# 1981 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics

The 1981 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic between 10–12 July.

## Medal summary
### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres | Colin Bradford Jamaica | 10.30 | Silvio Leonard Cuba | 10.34 | Juan Núñez Dominican Republic | 10.47 |
| 200 metres | Juan Núñez Dominican Republic | 20.82 | Don Quarrie Jamaica | 20.93 | Héctor Daley Panama | 20.96 |
| 400 metres | Bert Cameron Jamaica | 45.05 CR | Héctor Daley Panama | 45.96 | Alfred Browne Antigua and Barbuda | 46.68 |
| 800 metres | Alberto Juantorena Cuba | 1:47.59 | Bárbaro Serrano Cuba | 1:48.08 | Francisco Meléndez Puerto Rico | 1:48.35 |
| 1500 metres | Eduardo Castro Mexico | 3:43.30 CR | Ignacio Melesio Mexico | 2:43.40 | Luis Medina Cuba | 3:44.10 |
| 5000 metres | Eduardo Castro Mexico | 14:08.88 | Silvio Salazar Colombia | 14:12.06 | Jacinto Navarrete Colombia | 14:12.33 |
| 10,000 metres | Silvio Salazar Colombia | 29:48.13 CR | Aldo Allen Cuba | 30:18.16 | Héctor Díaz Puerto Rico | 30:22.06 |
| Marathon | Radamés González Cuba | 2:23:15 CR | Jorge González Puerto Rico | 2:30:31 | Manuel García Mexico | 2:31:02 |
| 110 metres hurdles | Alejandro Casañas Cuba | 13.85 | Karl Smith Jamaica | 13.94 | Modesto Castillo Dominican Republic | 14.20 |
| 400 metres hurdles | Jorge Batista Cuba | 50.58 CR | Frank Montiéh Cuba | 50.59 | Greg Rolle Bahamas | 51.15 |
| 3000 metres steeplechase | Daniel Londa Mexico | 8:48.50 CR | Francisco Silva Mexico | 8:50.35 | José Cobo Cuba | 8:53.97 |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Jamaica Leroy Reid Colin Bradford Don Quarrie Floyd Brown | 39.30 | Trinidad and Tobago Andrew Bruce Scott Ferguson Christopher Brathwaite Ephraim Serrette | 39.95 | Cuba Osvaldo Lara Alejandro Casañas Silvio Leonard Tomás González | 39.96 |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Jamaica Floyd Brown Colin Bradford Carl Maylor Bert Cameron | 3:06.95 | Barbados | 3:07.73 | Cuba Lázaro Martínez Carlos Reyté Frank Montiéh Jorge Batista | 3:08.34 |
| 20 km road walk | Félix Gómez Mexico | 1:30:12 | Raúl González Mexico | 1:34:10 | Querubín Moreno Colombia | 1:37:01 |
| High jump | Francisco Centelles Cuba | 2.22 | Clarence Saunders Bermuda | 2.22 | Jorge Alfaro Cuba | 2.18 |
| Pole vault | Rubén Camino Cuba | 5.00 | Aurelio Falls Cuba | 4.70 | Edgardo Rivera Puerto Rico | 4.60 |
| Long jump | Ubaldo Duany Cuba | 7.76 | David Giralt Cuba | 7.74 | Salomón Rowe Guatemala | 7.60 |
| Triple jump | Steve Hanna Bahamas | 16.76 CR | Alejandro Herrera Cuba | 16.29 | Ernesto Torres Puerto Rico | 15.80 |
| Shot put | Luis Delís Cuba | 19.36 CR | Radai Mendoza Puerto Rico | 17.19 | Paul Ruiz Cuba | 16.40 |
| Discus throw | Luis Delís Cuba | 64.38 CR | Bradley Cooper Bahamas | 62.32 | Raúl Calderón Cuba | 55.42 |
| Hammer throw | Alfredo Guillot Cuba | 58.34 | Gerardo Díaz Mexico | 54.06 | Ángel Cabrera Puerto Rico | 54.06 |
| Javelin throw | Reinaldo Patterson Cuba | 75.28 | Dionisio Quintana Cuba | 75.18 | Juan de la Garza Mexico | 72.70 |
| Decathlon | Rigoberto Salazar Cuba | 7181 | Pedro Herrera Cuba | 6861 | Sidney Cartwright Bahamas | 6500 |

### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 metres | Lelieth Hodges Jamaica | 11.38 CR | Marie Lande Mathieu Puerto Rico | 11.64 | Luisa Ferrer Cuba | 11.71 |
| 200 metres | Jackie Pusey Jamaica | 23.35 CR | Luisa Ferrer Cuba | 23.50 | Eucaris Caicedo Colombia | 24.15 |
| 400 metres | Jackie Pusey Jamaica | 52.62 CR | Mercedes Álvarez Cuba | 53.51 | Eucaris Caicedo Colombia | 53.93 |
| 800 metres | Angelita Lind Puerto Rico | 2:04.69 CR | Nery McKeen Cuba | 2:07.13 | Whelma Colebrooke Bahamas | 2:09.20 |
| 1500 metres | Sergia Martínez Cuba | 4:26.72 | Angelita Lind Puerto Rico | 4:26.83 | Eloína Kerr Cuba | 4:33.23 |
| 3000 metres | Sergia Martínez Cuba | 9:47.26 CR | Merernette Bean Bermuda | 9:48.65 NR | Debora Medina Colombia | 9:53.59 |
| 100 metres hurdles | Grisel Machado Cuba | 13.72 | Elida Aveillé Cuba | 14.07 | Marisela Peralta Dominican Republic | 14.09 |
| 400 metres hurdles | Mercedes Mesa Cuba | 57.86 CR | Sandra Farmer Jamaica | 58.76 | Felicia Candelario Dominican Republic | 59.66 |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Jamaica Lelieth Hodges Dorothy Scott Janet Burke Jackie Pusey | 44.62 CR | Cuba Luisa Ferrer Grisel Machado Mercedes Mesa Grisel Delis | 45.79 | Bahamas Eldece Clarke-Lewis Shonel Ferguson Debbie Greene Mary Ann Higgs | 45.85 |
| 4 × 400 metres relay | Cuba Beatriz Castillo Ana Fidelia Quirot Mercedes Álvarez Mercedes Mesa | 3:37.90 | Jamaica Jacqueline Pusey Cathy Rattray Norma Lee Murray Fredericka Wright | 3:40.00 | Dominican Republic Felicia Candelario Divina Estrella Iris Sanders Herminia García | 3:49.62 |
| High jump | Silvia Costa Cuba | 1.85 CR | Sharon Rose Bahamas | 1.78 | Angela Carbonell Cuba | 1.75 |
| Long jump | Shonel Ferguson Bahamas | 6.43 CR | Eloína Echevarría Cuba | 6.29 | Madeline de Jesús Puerto Rico | 6.20 |
| Shot put | María Elena Sarría Cuba | 18.28 CR | Rosa Fernández Cuba | 15.35 | Laverne Eve Bahamas | 13.32 |
| Discus throw | María Cristina Betancourt Cuba | 64.46 CR | Carmen Romero Cuba | 61.68 | Laverne Eve Bahamas | 42.56 |
| Javelin throw | María Beltrán Cuba | 59.06 CR | Mayra Vila Cuba | 56.80 | Sonia Smith Bermuda | 46.84 |
| Heptathlon | Elida Aveillé Cuba | 5312 CR | Marisela Peralta Dominican Republic | 5026 | Victoria Despaigne Cuba | 4844 |

## Medal table

* Host nation (Dominican Republic)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Cuba (CUB) | 22 | 18 | 10 | 50 |
| 2 | Jamaica (JAM) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Mexico (MEX) | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 |
| 5 | Puerto Rico (PUR) | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 |
| 6 | Colombia (COL) | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | Dominican Republic (DOM)* | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 8 | Bermuda (BER) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Panama (PAN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Antigua and Barbuda (ATG) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Guatemala (GUA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (13 entries) | Totals (13 entries) | 39 | 39 | 39 | 117 |