标签： Saint Lucia

A historic week for Saint Lucian track and field unfolded across multiple United States collegiate competitions, with two new national records set and a series of standout podium performances cementing the Caribbean nation’s rising presence in NCAA circuit competition.

Leading the wave of record-breaking results was hurdler Khailan Vitalis, a junior transfer athlete at Clemson University, competing at the 98th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted in Austin. In the preliminary rounds of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Vitalis clocked a ninth-place qualifying time of 13.82 seconds, shaving one hundredth of a second off his own previous personal best, which he set at the 2024 Jo Meaker Classic and Multi. This new mark not only earned him a spot in the event final but also established a new Saint Lucian national record. Though the promising athlete clipped a hurdle during the final round and was unable to finish the race, his preliminary performance still ranks as the 13th fastest time recorded by any Commonwealth Games athlete so far this year.

The second national record of the week came from hammer thrower Lauralyn Clifford, a senior transfer at the University of Texas San Antonio. Competing on the same Austin track at Mike A. Myers Stadium, Clifford extended her own national record with a throw of 58.57 meters (192 feet 2 inches), enough to secure a fifth-place finish in the event. Clifford currently holds the top position in the women’s hammer throw rankings across the American Conference, and her latest throw puts her within just one meter of breaking the UTSA program record. She also ranks among the top 25 hammer throwers from all Commonwealth Games nations this season.

Beyond the two record-breaking performances, several other Saint Lucian athletes claimed top finishes at meets across the country. Sprinter Miguel Charlery picked up a pair of first-place titles at the All-American Meet hosted by East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, taking gold in both the men’s 100-meter sprint with a time of 10.81 seconds and the 200-meter sprint with a 21.74 second finish. Mid-distance runner Kereser Augustin also claimed a top spot competing for Washburn University at the 18th Annual David Suenram Gorilla Classic, winning the women’s 400-meter race in 56.44 seconds while also placing 13th in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 12.61 seconds.

NCAA Division I All-American high jumper Jenneil Jacobie delivered an inspiring performance, overcoming a recent ankle injury to clear 1.76 meters (5 feet 9.25 inches) and take second place for East Texas A&M University at the Bobcat Invitational. At the Joey Hanes Invite, thrower Natalie Albert secured third place competing for the University of Memphis with a 56.57-meter hammer throw.

A host of other Saint Lucian athletes also recorded solid results across the week of competition: Michael Joseph placed fifth in the men’s 400-meter at the LSU Battle on the Bayou with a 45.53 second time; Asa clocked a 3:59.56 to take 24th in the men’s 1500-meter at the George Mason Dalton Ebanks Invite, where Rayshawn Harris placed 61st in the men’s 800-meter with a 2:02.18; Shamael Durand notched a 23rd-place finish in the men’s discus throw (41.40 meters) and ninth in the men’s shot put (12.68 meters) at the Bobcat Invitational; Cagini Pilgrim took fourth in the men’s 100-meter (10.87) and sixth in the men’s 200-meter (22.01) at the Joey Haines Invite, while Ishmael Durand placed 39th in the 200-meter at the same invitational with a 22.57; Narlia Albert claimed 23rd in the women’s 200-meter (28.07) at the Ursinus Springfest; Jola Felix placed 15th in the women’s 200-meter (25.92) and 12th in the women’s 100-meter (12.62) at the Central Methodist Invite; Naomi London placed 11th in the women’s 100-meter at the Texas Relays with an 11.32; Mya Hippolyte took fourth in the women’s 100-meter (12.09) at the ISU Pacesetter Invite; Carleen Lionel placed 22nd in the women’s 100-meter (12.47) at the Sam Howell Invitational; Jasmine Stiede took fifth in the women’s 1500-meter (4:47.7) at the Friends Invitational; multi-event thrower Joy Edward recorded marks of 13.74 meters in the women’s shot put, 52.58 meters in the women’s hammer throw, and 34.68 meters in the women’s discus at the Golden Eagle Invite; and Nebia Montrope placed 15th in the women’s 800-meter (2:34.25) at the Cougar Distance Carnival.

The 2026 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships wrapped up its four-day run on April 7 at Martinique’s Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre, and the Saint Lucia national swim squad has emerged with a historic milestone to celebrate. The island nation’s swimmers secured an unprecedented total of 14 medals across individual events, marking a one-medal increase from their 2025 performance and setting a new national record for the regional competition.

Leading the charge for Saint Lucia was 11-12 age division standout Sapphire Parks, who turned in a dominant performance that cemented her status as one of the region’s most promising young swimmers. Defending her division title from the previous year, Parks expanded her personal medal haul from eight in 2025 to 10 this year, closing out the competition with an overall tally of five gold, four silver, and one bronze to earn 88 total individual points. Her standout results included a gold medal win in the 100m breaststroke, where she clocked a finishing time of 1:21.23, and a silver medal in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:38.13.

Reflecting on her performance after Monday’s preliminary and final events, Parks opened up about the mix of progress and resilience that defined her competition. “In the first three events that I did, I didn’t really hit personal bests as much as I wanted,” she explained. “But in the last event, the 200m individual medley that I’m really proud of right now, I dropped a lot of time, and that made me really happy. It made up for the rest.” On the final day of competition, Parks added a fifth-place finish in the 400m freestyle final to her overall results.

Beyond Parks’ historic individual performance, several other Saint Lucia swimmers turned in impressive results to push the team to its record medal count. Tyler Dantes claimed one gold medal for the squad, while Antoine Destang earned two silver medals, and Maya Andrew took home a bronze medal. Dantes also posted eighth place in the 11-12 boys’ 50m freestyle and sixth in the 200m backstroke, cutting an impressive 10 seconds off his previous personal best time in the process. Destang, competing in the 15-17 boys’ division, notched a fourth-place finish in the 50m freestyle and eighth in the 200m freestyle. Young swimmer Fayth Jefferey came just short of qualifying for the 100m breaststroke finals in a tightly contested preliminary round.

When the final scores were tallied, Saint Lucia secured 12th place in the overall team rankings with 156 total points, a solid finish that reflected the team’s consistent performance across four days of competition. The Bahamas claimed the overall team title with a dominant 795 total points to top the regional rankings. Comparing the 2026 result to last year’s, Saint Lucia’s 2025 medal count stood at 13 medals: four gold, four silver, and five bronze, making this year’s 14-medal haul a new benchmark for the country’s aquatics program.

The Caribbean’s premier junior athletics showcase, the CARIFTA Games, wrapped up its 2025 edition on the evening of April 6 at Grenada’s Kirani James Stadium, with Saint Lucia matching its 2024 medal haul to finish 10th on the overall regional medals table. For the second straight year, the island nation left the competition with four podium finishes, all earned by its standout field event competitors.

Saint Lucia’s medal count got off to a blazing start on the competition’s opening days, when 16-year-old Destinee Cenac claimed gold in the Under-17 girls’ high jump. Clearing a new personal best height of 1.72 meters, the St Joseph’s Convent student and Morne Stars Athletics Club member improved on her bronze medal finish from the 2024 Games, kicking off a dominant run for Saint Lucia’s field athletes. Cenac’s win marked the 16th high jump medal the island has earned in CARIFTA Games history, making it the nation’s most successful individual discipline – a legacy built by previous CARIFTA record holders and Olympic athletes Levern Spencer and Jeannelle Scheper.

Naya Jules added a silver medal to Saint Lucia’s tally in the Under-20 girls’ pole vault, recording a clearance of 2.95 meters. This marked Jules’ fourth consecutive CARIFTA medal in the event, and her second straight silver after taking home gold in the Open girls’ division in both 2023 and 2024. Beyond pole vault, Jules also delivered a strong personal best performance of 41.59 meters in the Under-20 girls’ javelin throw, finishing just outside the podium in fifth place.

Opening night of the Games saw Denzel Phillips claim his third career CARIFTA medal, taking bronze in the Under-20 boys’ discus throw with a best throw of 53.24 meters. The Saint Lucia athlete finished behind Jamaican pair Kamari Kennedy and Joseph Salmon on the podium, and narrowly missed a second medal after spending most of the competition in top-three position for the shot put, ultimately dropping to fifth in the final standings.

The final medal of the competition for Saint Lucia came on Easter Monday, the event’s closing day, from Under-17 long jumper Randall Monroe. Making his CARIFTA Games debut just hours after finishing a narrow fourth in the Under-17 boys’ high jump, Monroe fought through challenging stiff headwind conditions to record a jump of 6.60 meters, good enough for bronze. The young athlete will remain eligible to compete in the Under-17 division when the next CARIFTA Games are held.

The 12-member Saint Lucian delegation included a number of young athletes who are expected to build on their 2025 experience in future editions of the meet. Fifteen-year-old thrower Eavan Edgar placed 11th in the Under-17 shot put and fouled out of the discus competition, but will be eligible to return next year. Similarly, long jumpers Barbara-Marie Maximin and Syesha Rogers placed ninth in the Under-17 and Under-20 divisions respectively, with Maximin moving up to the Under-20 bracket in 2026.

For the nation’s Under-20 male athletes, the 2025 Games marked their final appearance in the junior regional competition, as all will age out of the division ahead of 2026. Middle-distance runner Evann John delivered an impressive improved performance from his 2024 showing, qualifying for the 800m final and clocking 1:53.44 to finish fifth. Sprinter Joaqwan Alexander ran a faster time than he did in 2024 in the 400m event, but once again just missed out on a spot in the final round. Benique Mann placed 13th in the 1500m, Ryan Simeon finished 24th in the 100m, and triple jumper Darvin Forde placed 11th in his first and final CARIFTA Games appearance.

A sold-out crowd packed Lucky Eddi’s venue in English Harbour, Antigua & Barbuda, on Saturday, April 4, to witness a thrilling display of boxing skill that ended with Saint Lucia’s Danaii Cooman claiming a standout win over local competitor Jeremiah Toussaint at Fight Night 2.

Hailing from Vieux Fort and competing in the 60kg Lightweight Elite division under the guidance of Saint Lucia’s senior national head coach Conrad Fredericks, Cooman turned in a performance that highlighted far more than just individual talent. Across every round, the young boxer showcased sharp technical precision, unwavering disciplinary focus, and remarkable resilience when faced with pressure from his Antiguan opponent. His consistent dominance in the ring has also drawn new attention to the growing strength of boxing development across southern Saint Lucia, marking the region as an emerging hub for elite athletic talent in the sport.

Beyond the immediate glory of a win in front of a packed international crowd, this victory holds major strategic significance for Cooman’s long-term career goals. It serves as a critical milestone in his multi-year preparation cycle for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where he intends to earn a spot representing his home nation of Saint Lucia. The 2026 Games are scheduled to run from late July through early August in Glasgow, Scotland, giving Cooman just over two years to refine his craft and secure his place on the national squad.

Cooman will not pause his training momentum after this latest win. Just under two weeks from his Antigua & Barbuda victory, he is set to join a five-member Saint Lucian squad traveling to Martinique for the second annual Caribbean Golden Glove competition, which will run from April 17 to 19. The upcoming regional tournament will offer another high-stakes opportunity for Cooman to test his skills against top Caribbean talent and continue building momentum toward his 2026 Commonwealth Games goal.

On the truncated opening session of the final day of the 2026 CARIFTA Athletic Championships held in Grenada, a series of standout and mixed results unfolded for Caribbean athletes across field and track events. Saint Lucia’s rising young talent Randall Monroe made his first appearance at the regional championship a memorable one, securing a bronze medal in the Under-17 Boys’ Long Jump competition. Competing against some of the region’s top young jumpers, Monroe delivered a career-defining performance on his fifth attempt, leaping to a new personal best of 6.60 meters. The mark temporarily pushed him into the silver medal position before final adjustments to the standings dropped him one spot to third, giving him the bronze. This result marks Monroe’s second top-four finish of the championships, after he claimed fourth place in the Under-17 Men’s High Jump just the previous night. With Monroe’s bronze added to the tally, Saint Lucia’s total medal count now stands at four: one gold, one silver, and two bronze, cementing the country’s solid performance at this year’s regional meet. Across competing nations, Team Barbados looked to add to their already impressive nine-medal haul from earlier rounds of the championships, but the team left the abbreviated final-day opening session without adding any new medals to their total. Despite the lack of new medals, the day still brought multiple qualifying successes for Barbadian track athletes. In the Under-17 Girls’ 100m Hurdles semi-finals, Tiara McClean crossed the finish line in fifth place in her heat, clocking a time of 15.23 seconds. While the placing was outside the top four, her overall qualifying time was fast enough to advance her to the final of the event scheduled for Monday night. Barbadian hurdlers also saw success at the Under-20 level, with both Alika Harewood and Afia Greenidge securing their spots in the Under-20 Girls’ 100m Hurdles final. On the men’s side of the Under-20 hurdles, Tevon Cadougan earned the last available spot in the 110m Hurdles final with a time of 14.25 seconds, the slowest qualifying mark to advance. His compatriot Rashad Gibson missed out on a spot in the final by the narrowest of margins, finishing just four hundredths of a second behind Cadougan with a time of 14.29 seconds. In field event action for Barbados, Shamyra Scantlebury competed in the Under-17 Girls’ Javelin throw, posting a best throw of 27.95 meters across her attempts to finish ninth in the event. As the championships head into the final session Monday night, athletes who advanced to the finals will compete for regional gold, silver and bronze medals to cap off the annual gathering of the Caribbean’s top young track and field talent.

Young swimming prodigy Sapphire Parks has turned in another dominant performance at the 39th edition of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, held at Martinique’s Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre in Le Lamentin, adding three more podium finishes to her tally on Sunday, April 5. The St Joseph’s Convent student-athlete, competing in the 11–12 girls’ division, now holds a total of six medals through two days of competition, three of which are gold medals.

Parks delivered an impressive schedule on the second Sunday of the tournament, qualifying for four event finals on the day. She claimed the top spot on the podium in the 400m individual medley, clocking a finishing time of 5:34.39 to secure her third gold of the competition. She went on to add two silver medals to her haul: one in the 50m butterfly with a time of 30.49 seconds, and a second in the 100m backstroke after touching the wall in 1:11.97. Her only non-podium finish of the day came in the 200m freestyle final, where she missed out on a bronze medal by just a fraction of a second to land in fourth place.

Parks’ standout performance leads a strong showing from the 12-member Saint Lucia delegation at the regional aquatics meet. Four other Saint Lucian swimmers advanced to event finals on Sunday night. Tyler Dantes, who already claimed the 11–12 boys’ 50m backstroke title earlier in the championships, placed fifth in the 100m backstroke and seventh in the 50m butterfly. In the older 15–17 boys’ division, Antoine Destang — who already holds a silver medal from the 100m butterfly — earned a fifth-place finish in the 100m backstroke and sixth place in the 50m butterfly.

After two full days of competition across all age divisions, Saint Lucia’s national team currently sits in 11th place in the overall team rankings, with several more days of racing still remaining on the championships schedule.

The 39th edition of the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships kicked off on Saturday, April 4, at the state-of-the-art Pierre Samot Community Aquatic Centre located in Le Lamentin, Martinique, and Saint Lucia’s 12-person national swim squad wasted no time announcing their threat to regional contenders. By the end of the opening day of competition, the small Caribbean island nation had captured five total medals, three of which were gold, catapulting them to eighth place in the overall standings with 45 total accumulated points.

Leading the historic opening day charge was 11-12 age group star Sapphire Parks, who is already on track to defend her title as the category’s top overall athlete. Parks first made waves at the 2025 championships in her debut performance in Trinidad and Tobago, and she picked up seamlessly where she left off 12 months prior, earning two golds and one bronze across Saturday’s finals. Competing out of the favored Lane 4, Parks posted a blistering time of 1 minute 8.04 seconds to claim top honors in the 100-meter butterfly. She followed that win with a 32.37-second bronze-medal finish in the 50-meter backstroke, before closing out her opening competition schedule with a dominant 2:57.22 victory in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Another standout performance for Saint Lucia came from first-time CARIFTA competitor Tyler Dantes, who claimed the 11-12 boys’ 50-meter backstroke gold medal with a winning time of 31.61 seconds. Veteran swimmer Antoine Destang, competing in his fourth and final CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, opened his farewell campaign with a solid silver medal in the 15-17 boys’ 100-meter butterfly, touching the wall in 56.36 seconds. Rounding out the day’s results for Saint Lucia, 11-12 age group swimmer Dylan Corcoran notched a fifth-place finish in the boys’ 200-meter breaststroke final, adding valuable points to the national team’s overall opening day total.