Of the 72 medals the Jamaicans won at the CARIFTA Games, one of the most impressive was the 5,000 metres winner.

Kemoy Campbell sped away from the start in the 12.5 lap race and finished so far ahead he almost lapped the second placed finisher!

Campbell smashed his own record set last year by six seconds and looked and sounded so fresh in interviews after he could have run it again in the same time. (He had also earlier won the 1500m).

He won in 14 minutes 34.34 seconds, 71 seconds ahead of Mathew Wright of Barbados. Gary Siwsanker of Guadeloupe won the bronze. Last man home was Aruba’s Alexander Robert, a full four minutes behind Campbell.

The joke was that he is secretly a Kenyan with a Jamaican passport but the kid is really from the rural area of Belle Field, Manchester.

His final CARIFTA medal was his seventh and now Campbell is weighing up options for a college place in the US to become a veterinary surgeon.

College life will give him an opportunity to step up in class with a view to becoming a world class 1500m runner.

“I just did the 5,000m for endurance. It is really long and I prefer the 1500m,” Campbell, 19, said. His aim is to go to the 2012 London Olympics for experience and then make a serious assault for a podium place at the 2016 Games in Brazil by which time he will be able to rival the Kenyans, Ethiopians... et al. 

“I’ve been running middle distance since Grade 9 at school and thank God for my ability and motivation.