Saint Lucia is basking in the glory of its strongest-ever showing at the CARIFTA Games and CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, with historic performances on both track and in the pool delivering unprecedented medal hauls and national records.
At the 52nd CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago, 16-year-old sprint sensation Jady Emmanuel emerged as Saint Lucia’s first-ever double sprint champion. The Choiseul Secondary School standout stormed to gold in the Under-17 girls’ 200 metres, clocking a blistering 23.47 seconds—the fastest time ever by a Saint Lucian Under-18 athlete. The victory followed her historic win in the 100m earlier in the meet, marking the country’s first gold in that event.
Her gold medals added to Naya Jules’ silver in the girls’ pole vault, and Destinee Cenac’s bronze in the Under-17 girls’ high jump. The four medals put Saint Lucia sixth overall on the medal table. This matched the island’s best-ever medal count at the Games and marked just the third time Saint Lucia secured multiple golds at the event.
Meanwhile, at the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, Sapphire Parks dominated the pool in her debut appearance, capturing four gold medals, including a final night win in the 11–12 girls’ 200m backstroke. Her eight-medal haul (4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) earned her the high point trophy in her division, with the rising star already setting her sights on the 2026 edition in Martinique.
In another historic moment, Saint Lucia claimed its first-ever relay medal at CARIFTA Aquatics, with the 15–17 boys’ freestyle team of Tristan Dorville, Antoine Destang, Karic Charles, and Ethan Hazell powering to bronze in 1:36.46. The quartet had previously struck gold at the 2020 UANA Championships and described the feat as a fitting final chapter before moving into senior competition.
The national swim team finished 10th out of 24 countries, amassing a record 13 medals: four gold, four silver, and five bronze—the island’s biggest-ever haul at the championships.
