, and Ajaharye Williams earned silver in the Men’s Long Jump.
Among the younger athletes, Kiarah Simon claimed the Girls Under-15 200m title, highlighting the next generation emerging within the PSE programme.
Phoenix Continues to Build Through Youth and Distance
Phoenix Track Club once again demonstrated the value of long-term athlete development.
The club’s youngest champion was seven-year-old Zaire Simms, who captured gold in the Boys Under-9 150m.
Gideon Martyr added another title in the Boys Under-13 200m, while Joshua Harriet secured bronze in the same event.
In the senior ranks, Anika James produced one of the most productive championship campaigns of any athlete. She captured gold in the Women’s Open 3000m, silver in the Women’s Open 1500m and bronze in the Women’s Open 800m.
The performances reflected a club steadily developing athletes across multiple disciplines and age groups.
Supernova Delivers Across the Spectrum
Few clubs demonstrated as much breadth as Supernova.
Craig Prendergast’s victory in the Men’s Open 400m Hurdles and bronze in the Men’s Open 400m highlighted the club’s strength among senior athletes.
Meanwhile, Shawn-Ze Joseph emerged as one of the country’s most promising middle-distance runners, securing silver in the Men’s Open 800m and bronze in the Men’s Open 1500m.
The younger ranks also delivered encouraging results through Neriah Henry, Kymilah Choy, Xe’vawriq Martin and Aiyanna Christian, who all reached the podium in their respective age groups.
Supernova’s performances pointed to a healthy development pipeline capable of producing talent from the junior ranks through to senior competition.
Wings, Tigers and the Emerging Programmes
The championships also underscored the importance of the smaller clubs that continue to nurture future talent.
Wings Sports Club enjoyed notable success in the younger divisions, highlighted by Khloe Foster and Bryce Jones, and also secured several additional podium finishes.
Tiger’s Track Club remained competitive at the senior level, with Janisha Spencer and Deon Shaw both reaching Open finals in highly competitive sprint events.
Together, those performances reinforced one of the most positive themes of the championships: talent is emerging from every corner of the athletics community.
Beyond the Medals
The success of the 2026 ABAA National Championships was not measured solely by times, distances, and podium finishes.
Behind the scenes, a team led by Competition Director Kesswin Anthony, Meeting Manager Shawnor Charles-Joseph, and Technical Manager Jamille Nelson worked to deliver a championship that reflected both the progress already made and the ambitions still ahead for athletics in Antigua and Barbuda.
Speaking with Spectator Sports following the championships, Nelson expressed satisfaction with the overall standard and execution of the meet while acknowledging the challenges that remain. “The main challenge would be getting the facility resurfaced so all athletes would be able to compete at the optimum level and to increase participation to a level where we can comfortably host a junior and senior championship,” Nelson said.
He also highlighted the need to improve the spectator experience by constructing a grandstand capable of accommodating larger crowds.
Yet amid those challenges, Nelson pointed to one significant achievement. “One success story would be that for the first time ever; we had results posted live for the world to see.”
Kesswin Anthony, Competition Director, echoed the positive assessment. “Barring the slight interruption of the rain on Day One, I’m pretty pleased and satisfied that all other aspects of the competition were run smoothly,” he said. “We had some good performances from our rising stars, Tyra Fenton and Dwayne Flemming, who were both judged the most outstanding female and male athletes of the meet.”
He acknowledged that the absence of prominent athletes, including Cejhae Greene, Joella Lloyd, and LaNica George, affected both attendance and the competitive landscape, but the championships still produced enough quality and optimism to stand on their own.
For Anthony, however, two moments stood above all others.
The first was technological. For the first time in the history of the championships, the event was livestreamed on both days, reaching audiences not only in Antigua and Barbuda but also in Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and the United States.
The second was competitive. For the first time in Antigua and Barbuda’s history, the 400m hurdles was contested at the National Championships. With no competitors alongside him, Craig Prendergast stepped onto the track and delivered a performance that earned enthusiastic applause from spectators and established another milestone in the development of the sport.
A Sport Moving Forward
The 2026 ABAA National Championships will be remembered as a spirited, forward-looking weekend for the sport.
From seven-year-old Zaire Simms sprinting to victory in the Under-9 division to Kiarah Simon’s youth success, to Jaeda Pigott’s middle-distance dominance, and to the continued emergence of athletes such as Shawn-Ze Joseph and Craig Prendergast, the championships showcased a healthy progression across multiple disciplines.
For the clubs, the weekend represented the reward for months of training, sacrifice, and development.
For athletics in Antigua and Barbuda, it offered something equally valuable: confidence that the next generation is already emerging, competing, winning, and giving the sport every reason to look ahead with conviction.
For two outstanding athletes, Tyra Fenton and Dwayne Flemming, it was a championship weekend that made defining statements. Their names topped the honours list, and they, along with the other gold medallists, now stand as brightsymbols of a sport whose future appears firmly in motion.