One of Barbados’ most promising young track and field talents added another accolade to his breakout 2024 season over the weekend, as CARIFTA Games gold medalist Shamari Greenidge-Lewis received a special recognition award at the Ex-Police Association of Barbados’ 55th annual awards gala. The ceremony, held Saturday evening at the Courtyard by Marriott, brought together retired and serving law enforcement officers to celebrate community achievements and outstanding individual success.
Greenidge-Lewis, a student at St George Secondary School, has had a standout season so far. After taking home the top spot in the Under-20 Boys’ 400-meter event at the Dasani BSSAC Championships, he delivered a career-defining performance at the CARIFTA Games held in Grenada, where he anchored the Barbadian Under-20 men’s 4×400-meter relay team to a historic, record-breaking gold medal, cementing his place in regional track history.
The teen athlete received a warm welcome from attendees, many of whom had personal ties to the police force. What made this recognition particularly meaningful for Greenidge-Lewis is its deep connection to his own family legacy in Barbados law enforcement: his father, Corey Lewis, is an active serving police constable, and his grandfather, Selwyn Went, is a retired veteran of the Barbados Police Force.
Speaking to reporters after accepting the award, Greenidge-Lewis expressed gratitude for the honor. “It feels great getting an award and being here tonight, being with my grandfather and his colleagues that served Barbados in the Police Force,” he shared, adding that the full scope of his recent historic achievements is only just starting to sink in. Looking ahead to the next phase of his young athletic career, the young sprinter set clear new goals: he will next compete at the World Junior Athletics Championships, where he hopes to bring home another medal and clock a new personal best time.
For his father Corey Lewis, the special tribute was the perfect capstone to his son’s relentless years of training and competition. Calling his sense of pride “an understatement,” Lewis noted that he has long seen the commitment and sacrifice his son puts into every training session, making this public recognition all the more satisfying. He also shared that the idea to honor Greenidge-Lewis came as a welcome surprise: when his own father (Selwyn Went) first reached out to tell him the association planned to recognize the sprinter, Lewis assumed his grandfather had organized the honor, but soon learned it was a unanimous initiative from the association’s president and board of directors.
Greenidge-Lewis was not the only honoree at Saturday’s event. Retired law enforcement officer Vernon Wilkinson also took home a special achievement award during the ceremony. In a nod to the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday, event organizers also presented bouquets of roses to all mothers in attendance, closing out the evening with a moment of celebration for family and community service.