Jamaica’s junior sprint coaches need to step up to the plate after being dominated by the Bahamas, argued Michael Vassell, head coach of Jamaica’s successful Carifta Games team on their arrival home from Bermuda.The team arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport strutting the 78 medals won, but Vassell was a bit perturbed after being overshadowed in the sprints by the Bahamas.Jamaica won 78 medals to top the Carifta Games table for the 28th consecutive year and their 36th title overall since the inception in 1972.“It should be a concern and I think Jamaica’s sprint coaches need to wake up,” Vassell, a field events coach at St Hugh’s High School, told the Jamaica Observer.“The non-traditional events are here. The Under-17 girls discus record being broken, we managed to win the Under-17 shot put boys, shot put Under-20 boys, discus Under-20 girls, it shows that our non-traditionals are here,” he noted.“We managed to win almost all middle distance races on display, however, out of the 12 sprints events, we won two,” observed a concernedlooking Vassell.Only Jazeel Murphy and Shauna Helps won individual sprint titles in the boys Under-20 100m and girls Under-17 100m, respectively.Nevertheless, Jamaica won their 28th straight Carifta Games title and 36th of the 41 editions overall while amassing 78 medals, which were six short of the record tally on 84 medals achieved in 2004.The young Jamaicans captured 34 gold, 25 silver and 19 bronze in another dominant display in which they tallied 50 more medals than second-placed The Bahamas with 38, inclusive of 13 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze.Team manager Ewan Scott thought Jamaica exceeded expectations, especially in the kind of climate they had to perform in.“It was very good in spite of the chilly weather conditions and we surpassed our expectations because we had never targeted that we would reach as far as 78 medals when we saw how cold and hard it was to get the athletes warm,” Scott said.“Last year we did 66 (medals) at home and to go away in cold and challenging conditions and get 78 and with a little luck, we could have surpassed the 84,” added Scott.That luck which Scott was talking about was the withdrawal of the 2011 World Youth 100m champion, Odail Todd, who was pulled from the 200m final because of a niggling injury, which also forced him out of the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships recently.That was another major concern for head coach Vassell, of athletes turning up nursing minor injuries.“He was carrying a slight injury which was aggravated and from that in itself, we need to look at, and coaches need to know when you sending young athletes they should be ready to run and that is also a concern because it really cost us medals,” reiterated Vassell.Jamaica also lost a medal in the boardroom after Jevaughn Minzie, second past the post in the 100m final, was later disqualified for false-starting.“We were informed of the decision they took and we realised that the evidence they used was flawed. But based on the IAAF rulings, it will have to stand,” said Vassell.He continued: “But we lodged a strong protest for them to understand that based on rules of the IAAF, the results should have been allowed to stand because the starter was in control of the race and he didn’t respond to any false start.”