St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ dominant aquatic powerhouse, the Blue Marlins Swim Club, has extended its unbroken winning streak to six years after a commanding performance at the 2024 National Swim Championships, held from August 27 to 30. The team secured a decisive overall victory with a staggering total score of 1,345 points, outperforming all competing local clubs to retain the national crown.
Across the four-day competition, Blue Marlins swimmers claimed top honors in half of the 10 age-group individual championship divisions, and took home three of the six available sprint challenge awards. Multiple standout athletes delivered double award-winning performances, headlined by Hazen Da Briel, who not only won the boys 15-and-over individual championship and the boys 13-and-over sprint challenge, but also etched his name into the national record books. Da Briel broke three long-standing national records in the male 15-16 age category: he clocked 1 minute 59.95 seconds in the 200m freestyle, 4 minutes 15.96 seconds in the 400m freestyle, and 26.01 seconds in the 50m butterfly.
Other individual champions from the club included Jayce Thomas, who earned both the boys 8-and-under individual title and the age-group sprint challenge crown. Skylar Byron claimed two awards as well: the girls 11-12 individual championship and the girls 9-12 sprint challenge. Rounding out Blue Marlins’ individual title winners were Belle Adams, who took gold in the girls 13-14 division, and Tayeah St. Hilaire, who secured the girls 15-and-over individual championship.
The club’s depth of talent was on full display beyond the top podium spots. In the boys 8-and-under division, Blue Marlins claimed the entire podium, with Thomas in first, Zane Da Briel in second, and Rui Gordon in third. Additional top-three finishes across divisions included Raya Adams (second, girls 8-and-under), Saige Jobe (second, girls 9-10), Zoey May (third, girls 11-12), Saj Caesar (second, boys 11-12) and Taj Henry (third, boys 11-12).
Fielding a roster of just 27 swimmers at the national meet, Blue Marlins amassed an impressive total of 148 medals: 40 gold, 50 silver, and 53 bronze, a testament to the team’s consistent performance across all event and age categories.
Speaking after the competition, head coach Tamarah St. Hilaire expressed overwhelming excitement about the team’s historic sixth straight win. She emphasized that the victory came as the direct result of months of dedicated training, even through the summer break when many young athletes take time off. St. Hilaire shared that she could not be prouder of her swimmers’ full effort across the championships, noting that the team delivered beyond her expectations.
She also extended congratulations to all other competing local clubs, praising them for pushing Blue Marlins to higher standards with strong, competitive performances. Looking ahead, St. Hilaire noted that the depth of talent on display across the meet confirms that competitive swimming has a strong and growing future in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The team was prepared for the national championships with support from assistant coaches Alyssa Davis, Henrietha Davis and Rickydene Alexander.