by RJ Michaels
- Captured women’s 400m title with 51.43 seconds on Saturday, 16 May
- Personal best of 50.98 seconds in preliminary heats on Thursday, 28 May
- XXV CAC Games take place in Dominican Republic, from 24 July to 8 August
Grenadian quarter-miler Jamara Patterson continues to command attention on the US collegiate circuit, becoming the first Grenadian woman since the legendary Hazel-Ann Regis to dip under the 51-second barrier in the 400m dash.
Patterson, the former St Joseph’s Convent St George’s athlete now competing for Louisiana Tech University, initiated her historic post-season run at the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, 16 May, 2026. There, she captured the women’s 400m title with a then personal-best performance of 51.43 seconds, shattering the previous meet record of 51.74 seconds set by Houston’s Ebonie Floyd in 2007.
Patterson carried that momentum into the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky. In the preliminary heats on Thursday, 28 May, she dropped a massive personal best of 50.98 seconds. She backed up that world-class performance in the quarterfinals, cementing her position among the elite collegiate quarter-milers in the United States and moving her into second place on the Grenadian all-time list, behind only Regis’ national record of 50.64 seconds.
On the international ladder, Patterson’s breakthrough performances are making significant waves. This season, she ranks second in the OECS region behind Vincentian Olympian Shafiqua Maloney, while climbing to 11th in the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) rankings and 15th in the Commonwealth.
With the 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled for Glasgow later this year and the XXV CAC Games taking place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 24 July to 8 August, local sporting authorities are keeping a close eye on her trajectory.
“Jamara’s performance speaks volumes since it’s been some time that we’ve had a female quarter miler threatening the national record. Additionally, this is a reminder that as a federation we need to continue on the present trajectory of providing opportunities for our budding athletes to showcase their talents,” said Johnell Mitchell, 1st Vice President of the Grenada Athletic Association (GAA).
Both the GAA and the Grenada Olympic Committee (GOC) are closely monitoring her development as she establishes herself as a formidable talent for the tri-island state heading into the summer international window.
