The 1965

British West Indies Championships The British West Indies Championships was an annual track and field competition between nations involved in the West Indies Federation and several other Caribbean nations with a British colonial history. Like the federation itself, the competition w ...

was the sixth and final edition of the track and field competition between British colony nations in the Caribbean. It was held in

Bridgetown, Barbados Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

. The dissolution of the West Indies Federation, and the broader sports co-operation it had engendered, left the competition without the support to continue. A total of 28 events were contested, eighteen by men and ten by women. The men's half marathon, pole vault and relay races were all revived for this final edition, although the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

was dropped. Jamaica was the most successful nation, taking seventeen of the titles on offer – it was Jamaica's fourth win at the competition and the only time a host nation did not top the medal table.British West Indies Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-21.

Wellesley Clayton Wellesley K. Clayton (born 25 August 1938) is a Jamaican former long jumper who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He established himself among the Caribbean's best jumpers at the Central American and Caribbea ...

was the only male athlete to defend his title from the 1964 championships, winning the long jump for a second time. On the women's side Carmen Smith retained her

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

title and

Una Morris Una Lorraine Morris (born 17 January 1947) is a retired Jamaican sprint (running), sprinter, physician, restaurateur, and Catering, food caterer. She represented Jamaica at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics in eight sprint events in total, with t ...

finished undefeated in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

Joan Gordon Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

won both the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

and discus throw for a second time running, while Beverley Welsh was again victorious in the long jump. Billy Montague was the last man to win two individual gold medals at the same championships, scoring a hurdles double. Two sons of then-Chief Minister of Antigua Vere Bird (

Ivor Ivor is an English masculine given name derived either directly from the Norse ''Ívarr'', or from Welsh (which spells it ''Ifor''), Irish (sometimes ''Ibar''), or Scottish, all of which likely derive it also from the original Norse form.The Oxford ...

and Lester) won medals at the tournament. Despite this being the final edition, the standard of performances was comparatively high, with thirteen championship records being equalled or bettered. The men's

winner Lennox Miller went on to claim Olympic silver three years later. Long-time participants George Kerr and

Harry Prowell Harry Prowell A.A. (10 July 1936 – 27 June 2000) was a Guyanese long distance runner who represented Guyana in the Marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. He is known to be one of the greatest long distance runners ...

both returned to the podium and claimed their eighth career medal of the championships, while

Clifton Bertrand Clifton Bertrand (2 March 1936 – 28 November 2020) was a Trinidadian sprinter. Biography He won a gold medal in 200 meters at the 1957 British West Indies Championships, and three gold medals at the 1958 British West Indies Championship ...

(the inaugural 200 m champion) won his sixth individual sprint medal here. After the end of the British West Indies championships, athletics competition between Caribbean nations continued in the form of the long-standing quadrennial Central American and Caribbean Games. In addition, a new venue for such contests followed soon after the dissolution of the championships: the biennial Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics was launched in 1967.Central American and Caribbean Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-22.

Medal summary

Men

Women

References

;Medallists

GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-03-21. {{British West Indies Championships British West Indies Championships

International athletics competitions hosted by Barbados Sport in Bridgetown