标签： Saint Lucia

After nearly three decades away from competitive sprinting, 52-year-old Lindsey Joseph achieved a remarkable career milestone over the weekend, claiming two bronze medals at the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Masters Athletics (TTAMA) Championships. Held between May 23 and 24 at the newly updated Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, the regional competition gave Joseph the chance to prove that competitive speed has no age limit.

Competing in the men’s 50-54 age division, Joseph crossed the finish line of the 100-meter dash in 12.07 seconds to secure third place. He repeated the feat in the 200-meter event, clocking 24.99 seconds to take another bronze. Garvin Farmer, a Trinidad and Tobago native two years Joseph’s junior, claimed gold in both sprint events.

Joseph’s journey back to the podium is one of persistence and second chances. He first picked up competitive athletics at 17, a later start than most elite runners. Just five years into training, he earned a spot as the only local runner selected for Saint Lucia’s pre-Olympic training squad ahead of the country’s historic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games. Though he ultimately fell short of the qualifying standard and missed out on a spot in the final Olympic delegation, the experience confirmed what he had long suspected: he had the talent to compete at the highest levels. That promising trajectory came to an abrupt halt in 1997, when a devastating injury sidelined his athletic ambitions for more than two decades.

It was not until he hit his 40s that Joseph decided to reignite his passion for running. “After turning 40, I realised I was very unfit. I made a decision to focus on my health and fitness, so I resorted to what kept me fit in my 20s: athletic training,” Joseph explained. As he rebuilt his endurance and strength, he made a surprising discovery: he was still far faster than most people his age. That realization pushed him to seek out competitive opportunities for masters athletes.

Training for competitive sprinting as a masters athlete in Saint Lucia has not come without its challenges, Joseph notes. Access to consistent, safe training facilities is a persistent barrier: flat, even tracks free of hazards that could cause re-injury are hard to come by for local athletes. Most days, Joseph completes his sprint sessions on the flat asphalt roads that wind through the hills near his home in Fond Assau. When he gets the opportunity, he travels to Soufriere stadium to complete structured training on a proper track surface.

The local masters athletics community in Saint Lucia has faced additional setbacks in recent years. The country’s popular Senior Games competition was discontinued following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving local veteran athletes with almost no domestic competitive opportunities. But a growing wave of returning athletes, including veteran sprinter Bernard “Fox” Henry and elite marathon runners Ava Fevrier and Yvette Adair, has sparked a grassroots revival of the movement. Today, local masters athletes are working in partnership with the Saint Lucia Athletics Association to regain international affiliation and expand access to competition.

Joseph already has a history of advancing masters athletics in his home country. He was involved in planning the Saint Lucia Senior Games in 2018, and helped pull off a successful full competition in 2019. In 2023, he competed at the Barbados Senior Games, where he took gold in the 45-49 age division 100-meter dash with a blistering meet record of 11.86 seconds, along with a bronze in the 200-meter event.

For Joseph, his two bronze medals at the TTAMA Championships are just the first step in a larger mission: to inspire other veteran athletes in Saint Lucia to return to competition, and to build a formal, structured masters athletics association that can create long-term opportunities for athletes of all ages.

The 2026 Saint Lucia International Masters Football Invitational has wrapped up its six-day competition at the iconic Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, with both division titles heading back to the United States after two dramatic final matches held on Monday night. The tournament, which brought together veteran football talents from across North America, the Caribbean, and beyond, delivered tense, skill-filled action that celebrated the enduring passion of masters-level football.

In the hotly contested Over-40 division, the American side Ballers Forever claimed the championship title, overcoming the defending champions from Trinidad and Tobago to lift the trophy. Ballers Forever booked their spot in the May 25 final with back-to-back 2-1 victories: first defeating SSC Bimshire in the quarterfinals, followed by a narrow win over Hope International from St Vincent & the Grenadines in the semifinal. Waiting for them in the title match was Trinidad & Tobago Defence Force Past Players, the defending champions, who had stormed through their own knockout round with an 8-1 rout of Vieux Fort South and a 4-0 win against St Francois Masters.

The final got off to a strong start for the defending champions, as Stern John – Concacaf’s all-time leading goal scorer and current head coach of the Saint Lucia men’s national team – found the back of the net to put his side ahead early. The score held until the 56th minute, when challenger Ballers Forever earned a penalty that Kendel Jagdeosingh coolly converted to level the match. With just eight minutes left on the clock, a second penalty was awarded to Ballers Forever, and the side converted once again to lock in a 2-1 victory and secure the Over-40 crown.

Across in the Over-50 division, it was another American outfit, Pele Masters, that walked away with the title, defeating host nation side Masters Reloaded in a tense, physical match marked by pre-game controversy. The local Saint Lucian side, Masters Reloaded, entered the final as defending champions, boasting a roster stacked with former international stars including Earl “Ball Hog” Jean, Titus “Titi” Elva, and Andy “Butu” Jn Baptiste. Jean delivered a sensational semifinal performance, scoring a hat-trick to secure a 3-2 win over Canada’s La Familia and book a spot in the title match. Pele Masters advanced to the final with a dominant 5-1 win over Dennery United FC, but made headlines before kickoff when they formally protested the eligibility of a Masters Reloaded player, claiming the local side had fielded an unregistered competitor.

The protest ultimately did not change the match lineup, and the game got off to a tense start, with a lengthy stoppage for an injury leaving the first half deadlocked at 0-0. It was not until the second half that Pele Masters broke through, when forward Basil Burke fired an unstoppable long-range shot past the goalkeeper to score what would prove the match-winning goal, securing the Over-50 title for the American visitors.

When the final whistles blew, individual awards were handed out to the tournament’s standout players. Former St Vincent & the Grenadines international Kendall Velox of Pele Masters was named the Over-50 tournament MVP, while his teammate Trevor Isaac took home the honor of best goalkeeper. Ballers Forever’s Kendel Jagdeosingh, who scored both of his side’s goals in the Over-40 final, was recognized as the Over-40 MVP for his performance throughout the competition.

Closing out the week-long tournament, Alvin Malaykhan, CEO of Veterans in Sport Inc., the organizer of the invitational, praised the players and crowds that made the 2026 edition a success. “Over six unforgettable days, from May 20 to May 25, football legends from across the region and internationally came together in Saint Lucia to celebrate competition, camaraderie, culture and passion for the beautiful game,” Malaykhan said. “Your energy, discipline, sportsmanship and support helped create an atmosphere that once again showcased the true spirit of Masters football and Caribbean unity. This tournament continues to evolve into one of the Caribbean’s premier Masters football and sports tourism experiences, and it is all possible because of you.”

On May 21, the tight-knit cricket community of Babonneau, Saint Lucia, came together to hold the second annual Clash of the Leatherbacks player draft, marking the official countdown to the highly anticipated annual developmental Under-21 cricket tournament. This year’s event shines a spotlight on some of the island nation’s most promising young cricket talent, with a deliberate focus on nurturing emerging players for long-term growth in the sport.

Organized under the leadership of Babonneau’s head cricket coach Jervaughn Charles, the tournament adopts a unique 35-over playing format that strikes a balance between the fast-paced excitement of T20 cricket and the endurance-focused structure of 50-over cricket. Three competing teams will first go head-to-head in a double round-robin group stage, where each side will face off against the other two teams twice. After the group stage concludes, the top two teams by cumulative points will advance to a high-stakes winner-takes-all final match to claim the championship title.

Beyond the traditional points awarded for match wins – 10 points for each victory – the tournament also awards extra bonus points for standout individual performances in batting, bowling, and fielding, encouraging excellence across all aspects of the game from a young age. Charles emphasized that the entire competition is built around a core mission of player development, rather than prioritizing short-term winning at the expense of young talent growth.

A key new initiative for this year’s tournament is the intentional inclusion of under-15 players, a group that is often sidelined in youth competitions when senior youth teams prioritize immediate match results. To address this gap, special rules have been implemented to guarantee under-15 players meaningful playing time and greater engagement on the pitch, reflecting the organizers’ focus on investing in the sport’s future rather than just the current season. Beyond skill development, the tournament also aims to build camaraderie, friendship, and confidence among young players, creating a supportive community that helps them grow both on and off the field.

The draft process itself followed a structured nine-round format. The first four rounds were reserved exclusively for players based in the Babonneau region, to ensure local emerging talent gets priority access to the competition. After the local rounds, each team selected five marquee players from outside the Babonneau area to round out their rosters. Teams were given just one minute to deliberate on each pick, adding an element of excitement and strategy to the draft event. Following the conclusion of the draft, three full rosters were confirmed: Snapping Strikers led by captain Sacchin Cepal, Hawksbill Hitters captained by Yulieski Gustave, and Terrapin Thumpers, led by captain Alexi Khodra.

The tournament received a significant boost this year from a EC$5,000 donation from Ackeem Auguste, a top-order batsman who currently plays professionally for the West Indies and the Saint Lucia Kings. Auguste, who began his cricket journey in Babonneau’s development program, shared that the community’s cricket infrastructure was instrumental to his growth as a professional player. His financial contribution is a heartfelt gesture of giving back to the community that nurtured his talent from his earliest days in the sport.

Looking ahead, Babonneau’s cricket organizing team has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to growing the sport at the grassroots level, both within the Babonneau community and across the entire island of Saint Lucia, with a continued focus on identifying and developing the next generation of professional cricket talent.