Jamaica: Nikoli Blackman secured a new PB and CARIFTA record with an automatic PAN AM Games time of 50.07. He crushed both the record and his PB of 50.42 to take the Gold in 50.07. That also went under the automatic PAN AM Games time of 50.10.
Lifespan 007 Open Water Swim took to Facebook and stated that at the 2013 CARIFTA Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter won the 15-17 100 metre freestyle in a new record of 50.67. That lowered the previous 2012 mark of 50.99 set by team mate Joshua Romany. A decade later the nation remains the same but the record holder has changed. The new Gold medallist and record holder is Nikoli Blackman.
He crushed both the record and his PB of 50.42 to take the Gold in 50.07. That also went under the automatic PAN AM Games time of 50.10. He also got under the 2023 World Champs B time of 50.21.At the 2022 World Junior Championships he made the semi finals placing 12th in a time of 50.63. His new time would have got him into the medal race as it took 50.40 to make the top eight.
In 2022 won all the titles in all the regional competitions he competed in ,CARIFTA 51.39, PAN AM Age group swimming champs 50.91,Caribbean Games 50.42 and CCCAN 50.61.
He can now set his eyes on the national age group record and overall CARIFTA 15-17 best of 49.50 set by Carter. Dylan set that time in the semi finals of the event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He placed 5th in the final.
In the fastest ever CARIFTA medal podium James Allison of the Cayman Islands moved from fifth last year in 53.02 to 50.99.He is now the third fastest CARIFTA Championships performer of all time. James is just off the best Cayman Islands 15-17 time of 50.94 set by Shaune Fraser. Shaune set that at the semi finals of the race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The Bronze was won by Bahamian Marvin Johnson in a PB of 51.16.The Bahamas 15-17 mark stands at 50.52 to Lamar Taylor.
