Official Joint Statements Eldred Henry, BVI Athletics Association, BVI Olympic Committee

On Monday, June 28, 2021 national shot put champion and Olympian, Eldred Henry communicated with the BVI Athletics Association President, Mr. Steve Augustine to advise that, due to the recovery process from an injury in his right elbow, he would not be competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer.

“It is with deep sadness that I have had to make the tough call not to compete in the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan this summer. The injury in the elbow of my throwing arm is one that has been an underlying issue for a few months but which was being treated and kept at bay through my pre-COVID-19 training regime which allowed me to compete at the beginning of this season. Unfortunately, the injury flared up during my warmup at the 2021 Track Meet on May 15 in South California and required further investigation including an MRI.

“The treatment and full recovery process requires more time than is left for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and after consultation with my coach Tony Dougherty and doctors working on the treatment, I conferred with the BVIAA and BVI Olympic Committee and it was agreed that I would not compete in Japan and risk putting my athletic career in jeopardy. Instead I will concentrate on making a full and proper recovery to regain my optimal performance level for the future Games coming up in 2022 and leading up to Paris 2024. I am grateful for all the support I receive from both the BVIAA and the BVIOC and feel frustrated and disappointed not to be able to represent my country at the Olympics this year. I will be in daily contact with the athletes attending Tokyo 2020 and look forward to supporting the team all the way,” said Henry.

In his consultation with President Augustine, Henry explained that while the treatment is working, the recovery is still ongoing and that the technical functionality is not fully restored. While willing to compete if that was the consensus of the BVIAA and the BVIOC, it was clear that if Henry was to proceed with participating at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the restrictions of the injury would impede his ability to throw at his best distances and he would risk further damage to his elbow and hand.

“Eldred Henry is clearly one of our leading athletes and I was very sorry to learn that the extent of his injuries will now take him off the roster for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Our primary sympathies are with Eldred whose training and focus were geared towards the ultimate competition at these rescheduled Olympics. We know that in the best of conditions he would have done us proud and are in complete agreement that he should not compete while recovering from an injury that will directly affect his performance and possibly his future athletic career. We understand that the intensive treatment programme Eldred is undergoing is designed to deliver a solid result and we wish him all the best on his road to recovery and training to get him back on track for the upcoming competitions including the World Championships in Oregon, USA in July 2022 Oregon,” said Augustine.

In a letter dated June 28, 2021, the BVIAA officially notified the BVIOC that Henry would no longer be in the team of track and field athletes going to Tokyo 2020 this summer.

“The BVIOC and the Chef de Mission, Mrs. Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, as Team BVI’s Olympic family are very empathetic to Eldred’s situation and understand the frustration and disappointment that comes with making the final decision not to compete at an Olympic Games. Eldred has trained hard under challenging conditions. He told us that he was feeling at his peak in February 2020 and had been ready to impress in the summer of 2020. The pandemic had interrupted his training schedule and his competition level preparations and just as he was getting back on track, the latent injury put a stop to his programme.

“Eldred has impressed us with his resilience and dedication to his sport and his desire to represent his country with pride. He remains our top shot put athlete and we are proud of all that he has achieved thus far and know there is more to come under the continued training and guidance of his long-time coach, Anthony Dougherty. We will continue to support Eldred during his recovery period and his future focus on preparations for the upcoming major competitions including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2022 CACs, Santiago 2023 Panam Games and Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games,” said Ephraim Penn, President of the BVIOC.

Henry was the first of the VI’s athletes to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when he threw the shot put a distance of 21.47m.(70′ 5 1/4 “) at the Kingsville, Texas meet in 2019 to also secure the outdoor national, OECS, GMAC and NCAA DII records with his personal best throw. He also holds the indoor shot put national, OECS and NCAA DII records with a throw of 20.61m (60′ 7.5”). He is a CAC bronze medalist. His highest world men’s shot put ranking is #20 and is ranked #6 in the region.

Tokyo 2020 would have been Henry’s second Olympics with his first appearance at the Rio 2016 Games.