Geolyna Dowdye stole the spotlight for Antigua and Barbuda on Saturday, producing a championship-record performance to capture gold in the women’s 200 metres as the country’s athletes enjoyed another successful day at the 2026 OECS Athletics Championships in Basseterre, St Kitts.

The national sprinter powered to victory in 23.28 seconds, erasing the previous championships record of 23.30 set in 2017 by British Virgin Islands standout Tahesia Harrigan-Scott. The performance secured Antigua and Barbuda’s first gold medal of the championships and highlighted a day that saw the twin-island nation collect five medals across the track and field.

Dowdye’s triumph was complemented by a historic performance from javelin thrower Zonique Charles, who claimed silver with a throw of 42.92 metres. In addition to earning a place on the podium, Charles rewrote the national record books, surpassing the previous Antigua and Barbuda mark of 41.11 metres set by Amanda Edwards at the 2007 CARIFTA Games in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Zonique Charles

Earlier in the competition, Christopher Johnson got Antigua and Barbuda onto the medal table with a silver-medal finish in the men’s shot put. Johnson produced a best effort of 16.31 metres to secure second place.

Christopher Johnson

The country’s sprinters then capped off an impressive day in the men’s 200 metres, where Jalen Dyett raced to silver in 20.94 seconds before teammate Kadeem Campbell crossed the line in 21.11 seconds to take bronze, giving Antigua and Barbuda two of the three podium positions.

The performances underscored the depth of Antigua and Barbuda’s athletics programme, with athletes delivering on both the track and in the field events against the region’s best competitors.

With a championship record, a new national record and five medals added to the country’s tally, Antigua and Barbuda left another strong statement at the regional championships, continuing an encouraging run of performances in St Kitts.