Against the backdrop of a raucous home crowd at the Rodney Heights Aquatics Centre over the weekend, Saint Lucia’s decades-long quest to reclaim the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Swimming Championship title remained unfulfilled, as the host nation settled for a second consecutive runner-up finish despite a wave of historic individual record-breaking displays. Antigua & Barbuda’s deep roster of competitive swimmers powered the nation to recapture the overall championship trophy it last secured in 2024, amassing a commanding 1,407 total points to edge out the home side’s 1,272 tally. Defending titleholders Grenada rounded out the top three standings with a final score of 930 points.
The victory for Antigua & Barbuda – affectionately known as Wadadli by local residents – was driven by unmatched squad depth that translated to a medal haul of 51 gold, 54 silver, and 3 bronze finishes across all age categories. Saint Lucia’s medal count stood at 44 gold, 24 silver, and 33 bronze, but the host nation claimed four of the five top-performing individual swimmers across the entire multi-day meet, underscoring the elite caliber of its top talent.
Leading the charge for the home team was University of Michigan freshman Antoine Destang, who turned in a flawless showing in the boys’ 15-17 age group, sweeping all 11 events he entered to notch a maximum 99 points and shatter five existing OECS records, including new benchmark times across every single freestyle distance in his division. Teenage standout Sapphire Parks overcame a nagging pre-meet ankle injury to top the girls’ 11-12 rankings with 95 points, extending her already impressive regional record portfolio while setting six new championship meet records during her run. In the boys’ 11-12 division, Tyler Dantes anchored Saint Lucia’s scoring with 91 points, capturing eight gold medals from 11 starts and rewriting six meet records – one of which had stood unbroken since 2012, predating the young swimmer’s birth by several years. The 9-10 age group also delivered standout performances, as Miles Andrew completed an undefeated sweep of all eight of his races to claim the boys’ divisional title with 72 points, while Zoe Fortune notched 42 points to land third overall in the girls’ 9-10 rankings.
Organizers and team officials noted that Saint Lucia did not field its strongest possible roster for the competition: top swimmer Tristan Dorville missed the meet due to unforeseen logistical hurdles, while two additional team members were away on official national duty competing at the Youth Olympic Games. Many local swimming stakeholders suggested that the inclusion of absent top performers Noah Dorville and Fayth Jeffrey could have closed the narrow points gap and flipped the final overall standings. Even without a home victory, however, local swimmers, coaching staff, family supporters, and national sports administrators found ample encouragement in the team’s trajectory: back-to-back second-place finishes mark a dramatic improvement from the underwhelming fourth-place ranking Saint Lucia posted at the 2024 iteration of the regional championship. The Caribbean island nation’s 12-year title dry spell, stretching back to its last OECS swimming team championship win in 2014, will extend for at least another year, but the latest results confirm Saint Lucia remains a top-tier contender for future regional crowns.
Antigua win, Saint Lucia second at OECS Swimming
