The 53rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships concluded on Sunday night in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and three athletes representing the Saint Lucia Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (SLABFFA) are returning home with impressive results, including two top-three podium finishes and one top-six placement.
Led by SLABFFA President Eugene Gabriel, the national team claimed two bronze medals at the event hosted at Gimnasio Teodoro Palacios Flores. Notably, Saint Lucia has been selected as the host nation for the 2025 iteration of the regional championship, marking a key milestone for the island nation’s fitness community.
Rookie competitor Denver Florent got Saint Lucia off to a strong start on Saturday, clinching third place in the senior men’s bodybuilding category. This podium finish marked a stunning debut for Florent, who secured the country’s first medal of the competition.
Following Florent’s success, multi-sport athlete Shanii Mesmain earned Saint Lucia’s second bronze medal in the men’s fit model class, finishing behind competitors from The Bahamas and the host nation Guatemala. Mesmain also advanced to the finals of the men’s physique over 1.76m division, ultimately finishing sixth overall. A well-known domestic cricketer hailing from Soufrière, this is not Mesmain’s first CAC competition: he made his regional debut at the 2024 CAC Championships in Georgetown, Guyana, where he placed seventh in the men’s silver fitness challenge.
The third member of Team Saint Lucia, Jerren St Clair, a professional firefighter and former national track athlete, competed in the men’s fitness division at his first CAC Championships. Official final placements for St Clair have not yet been released, with results pending publication from the regional confederation.
This year’s result builds on Saint Lucia’s strong track record at the regional championships. Two bronze medals in 2026 follow the country’s six-medal haul at the 2024 event in Guyana, and it follows Saint Lucia’s successful hosting of the 52nd CAC Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships in Rodney Bay in 2025. Gabriel, who previously served as vice president and coach at the 2024 Guyana competition, marked his first CAC Championships as the head of SLABFFA at this year’s event.