Nahjah Wyatte strikes gold for St. Maarten at CARIFTA Games

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada--Nahjah Wyatte delivered a major moment for St. Maarten athletics on Monday, winning gold in the boys Under-17 800 meters at the 53rd CARIFTA Games in Grenada, with local reports putting his winning time at 1:53.26. Independent race-result listings also show that Wyatte entered the final as the fastest qualifier after running 1:58.16 in the preliminaries.

The result capped a strong CARIFTA campaign for the 15-year-old St. Maarten athlete, who had already shown his range earlier in the meet by qualifying for the boys Under-17 400-meter final and finishing eighth there in 51.13 seconds.

Wyatte’s path to gold was built on composure and form. In the 800-meter preliminaries, he posted the best time across all heats at 1:58.16, ahead of Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Najeeb Kelly and Kymarni Newton, which immediately marked him as a serious contender going into the final.

By the time the final arrived, Wyatte delivered when it mattered most. Local coverage from St. Maarten outlets reported that he surged to victory in the Under-17 800 meters, giving the country a headline result on one of the biggest junior athletics stages in the Caribbean.

His performance also stood out because the CARIFTA Games remain the region’s premier proving ground for young track and field talent, regularly featuring the best junior athletes from across the Caribbean. To win there, especially in a tactical middle-distance event like the 800 meters, requires not only speed but judgment, discipline, and nerve. That is what Wyatte showed for St. Maarten in Grenada.

For St. Maarten, the gold is more than a medal. It is a reminder that even a small delegation can produce performances that command regional attention, and that the island’s young athletes can line up against the Caribbean’s traditional powerhouses and come out on top. Wyatte’s win now gives St. Maarten one of its standout stories from CARIFTA 2026.

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