Team BVI wraps up Paris 2024 Olympic Games with historic performances

August 14, 2024 by

Team BVI concluded its participation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a final appearance at the Closing Ceremony at the Stade de France on August 11 where Rikkoi Brathwaite, 100m semifinalist, was the flagbearer.

Four athletes represented the Virgin Islands (UK) in two sports – track and field and sailing. Each competed in their respective events to deliver historic performances and results.

Thad Lettsome, the first of the athletes to compete in the Games, debuted as an Olympian in the Men’s Dinghy ILCA7 – the first VI sailor to compete at an Olympic Games since 1996. Lettsome, a flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony posted a 2nd place finish in race four, the best race result of any VI Olympic sailor.

Rikkoi Brathwaite became the first VI male athlete to advance to an Olympic 100m semifinals in his Olympic debut.

At just 18 years old, Adaejah Hodge, a flagbearer at the Olympic Games and youngest competitor in the 200m event, became the first VI athlete to advance to a 200m semifinals at her first Olympic appearance.

World silver medalist and two times Commonwealth Games champion, Kyron McMaster became the first two-times Olympic finalist when he competed in the 400m hurdles finals with a 5th place finish with a Season’s Best of 47.79 on August 9 to close out the VI’s Paris 2024 competitions.

The Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott was responsible for the administration and smooth participation of the team of athletes and delegation at the Games. Her role of athlete and delegation support and ensuring all requirements and timelines were met, began in 2022 and continued throughout the close of the Games.

“Everyone was comfortable, everyone was supported, they were in a great environment and their teams were supportive,” said Harrigan-Scott. “The athletes were very focused and dedicated. They were here for business, and their attitude – the way that they ate, the way they went to sleep early – they took the competition seriously. I congratulate them for being so professional in handling themselves at these Games.”

The BVI Olympic Committee had the overall responsibility for the team that represented the VI at the Games once the qualified athletes were confirmed by the BVI Athletics Association and the Royal BVI Yacht Club.

“The athletes are the reason why we are here,” said BVIOC President Ephraim Penn. “It’s about their journey and their mission to make the Virgin Islands proud. They have showed grit on the field; They have held their heads high, and we could not have asked for better ambassadors in Paris. Up to the very end, we were in the medal picture, and we had the entire British Virgin Islands watching and only sports can do something like that. The athletes make the work of the BVIOC even more enjoyable and rewarding, when you can see that, through our efforts, the athletes can exceed or achieve their highest potential. For a small country, being in the final and being one of the favourites to win a medal is all we can ask for. We are extremely proud of all of them.”

The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports also leant its support to the athletes participating at the Games. The

“Heartfelt congratulations to the Olympic athletes from the Team BVI 2024 in Paris,” said Honourable Sharie de Castro the Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports who attended the Games in support of all four athletes. “The entire territory is extremely proud of the performance of all the athletes. When we consider the type of determination, grit and perseverance that it took for our athletes to compete on the world stage, we have no choice but to be completely behind them and supportive of their journey. We are truly proud of them. Thank you to all the persons that came out to the watch party – just seeing and hearing the support, all the flags – I know it went a long way. It showed that when we come together in unity in support of sports it truly speaks volumes to how small we are but – as Kyron says – how heavy we are.”

The VI delegation included BVIOC President Ephraim Penn, Secretary General Lloyd Black, Sailing Coach Chris Watters, Team Leader Tamsin Rand, National Athletics Coach Willis Todman, track coaches Gerald Phiri and Jean-Carlos and Physiotherapist Colin Turner. Sofia Fay attends as Press Attache.

Approximately 10,500 participants from over 200 Olympic Delegations competed in 32 Olympic sports at Paris 2024.

Paris 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the BVI’s participation in the Olympic Games. Each athlete qualifying for the Games in their own right is a testament, not only to the talent, focus, commitment and efforts of the athletes, their coaches and families, but also to the support from the BVIOC and their programme sponsors who facilitate athlete development to compete at the highest level.

“The journey to Paris has not always been smooth as for most small NOCs. We’ve had ups and downs and one of those has been funding but we overcame that with support from the Private Sector and Govenrment also pitched in,” said President Penn in acknowledgement of the support for the Paris 2024 athletes. “We thank the sponsors who came in on the Tahesia Harrigan-Scott Elite Athlete Scholarship programme and we encourage other sponsors to join in and make that programme a beacon of hope for the young athletes as they pursue their journey.”

McMaster, Lettsome, Brathwaite and Hodge are members of the BVIOC’s current roster of elite athletes benefiting from the Tahesia Harrigan-Scott Elite Athlete Scholarship programme.

Funds from the THSEAS are entirely dedicated to the development of the BVIOC’s elite athletes identified by their respective National Federations and confirmed by the International Federations as being on track to compete for medals at major Games. The roster of athletes each receive a monthly stipend to assist them on their journey to the Olympics. The fund distribution is documented in regular reports for Olympic Solidarity and PanAm Sports who provide $200,000 towards the programme.

Other athletes in the THSEAS programme include national and regional record holders with proven track records in major Games, Olympians Chantel Malone (long jump) and Eldred Henry (shot put).

The THSEAS stipend contributes to training and coaching, athlete support including access to sports medicine, physical therapy, performance analysis, nutrition counselling, and mental resilience training.

Major sponsors who committed to support the THSEAS earlier in the year include Clarence Thomas Ltd (CTL), DLT Solutions, Conyers, Capriccio di Mare Trattoria, National Bank of the Virgin Islands, Mrs. Vivian Lloyd and Trident Trust.

Filed Under: Adaejah Hodge, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Kyron McMaster, Olympic Solidarity, Panam Sports, Paris 2024, Rikkoi Brathwaite, Sailing, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott Elite Athlete Scholarship, Thad Lettsome Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Brathwaite wraps up first Olympic appearance with historic 100m semis. Hodge to compete in 200m semi qualifiers, Lettsome holds position in fickle sailing conditions

August 5, 2024 by
Rikkoi Brathwaite runs a non-advancing time of 10:15 in the 100m semifinals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 4 at the Stade de France. Photo: Todd Vansickle

Rikkoi Brathwaite wrapped up his first Olympic appearance with a 10:15 non-advancing 8th place finish running in Heat 1 Lane 2 of the 100m semifinals on August 4 at the Stade de France, Paris.

“Coming out of the warmup, everything was firing right. I had everything going. I was ready, waited a while in the call room before heading into the race. When the gun fired, I think I got out first. As the race progressed, I had a lot of cramps everywhere at that point but still pursued the race and finished with a 10.15. It isn’t how I wanted to end the Season, but it is what it is, and I’ll come back stronger,” said Brathwaite.

Brathwaite lined up in his heat against powerful contestants including the 2 sprinters that would make it to the 100m finals, including Noah Lyles (USA) and Oblique Seville (Jamaica) but remained unphased.

“I don’t focus on anyone at the point of lining up. I don’t worry about nobody else; I just worry about how my execution of the race will unfold,” said Brathwaite. “You visualize your execution weeks, before, days before, hours before – so when you realise that that you’re not doing what you visualized, you have a mental queue to revert to plan.”

On his experience competing in a packed stadium holding 80,000 spectators, Brathwaite said, “When I looked up, I noticed that the stadium goes to the heavens – it’s huge – and I thought “This is it. This is what I live for. This is what I want.” It’s hard to explain the immensity, the crowd and intensity of it all.”

“This was a great event to watch and the enormity of Rikkoi’s achievement was made all the more obvious as we observed him compete fearlessly against the worlds’ current leading 100m sprinters,” said BVI Olympic Committee President Ephraim Penn. “This is Rikkoi’s first Olympics and we are looking forward to seeing him continue his journey to success at Los Angeles 2028.”

Attending the Paris 2024 Games, Honourable Sharie de Castor, Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports watched the race from the tribunes. “Congratulations to Rikkoi Brathwaite on his outstanding performance in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m!” said Hon. De Castro. “By being the first male from the BVI to advance to this level, Rikkoi has made history and represented our territory with immense pride. His drive and hunger for more are evident, and I am confident he will continue to develop his craft and represent the BVI with distinction. Keep pushing, Rikkoi! The finish line is just the beginning!”

Brathwaite became the first BVI male to advance to the 100m semifinals at an Olympic Games when he ran a qualifying time of 10.13 that placed him 3rd in Round 1 Heat 6 on August 3.

The Men’s 100m was won by Lyles in a hotly contested finals later that night of August 4 in a time of 9.79 (PB), beating Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) by five-thousandths of a second. Fred Kerley (USA) came 3rd in 9.81 (SB).

Adaejah Hodge ran a time of 23:00 to finish 5th in Heat 6 of the 200m Round 1 at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Stade de France on August 4. Photo: Todd Vansickle.

Adaejah Hodge ran a time of 23:00 in Heat 6 of the 200m Round 1 for a 5th place finish as she made her Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games at just 18 years of age – the youngest competitor in the event. With the top 3 in each of the 6 heats qualifying automatically for the semifinals, Hodge will compete in the Repechage Heat 1 in Lane 7 at 12:50pm / 6:50am BVI time on Monday, August 5.

“It was a blessing to be able to go on track and race today. I was super excited to go out in front of the crowd and zoned them out when I got to the line,” said Hodge. “I got a little tense, but that could’ve been the first time, Olympic stage-nerves but it’s all good. I’m looking forward to attacking the next race.”

First in each Repechage heat automatically qualify (Q) for the semifinal and the next 2 fastest (q) advance to semifinal.

Schedule and results can be found here.

Thad Lettsome completed races 7 & 8 for an overall 38/43 position in the Men’s Dinghy IlCA7 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the close of day on August 4 in Marseille, France. Photo: Robert Deaves UK.

Thad Lettsome competing on Day 4 of the Men’s Dinghy ILCA7 spent 5 hours on the water for races 7 & 8 on August 4 in Marseille, France due to a number of “Black Flag” restarts.

In winds that were a little bit lighter and fickle compared to races 5 and 6 the previous day on August 3, Lettsome beat a quarter of the fleet to round the 2nd mark in 18th place ending race 7 in a decent 26/43 place.

“Thad got off to a great start in Race 8 and, in another really tight race, was just on the back of the trailing pack” said Coach Chris Watters. “He was right in it with really close racing – closer than we’ve seen along with lots of improvement.”

Lettsome placed 37/43 in race 8 for an overall position of 38/43.

Lettsome will compete in races 9 and 10 starting at 2:40pm / 8:40am on August 5. The medal race takes place on August 6. The event schedule and results can be found on Paris 2024.sailing.org searching for Men’s Dinghy.

Hodge and Lettsome were the VI’s Flagbearers at the historic Opening Ceremony along the River Seine on July 26.

World Silver medalist and Tokyo 2020 4th place finalist, Olympian Kyron McMaster will compete in the 400m hurdles Round 1 on August 5 starting at 10:05am/4:05am AST.

Approximately 10,500 participants from over 200 Olympic Delegations will compete in 32 Olympic sports. The Games can be followed live on SportsMax Channels.

Filed Under: Adaejah Hodge, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Kyron McMaster, Paris 2024, Rikkoi Brathwaite, Sailing, Thad Lettsome Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Brathwaite becomes 1st VI male to advance to the 100m semifinals at an Olympic Games. Lettsome sails in tough conditions in Races 5 & 6

August 3, 2024 by
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 03: Rikkoi Brathwaite of Team Virgin Islands, Ackeem Blake of Team Jamaica and Wanya McCoy of Team Bahamas compete during the Men’s 100m Round 1 on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 03, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Competing in the first Olympic event of his career, Rikkoi Brathwaite shone with a 100m semi final qualifying time of 10.13 in Round 1 Heat 6 of 8 at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, August 3.

“When I got up this morning, I said it was do or die day,” said Brathwaite. “I was very calm today, trusting in God, knowing that He would deliver me, because that’s what I prayed for. I got to warming up, everything felt great, everything felt fine, Coach gave me a dabs and kiss on the head and I went in there with all the confidence Jesus bestowed upon me today, and because of that I got to the semifinals – I am a semi finalist!”

Brathwaite will compete in the Men’s 100m Semi-Final 1 in Lane 2 at 8:05pm/ 2:05pm BVI time on Sunday, August 4 at the Stade de France.

For schedule and results  https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/athletics/men-s-100m

Thad Lettsome competed in the Men’s Dinghy IlCA& at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Photo (C) Robert Deaves UK

Sailing Update

Thad Lettsome, sailing in the Men’s Dinghy ILCA7 closed out the day with Race 6 with a 38/43 place for an overall 38/43 position on August 3 in Marseille, France.

“Competing in overall hard, tricky and rough conditions of 12 – 18 knots with higher gusts, large waves and side swell coming from a different direction to the wind, Thad continues to sail well,” said Coach Chris Watters.

Races 7 and 8 take place on Sunday, August 4 starting at 12:05pm / 6:05am BVI time (start times subject to change)

Schedule and results https://paris2024.sailing.org/racing/results-centre/ (search Men’s Dinghy)

Track and field events for the VI athletes take place at the Stade de France in Paris. Adaejah Hodge will take to the blocks in the 200m rounds on August 4 starting at 10:55am / 4:55am AST. Kyron McMaster competes in the 400m hurdles heats on August 5 starting at 10:05am / 4:05am AST.

Approximately 10,500 participants from over 200 Olympic Delegations will compete in 32 Olympic sports. The Games can be followed live on SportsMax Channels.  

Filed Under: Adaejah Hodge, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Kyron McMaster, Paris 2024, Rikkoi Brathwaite, Sailing, Thad Lettsome Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Pre-Games Chats with Rikkoi Brathwaite (100m) and Adaejah Hodge (200m) at Paris 2024

July 29, 2024 by

Get the inside scoop on Rikkoi Brathwaite (100m) and Adaejah Hodge (200m) as they prepare to debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 3 and August 4 respectively!

Filed Under: Adaejah Hodge, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Paris 2024, Rikkoi Brathwaite Tagged With: , , , ,

Djimon Gumbs, Rikkoi Brathwaite win bronze medals at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games. Final events coming up.

July 5, 2023 by
Djimon Gumbs won the shot put bronze with a throw of 19.00m/62’34” at San Salvador 2023
Rikkoi Brathwaite won the 100m bronze in 10.26 seconds at San Salvador 2023

Five athletes in two sports represented the Virgin Islands (UK) non July 3 at the San Salvador 2023 CAC Games.

In Track and field events at the Estadio Nacional Jorge “El Magic” Gonzales, Djimon Gumbs, in his first appearance at a CAC Games, won the first medal for the VI at the 24th edition of the Games with a bronze in the shot put after hurling a distance of 19.00m (62.34ft) in his third attempt.

Eldred Henry OLY – shot put National Record holder (21.47m /70.44ft) – placed 6th in the shot put final with a best distance of 18.12m (59.45ft) during his 3rd attempt. Henry had won the territory’s first shot put medal at the CAC Games with a hurl of 20.18m (66.21ft) during his debut at Barranquilla 2018.

Sprinter Rikkoi Brathwaite went on to secure the territory’s second medal at the San Salvador 2023 with a bronze medal win in the 100m in a time of 10.26 seconds. Brathwaite had placed 1st in his heat with a time of 10.29 seconds a couple of hours earlier in his maiden race at the CACs.

The first ever medal for the BVI at a CAC Games was won in the very same stadium in 2002 by Dion Crabbe in the 100m with a then national record time of 10.28 seconds. Brathwaite would go on to break the record with a time of 10.20 seconds achieved at the 2022 NACAC Open Championships, Freeport, Bahamas.

“We knew that the competition field at San Salvador 2023 would be tough with strong contenders for medals and we couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of Djimon Gumbs and Rikkoi Brathwaite,” said BVI Olympic President Ephraim Penn. “With 2 more days of competition to come, we wish our athletes all the best in their events.”

Athletes who also were competing at San Salvador 2023 on July 3 included Beyoncé Defreitas who debuted in heat 3 of the 100m semi finals to place 4th with a non-advancing time of 11.84 seconds. Defreitas will compete again in the 200m on July 5.

Archer Ritseeniyah Georges, who had competed in the first round of the women’s compound individual event at the Poligogo de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot on July 2, lost 123 – 148 against Andrea Becerra (Mexico) in the elimination round. Georges had an average of 8.2 out of 10 compared to Becerra’s average of 9.9. Georges is the first archer to represent the VI at a major Games with her appearance at San Salvador 2023.

Deya Erickson made her second appearance at a CAC Games competing in the 100m hurdles semi finals on July 4. Her time of 13.92 for a fifth place finish qualified her to move on to the finals on July 5.

Also competing on July 5 are Jaleel Croal, who debuts at the CACs in the 200m semi finals. Twin brothers Djimon and Diamanté Gumbs will compete in the discus. This is also the first CAC games for the Diamanté Gumbs.

“Congratulations on great performances,” said Chef de Mission Gloria Fahie. “They are the beginning of greater accomplishments yet to come!”

Henry, Brathwaite and Georges along with archery coach Winnette Lawrence and technician Xavier Buxo depart El Salvador on July 6. ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome and coach Chris Watters left on July 2 after Lettsome qualified for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games with an overall 6th place in his event.

The BVI has won medals at every CAC Games since 2002 including 5 gold medals – 3 in the 100m by Dion Crabbe at San Salvador 2022, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott at Cartagena de Indias 2006 and Mayaguez 2010; 1 in long jump by Chantel Malone at Vera Cruz 2014 and 1 in the 400m hurdles by Kyron McMaster at Barranquilla 2018. Malone also won silver in long jump at Barranquilla 2018.

The BVI Delegation to the San Salvador 2023 CAC Games included 9 athletes in 3 sports. Missing from photo are ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome and coach Chris Watters.
Filed Under: Archery, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, CAC, Djimon Gumbs, Eldred Henry, Rikkoi Brathwaite, San Salvador 2023 Tagged With: , , , ,

9 athletes to represent Virgin Islands in 3 sports at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games

June 21, 2023 by

The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (BVIOC) has confirmed that 9 athletes from 3 sports will represent the Virgin Islands at the 24th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, El Salvador from June 23 – July 8, 2023.
 
The team comprising 4 track and 3 field athletes, 1 sailor and 1 archer will arrive in El Salvador between June 22 and July 1 ahead of their events. Chef de Mission, Gloria Fahie arrives in San Salvador on June 21 ahead of the athletes in preparation for their arrival. BVIOC President Ephraim Penn is in San Salvador to attend the Centro Caribe Sport AGM before the Opening Ceremony.
 
“This year’s CAC Games are seen as an important qualifying and ranking opportunity for athletes from all sports we can expect to see some tough competition,” said President Penn. “It will be the first time that archery will be represented at these Games and the second time for sailing since 1993 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Athletics has seen representation since the VI’s first participation in the CACs in 1982 and has included softball, squash, triathlon and cycling. This historic achievement for archery is a promising trajectory for the development of different sports in the Territory and brings to fruition one of the BVIOC’s missions for this quadrennial to have more sports compete at major Games.”
 
Laser sailor Thad Lettsome, competing in the ILCA 7 men’s single person dinghy event, is the first of the VI’s team to compete when the sailing events start on Saturday, June 24 at Lake Ilpongo. Lettsome is also selected to be the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, June 23.
 
Archer Ritseeniyah Georges will compete in the Women’s Compound Individual starting Sunday, July 2 at 9:00am at the Polígono de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot.
 
Track athletes include Rikkoi Brathwaite in the 100m semi-finals starting at 5:00pm and Beyonce Defreitas in the 100m semi-finals starting at 5:30pm on Monday, July 3; Deya Erickson in the 100m hurdles semi-finals starting at 5:45pm, Tuesday, July 4; Jaleel Croal in the 200m semi-finals starting at 5:00pm and Beyonce Defreitas in the 200m semi-finals starting at 5:30pm on Wednesday, July 5.
 
The all-men field athletes comprise Olympian Eldred Henry and twins Djimon and Diamante Gumbs. Henry and Djimon Gumbs will compete in the shot put final on Monday, July 3 starting at 5:25pm. Djimon and Diamante Gumbs will compete in the discus final on Wednesday, July 5 starting at 6:55pm.
 
While San Salvador 2023 will be the first CAC Games for 7 of the athletes, it will be the second appearance for Henry, who won the territory’s first shot put medal in a CAC games when he placed 3rd with a distance of 20.18m at Barranquilla 2018 and for Erickson who made her debut at the same games in the 100m hurdles.
 
In addition to the Chef de Mission Gloria Fahie and President Penn, the VI delegation to San Salvador 2023 includes Erwin “Redz” Telemaque (athletics coach), Winnette Lawrence (archery coach), Xavier Buxo (archery technician), Chris Watters (sailing coach) and Chester James (Physiotherapist).
 
The VI will be one of 37 countries represented at the CAC Games. The games, under the auspices of Centro Caribe Sports, will feature 57 disciplines in 37 sports taking place over 16 days. The Games, under the theme “It’s time to transcend”, will be broadcast live on the Centro Caribe Sports Channel on YouTube.
 
The CAC Games are the oldest continuous running regional games dating back to 1926. Held every four years, the Games typically host competitors from countries in Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda and the South American countries of Suriname, Guyana, Colombia and Venezuela. The San Salvador 2023 Games were originally slated to be held in Panama in 2022. 30 sports will take place in El Salvador and 7 will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
 
The CAC Games are considered the starting point of international competition for athletes from the region who are seeking to represent their countries at the Olympic level. They are designed to provide a step between sub-CAC region Games held the first year following a Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games, which are held before the Summer Olympic. The next Pan American Games are slated to take place in Santiago, Chile October 20 – November 5, 2023.

More information on the San Salvador 2023 Games can be found on their website.

Follow the BVIOC page on FaceBook for regular updates and results.

Filed Under: Archery, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, CAC, Eldred Henry, Sailing, Softball-Baseball, Squash, Thad Lettsome, Triathlon Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BVIAA names 2018 Athletes of the Year

February 15, 2019 by

By BVI Athletics Association

BVIAA Colonial Insurance (BVI) Ltd 2018 Athletes of the Year. Photo: BVIAA

The British Virgin Islands Athletics Association is pleased to officially announce the 2018 Colonial Insurance (BVI) Ltd. Athletes Of The Year awards in each of its categories:

Kyron McMaster and Chantel Malone have been named BVIAA Colonial Insurance (BVI) Ltd. Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Kyron McMaster, ranked No. 3 in the world in 2018 in the men’s 400-meter hurdles is the two-times Diamond League Champion of 2017 and 2018. He is a three-times 2018 Gold medalist in the 400m Hurdles having won at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, the Central and American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Barranquilla, Colombia and the North American and Caribbean Championships (NACAC) in Toronto, Canada. McMaster’s personal best of 47.54 seconds achieved at the Paris Diamond League in June 2018 highlights his huge accomplishments.

Chantel Malone, the territory’s first IAAF World Championships finalist finishing 7th in the women’s long jump in 2017 was ranked top 100 in the world in 2018 in the women’s long jump. Malone’s 2018 achievements include placing 5th at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, a silver medalist at the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) with a leap of 6.52m, and a 5th place in the women’s long jump at the 2018 North American and Caribbean Championships in Toronto, Canada.

Rikkoi Brathwaite and Beyonce Defreitas have been named BVIAA Colonial Insurance (BVI) Ltd. Junior Male and Female of the Year.

Brathwaite is the Jr. National Record Holder in the 100m dash. During 2018, he placed 3rd in the 100m at the Flow Carifta Games in Bahamas as well as competing at the IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Tampere, Finland where he advanced to the 100m semi-finals with a time of 10.44 seconds.

DeFreitas, 2017 silver medalist at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas in the 200m sprint, began 2018 with astonishing times which qualified her for the Flow Carifta Games, the IAAF World Under 20 Championships and the Youth Olympic Games. She is one of the few in the OECS to run under 24 seconds in the 200m at the age of 15 and is a national leader in her division. She has remained unbeaten in local competition since the age of 13.

Jaleel Croal and Adaejah Hodge have been named BVIAA Colonial Insurance (BVI) Ltd. Youth Male and Female Athletes of the Year for 2018.

Croal, coming off strong performance among peers in the Heptathlon at the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Age Group Championships held in Trinidad and Tobago in June 2017, ended 2018 as the national top 100m and 200m leader in his U15 age division. He qualified for the Flow Carifta Games in both the 100m and 200m and as a first time competitor, he placed 6th in the 100m finals at Carifta.

In 2018, Hodge ran a time of 12.34 seconds in 100m. She broke the 26 year old record (24.47 August 1st, 1992) with a time of 24.37 seconds in the 200m in her Under 13 age division at the Jr. Olympics in the USA. Hodge was honoured as the top female athlete at both the Wildcat Invitational meet and Mustang Stampede meet in Douglasville, GA. She also set 60m and 200m indoors with times of 7.88 seconds and 25.53 seconds respectively at the Birmingham Alabama Cross Plex meet during the season. Her personal best in other events includes 56.79 second in the 400m and 17 feet 12 inches in the long jump amongst her other highlighted accomplishments as an Under 13 athlete.

The BVIAA Executive and the BVI athletics family extend congratulations to all the athletes.

Filed Under: Athletics Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

BVI athletes overseas secure more PBs and Podium Finishes

February 28, 2017 by

In day 1 of the GLIAC Championships University of Findlay Junior, Tynelle Gumbs won the weight throw and set a new UF record. Photo: Findlay Oilers

In day 1 of the GLIAC Championships University of Findlay Junior, Tynelle Gumbs won the weight throw and set a new UF record. Photo: Findlay Oilers

BVI Athletes competing overseas over the weekend of February 24- 26 performed well to secure podium finishes and personal bests.

Continuing in their streak of fine results while at Findlay University, competing at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC )Indoor Track and Field Championships Tynelle Gumbs threw her longest throw of 21.45m (70’4.25″). The throw was an NCAA automatic qualifier for the National Championship meet and it also broke the school record of 69’11.50″, which she set earlier this season. The GLIAC Champion currently ranks 3rd in Division II.

Her twin sister, Trevia also medaled in the women’s weight throw with a 3rd place finish. Her furthest distance measured 19.09m (62’7.50″), which meets the NCAA provisional mark. Gumbs currently ranks 7th in Division II competition.

BVI Hurdler Lakeisa “Mimi” Warner of Clemson secured her first Atlantic Coast Conference medal in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) aiding Clemson to a second place finish with a time of 11:02.68 seconds. Warner ran her 800m leg of the DMR splitting a blistering 2:05 seconds. Clemson’s time qualified the DMR to compete at the NCAA Nationals in Oregon in two weeks. Ms. Warner got a PB of 2:07 in the 800m for 2nd place in her heat and advance to the finals with a time of 2:09.

Jonel Lacey of Albany University placed 5th in the 400m with a time of 56.67 and helped her team place second in the 4 x 400m with a time of 3:47.79 at the American East Conference Indoor Championships in Boston.

Sprinter Rikkoi Brathwaite competed in various track events at the Lake Brantley Invitational in Tampa, Fl., results as follows:
• 1st place with a time of 10.77 seconds out of 48 competitors in the 100m
• 1st place with new PB of 21.77 seconds in the 200m out of 47 competitors
• Rikkoi’s IMG Relay Team secured 2nd place in the 4 X 100m

Tarique Moses secured a third place finish in the 600m at Mesa Arizona with a time of 1:24.

 

Filed Under: Athletics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,