by RJ Michaels
- Noel represents 473 MVP Track Club and is coached by Albert Joseph
- Grenada has 6 CARIFTA Open Heptathlon gold medals
- Shyiem Phillip earned silver in 2025, and Javel St Paul earned silver in 2014
Grenada added another name to its combined‑events history at the 2026 CARIFTA Games, as Javid Noel captured the bronze medal in the Boys’ Octathlon, becoming just the third Grenadian athlete to medal in the discipline at the regional championships. Noel follows in the footsteps of Shyiem Phillip, who earned silver in 2025, and Javel St Paul, a silver medallist in 2014.
A student of the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School (GBSS), Noel’s CARIFTA appearance came on the heels of his first competitive outing in the Octathlon at the ARIZA National Championships, held from 28 February to 1 March, where he went head‑to‑head with Kidon Hillaire of St Andrew’s Anglican Secondary School.
Noel represents 473 MVP Track Club and is coached by Albert Joseph, a highly respected figure in Grenadian athletics. Joseph has guided several elite junior athletes, including Janelle Redhead, Kirani James, and Ethan Sam, among others, contributing significantly to Grenada’s track and field development over the years.
Reflecting on Noel’s bronze‑medal performance, Coach Joseph praised the achievement while emphasising the athlete’s long‑term potential: “Javid did well to win a bronze. He has the ability to improve tremendously in the multi‑events. His weak areas are the hurdles — which he never really practices — and the 1,500 metres, which he barely worked on until the last 2 weeks before championships.”
Joseph also highlighted the technical challenges Noel is likely to encounter as he prepares to move into the next age category: “Next year, he moves into the Under‑20s, so it’s the Decathlon for him. Access to the stadium for pole vault will be an issue, since that’s the only place where there is a pole vault mat.”
At the National Championships, Noel accumulated 4,658 points to capture the Octathlon title. He improved that total to 4,808 points at the CARIFTA Games, securing bronze at the regional level and confirming a positive progression in the combined events.
Boys’ Octathlon – Performance Progression
| Discipline | National Champs | InterCol Games | CARIFTA Games |
| 100m | 11.45s | 11.54s | 11.56s |
| Long Jump | 5.90m | 6.18m | 5.99m |
| Shot Put | 11.18m | 10.64m | 11.97m |
| 400m | 52.99s | 53.74s | 52.81s |
| 110m Hurdles | 17.31s | 17.91s | 16.40s |
| High Jump | 1.74m | 1.81m | 1.78m |
| Javelin | 46.38m | 43.13m | 45.36m |
| 1500m | 5:32.61 | 5:39.24 | 5:35.93 |
Noel’s bronze medal further reinforces Grenada’s consistent presence in the combined events, a tradition highlighted by the nation’s 6 CARIFTA gold medals in the Open Heptathlon, including victories by future Olympian decathletes Kurt Felix and Lindon Victor.
As Noel transitions to the Under‑20 Decathlon, continued technical development and reliable facility access will be central to his progression.