Barbados: After a string of exciting and impressive swims, Kaija Eastmond has become a household name in the swimming arena in Barbados. Her talent in the pool has also extended to regional meets such as the Goodwill Games and Rodney Heights Aquatic Center Games in Saint Lucia.
Now eleven years old, Kaija started swimming at the age of six and within two months she competed in her first swimming competition.
Representing her school she took to the pool in the 2018 Purity Primary School Swimming Championships in the six and under age group. Kaija swam with courage, ripping through her opposition, winning all of her races and she even broke the backstroke record in that meet and was awarded the 6 and under age title.
In 2018, A new water queen had surfaced in Barbados and she has continued to impress spectators, her coach, family and friends, who all admire the skills and determination of this Codrington School student who has remained humble and modest despite her achievements.
At this time Kaija was also in Gymnastics, another sport which she loves, but after her success in her first swimming competition, she realized her talent in swimming and she made the decision to pursue that talent and she now puts in the work to reach the goals she has also set for herself.
In 2019, Kaija was chosen to represent Barbados for the first time at the Goodwill Games which were held in Suriname that year and that was the beginning of what is now a string of national appearances. She won her first gold, a silver and two bronze medals in those games last year when the games were held in Trinidad.
This year Kaija dominated her age group at the 2023 Goodwill Games which were held in Jamaica. She won 8 gold medals (100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly).
She also won two silver medals (100m backstroke and 50m backstroke) and she was awarded the 9-10 age group Championship for girls. This outstanding performance included three new meet records that came in the 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly.
The water queen kept getting better and last year she dominated the 9-10 age group in all local meets.
It started in March in the Barbados Aquatic Sports Association (BASA) Long Course National Championships, when she won seven gold medals to win the age group champion (50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley).
In May 2022, she won five gold medals , (50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley), and two silver medals in the 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke at the Aquatic Centre International 2022.
In November 2022, she competed for her school in the Purity Primary Inter-School Swimming Championships and won gold in all of the five events in which she competed and won the 9-10 age group title.
In her final meet for 2022, Kaija proved to be the one to beat when she won gold in eleven events (50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 100m individual medley, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle) and silver in the 50m breaststroke at the BASA Short Course National Championships. She also claimed the 9-10 age group championship in that meet.
Kaija started this year with an outstanding performance at the BASA Long Course National Championships in which she won 8 gold medals, (50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley, 400m freestyle) and two silver medals in the 50m backstroke and 100m backstroke.
She had personal best times in all of her events and once again, she captured the 9-10 age group championship.
Kaija travelled to St. Lucia with the Pirates Swim Club to compete in the Rodney Heights Aquatic Center Invitational Swim meet with the intention of doing her best and that she did.
She won gold in nine events (50m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 400m freestyle, 200m freestyle) and silver medal in the 50m backstroke.
She won the 9-10 age group title as well as the Female Sprint Champion. She broke six records in the 100m Breaststroke, 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle.
One month later at the local Aquatic Centre International which was held in May at the Wildey Aquatic Centre, Kaija won gold in six events, (50m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m IM, 50m breaststroke) and silver in the 50m backstroke for the 9-10 age group champion. She also broke the 50m butterfly record which was set back in 2012.
Now in secondary school where she enjoys Spanish, Mathematics, English and Science, this talented athlete trains six days a week at the pool for one and a half hours each day.
The daughter of Jamar and Karen Eastmond, Kaija receives the much needed financial, emotional and moral support from her parents who often travel with her to attend overseas meets and who are seen at every local meet as they cheer on their daughter.
