In a standout performance at the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Athletics Championships hosted in St. Kitts, Antigua and Barbuda’s rising track and field star Zonique Charles delivered a historic result, taking home the women’s senior javelin silver medal while shattering a national record that had stood for nearly 16 years.
Charles, who already boasts a silver medal from the regional CARIFTA Games, stepped up to the senior competition line-up and delivered a personal best that will go down in Antigua and Barbuda’s athletics history books. Her winning (for silver) throw landed at 42.92 metres, beating the previous national record of 41.11 metres by a clear margin of more than 1.8 metres.
The former benchmark was first set by Amanda Edward back in 2007, during the CARIFTA Games held in Turks and Caicos. Coincidentally, Edward also claimed a silver medal in that same competition, matching the result Charles earned in St. Kitts.
Charles’ record-breaking outing not only adds a silver medal to Antigua and Barbuda’s tally at this year’s OECS Championships, it also sets an entirely new national standard for women’s javelin in the country, giving upcoming young throwers a fresh target to aim for in future regional and international competitions.