Jaiya Simmons wins 12 medals at CARIFTA Swimming Games

Barbados: Jaiya Simmons won the 13-14 age group title at the CARIFTA Swimming Games held in the Bahamas over the Easter weekend after claiming a total of 12 medals, seven golds and five silvers, of which eight were from individual events and four from relays.

Jaiya Simmons’s outstanding performance did not come as a surprise to those who have followed the Harrison College student as she has excelled in local and regional meets since she started to swim.

In her debut CARIFTA swimming championships held in Barbados in April 2022, Jaiya competing in the 11-12 age group, achieved 8 individual gold medals in the 8 events she entered. With the help of her teammates, she assisted Barbados in obtaining 3 more gold medals in the 4x100M Individual Medley, 4x50M Mixed Freestyle and 4×50 Individual Medley relays, completing the championships with a total of 11 gold medals and the Age Group Champion award.

In July 2022, Simmons participated in her first Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (CCCAN) where she medalled in each individual event she swam, attaining 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals for Barbados, improving on her national record times in 3 events.

Jaiya was also a member of the 4x100M Individual Medley, 4x50M Individual Medley and 4x50M Freestyle relays, helping to secure 3 additional silver medals for Barbados, closing the championships with a total of 11 medals.

In 2022 Simmons was awarded the Barbados Olympic Association Junior Female Athlete of the Year Award as well as the Barbados Olympic Association People’s Choice Award.

In April 2023, Jaiya competed at the CARIFTA swimming championships in Curacao and won gold in the 50M Freestyle, silver medals in the 50M Butterfly and 100M Freestyle, and bronze in the 100M Butterfly.

Simmons was part of the 6-member Youth Commonwealth Games swim team held in Trinidad and Tobago in August 2023, placing 11th out of 57 competitors in the 100M Freestyle in a personal best and national record breaking time of 59.68 seconds.