Caribbean athletes make their mark at Paris Olympics 2024

As the curtains closed for the Paris Olympics 2024, the Caribbean region celebrated its unforgettable achievements. This year, the sport’s biggest event was a major success for the Caribbean as two of its nations received their first golds from the event.

More than 200 athletes from different regions of the Caribbean attended the Paris Olympics. Many of the athletes from the region debuted this year at the event. However, many left before and in between the event due to injuries or other personal reasons.

This year the major celebration was for Dominica and Saint Lucia as the countries welcomed their first golds. Whereas Jamaica outshined as the best among all by grabbing 6 medals.

JAMAICA

This year Jamaica sent 58 competitors to the event which included Jamaican star player Shelly-Ann fraser Pryce, Kishane Thompson, Shanieka Rickets, and many more.

However, Fraser Pryce even after qualifying for the semis was not able to make it to the event due to a sustained injury which crushed her dreams of grabbing a medal at her last Olympics event.

Notably, Jamaica’s speed queen, Elaine Thompson-Herah, from which the nation had high hopes for a gold, announced her exit from the Paris Olympics just before the event as she sustained a severe ankle injury ceasing her to perform at the Olympics.

Jamaica this year won 6 medals in total, including one gold, three Silvers, and two Bronze.

• Roje Stona (Men’s Discuss Throw): Gold
• Shanieka Rickets (Women’s Triple Jump): Silver
• Kishane Thompson (Men’s 100m): Silver
• Wayne Pinnock (Men’s Long Jump): Silver
• Rajindra Campbell (Men’s Shot Put): Bronze
• Rasheed Broadbell (Men’s 110m hurdles): Bronze

It is to be noted that, Rasheed Broadbell had his Olympic debut this year and just lost the position to silver medal with a very narrow distance to US athlete Daniel Roberts. They both shared same timings of 13.09 seconds, however Roberts won silver with a slight difference in timings.

GRENADA

The athletes from Grenada were not able to fetch top positions at the Paris Olympics, however managed to get two bronzes for the country. 6 athletes went to represent the nation at the Paris Olympics from which 4 were athletes and two swimmers.

• Lindor Victor (Men’s Decathlon): Bronze
• Anderson Peters (Men’s Javelin Throw): Bronze

SAINT LUCIA

Out of all the four players from the country, Julien Alfred came out to be the Nation’s Pride as she became the first to bring a gold medal to the country.

Not just this, Alfred also fetched a silver medal for the country, showcasing her dedication to her sport. The Saint Lucian star left behind the US athletic queen Sha’Carri Richardson at the women’s 100m event.

• Julien Alfred (Women’s 100m): Gold
• Julien Alfred (Women’s 200m): Silver

DOMINICA

Dominica was only able to fetch one single medal from the event, yet it was one of the biggest achievements for the country as it was the first gold for the Dominica. Thea Lafond brought the medal home with her ultimate victory in Women’s Triple Jump.

Thea, upon her win, was congratulated across Dominica, but Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s wish was the most heartfelt and resonant as the PM called Thea upon her victory.

On the other hand, Troy Nisbett, a St Kitts and Nevis’ swimmer was remarkably worth watching this year at the Paris Olympics as he was the youngest and first ever swimmer to represent the twin island nation at the Olympics.

The Olympics this year which started on 26thJuly 2024 witnessed a historic opening ceremony, which was worth watching. However, the closing ceremony was even more exquisite as it was an emotional ending to one of the most alluring events of the sports community.

The closing ceremony held at the iconic Stade de France began at 9pm, and the major highlights to it were parade of flags and athletes, symbolic handover of the flag to Los Angeles (as it will host the next Olympics in 2028), and the extinguishing of Olympic flame.

Global youth icons including Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red-Hot Chilli Peppers grooved the audience with their captivating performances. Notably, the event took an exciting turn when Tom Cruise, the global sensation gave a surprise appearance at the event.

For the Caribbean, the event this year was more than a series of different competitions as it celebrated the region’s success. The debut medals secured by Dominica and Saint Lucia were a testament to their athletic prowess.

As the Olympic fire has been extinguished, it has marked an end to a remarkable victory in sports for the Caribbean and set an inspiration for the coming athletic generations.