Khalil Patrick shines at Barbados Primary School Athletic Championship, shares struggling story

Barbados: Khalil Patrick from Barbados is an eight-year-old boy won gold medal in the long jump in boys’s under 9 at the National Primary School Athletic Championship.

In November last year, Khalil represented his school at the inter-school cross-country event and assisted them in capturing second place in the class 1-2 boys’ division.

He also excelled in athletics and while in ‘Infants B’, he made the school’s relay team for the 2023 National Primary School Athletic Championship (NAPSAC), that won their heat and progressed to the semifinals. At this year’s NAPSAC, he won the long jump in his zone for boys’ under 9.

Of all the sports he loves, swimming is the one that he is most passionate about, but it was not always that easy to get Khalil in the water as he would cry if water got in his face.

At the age of four, during the covid period, his mother who happens to be a swim coach, decided to take him to the beach every morning before school to help him get over his fear of the water. He thoroughly enjoyed those morning beach sessions and he quickly became very comfortable in the water.

Khalil later joined the learn to swim group at Seaside Aquatics and shortly after his sixth birthday, he announced that he wanted to compete in swimming. While his mum was happy to hear that, she knew that it was due to his friend Dari who was influenced by his sister Nhya who was a competitive swimmer and who are all still competing in swimming.

Unlike his mum who was a bit hesitant, Khalil was not daunted by the fact that he was going to be up against boys as much as four years older than himself, he just wanted to compete. In his first few competitions, Khalil placed in the middle of the pack and he focused on his training and his progress has been evident in the results he is now getting in competitions.

After about a year and a half of competing and several medals later he qualified in the 50 meter breast stroke to represent Barbados at the 2023 Goodwill Games in Jamaica. Once again Khalil was the youngest member of the team but he finished in the top six in both of his races shaving five seconds off the times he did six weeks earlier in the qualifying meet in the 50M fly.

He also was part of the winning 4x50m freestyle relay team that broke a meet record and national record in that event. The team also narrowly missed out on another gold medal, and picked up the silver medal in the 4x50m Medley relay where he swam the breast stroke leg.

Last November, swimming for his school at the Primary School Swimming Championship, Khalil won all four of his events and was the eight and under age group champion. The points earned by this talented young man assisted St. Gabriel’s School in winnning the championships.

Khalil was outstanding at the National Long Course meet this February when he won seven gold medals in the boys eight and under category and he was once again the undefeated age group champion.