The athletics competition in the 1986 Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cuba (CUB) | 27 | 16 | 8 | 51 |
| 2 |  Mexico (MEX) | 6 | 9 | 6 | 21 |
| 3 |  Colombia (COL) | 3 | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| 4 |  Bahamas (BAH) | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 |  Puerto Rico (PUR) | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
| 6 |  Jamaica (JAM) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 |  U.S. Virgin Islands (VIR) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 |  Guyana (GUY) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  Dominican Republic (DOM) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 10 |  Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 Venezuela (VEN) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| 12 |  Barbados (BAR) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 |  Haiti (HAI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Panama (PAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (14 entries) | 43 | 44 | 42 | 129 | |
The athletics competition in the 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela.
The athletics competition in the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games was held in Kingston, Jamaica.
The athletics competition in the 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The athletics competition in the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games were held at the Estadio Revolución in Panama City, Panama.
The athletics competition in the 1974 Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The athletics competition at the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games was held at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín, Colombia.
The athletics competition in the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games were held at the Estadio Pedro Marrero in Havana, Cuba.
The track and field competition at the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games was held at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City, Mexico, between 28 November and 2 December.
The track and field competition in the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games was held in Maracaibo, Venezuela. It was the first edition to feature women's hammer throw and pole vault.
Esther Julia "Daysi" Duporty Torres is a retired sprinter from Cuba, who competed at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She set her personal best (50.61) in the women's 400 metres event on 6 September 1994 in Madrid.
Yojer Enrique Medina is a Venezuelan shot putter and discus thrower.
Yosvany Suárez Sandoval is a retired male hammer thrower from Cuba. His personal best throw is 73.93 metres, achieved in May 2006 in Havana.
Aldo Bello is a male hammer thrower from Venezuela. His personal best throw is 67.63 metres, achieved in August 2005 in Armenia.
Athletics was a sport at the inaugural Central American Games in 1926 and it has remained part of the event's sporting programme throughout its history.
Genovevo Morejón is a Cuban former track and field athlete who competed in the hammer throw. His personal best was 70.22 m, set in Havana on 20 June 1980. His greatest honour was the gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1983, becoming the first Caribbean man to win that title.
Rubén Camino is a retired Cuban pole vaulter.
Jorge Montenegro is a retired Cuban shot putter.
Eladio Hernández Yañez is a retired Cuban hammer thrower.
Vicente Sánchez is a retired Cuban hammer thrower.
Miguel Valle Álvarez is a retired Cuban decathlete.