Young Saint Lucian Boxers Reap Success At Guyana Tournament

Team Saint Lucia captured  three gold, three silver, and one bronze medals at this year’s Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Tournament which was held from August 18-20, 2023, in Georgetown, Guyana.

The Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Tournament is geared at the development and nurturing of the nursery of boxing across the Caribbean, and was first held in 2016. It targets boxers in the Schoolboys/Girls and Junior categories.

The tournament, which was held at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue, featured boxers from the following countries this year: Saint Lucia, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Guyana.

In the Schoolboys category, Saint Lucia’s heavyweight boxer, Jeannan Gaspard won gold, while Jack Surage (light middleweight), Herve Charlemagne (light welterweight), and Joshua Rene (super heavyweight) picked up silver.

Denzel Stephen (lightweight) picked up a bronze medal. In the Juniors category, John Didier (light heavyweight) and Kyle Marcel (middleweight) both won gold.

In the six years the tournament has been held, Saint Lucia’s representation this year was the largest ever.

The boxers were accompanied to Guyana by Coaches Yunior Quintero and Conrad Fredericks; and SLBA’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Stan Bishop, as Team Manager.

The team’s participation in the tournament was made possible by the St. Lucia National Lotteries Authority and the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports.

The team returned to Saint Lucia on Monday evening, August 21.

President of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA), David “Shakes” Christopher, congratulated the team for doing a great job in Guyana, adding that the medal haul proves that all the hard work is paying off.

“It shows that our development programme is working and budding,” he said. “I really want to say kudos to all the boxers. I also want to say kudos to the national Lotteries Authority of Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, the team manager, and the coaches for making it all happen. Kudos also to Steve Ninvalle, President of the Guyana Boxing Association, for doing a great job hosting the team and organizing the tournament.”

Christopher said the intense preparations ahead of the tournament was evident in the boxers’ performances, adding that the boxers performances will undoubtedly continue to get better over time.

Meanwhile, the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA) is now shifting gears as Saint Lucia gets set to host this year’s AMBC Caribbean Boxing Championships in November to December, which is expected to attract between 150 to 200 boxers from over 20 countries.

SOURCE: Saint Lucia Boxing Association