The Saint Lucia Olympic Committee is sending a small team to the ANOCES Athletics Championships this weekend in St Kitts & Nevis. The event is organised by the Association of National Olympic Committees of the Eastern Caribbean.
Two throwers and four track athletes from Saint Lucia will compete against top athletes from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) at the Kim Collins Athletic Stadium in Basseterre on Saturday and Sunday, July 4-5.
Saint Lucia’s top medal prospect is likely sprint hurdler Khailan Vitalis, who set a national record of 13.59 seconds in May, the fourth-fastest time ever by an OECS athlete. The 23-year-old is likely to face Grenada’s Isaiah Patrick and Kyle Nedd, but Vitalis has the fastest time in the sub-region this year.
Stephan Charles will also compete in the men’s 100m, while national 100m champion Shelton St Rose will not be taking part.
Throwers Joy Edward and Naya Jules are expected to compete strongly for medals. Both study at the University of Charleston in South Carolina. Jules has the second-best javelin throw among OECS athletes this year, while Edward holds the third-best shot put mark with her national record of 15.63m.
Jady Emmanuel, the 2025 CARIFTA double sprint champion, returns to international competition after missing this year’s junior games in Grenada because of injury. She is expected to run in the 100m and 200m in Basseterre.
Jamaica-based Hannah Charles is Saint Lucia’s leading 400m runner this year. She ranks ninth in the OECS this year, but depending on the final entry list, she may fancy her chances of a medal.
The ANOCES Championship is open to athletes from nine territories, including Antigua & Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Grenada.
The event is one of five being supported across the OECS by Panam Sports through a programme delivered in partnership with the sub-regional grouping of National Olympic Committees. The disciplines identified for support are swimming, table tennis, 3×3 basketball, athletics and beach volleyball.
