St. Kitts and Nevis’ Akanye Francis Joins Coppin State University

St. Kitts and Nevis: Akanye Samuel Francis left St. Kitts and Nevis on Saturday, August 22, 2026, for Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland. He will continue his education and track career at the NCAA Division I level. Francis is an 18-year-old 400 metre hurdler who is moving to Coppin State University after he received offers from many other university programmes.

Francis has already made his mark in the sport as he became the national junior record holder in the 400-metre hurdles. He has also won three CARIFTA medals in hurdles events. According to news reports, he is the only athlete from St. Kitts and Nevis to win a CARIFTA medal in a hurdles event on three occasions.

Francis has won gold in the Under-17 400-metre hurdles in 2023 and after that he won a silver in 2024 and a bronze in 2025. These results have him one of the leading young track athletes of the country.

He has also shown his competency on the international stage as he represented St. Kitts and Nevis at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He competed in the 400-metre hurdles and was the youngest hurdler from the Federation to compete at the World Championships.

In 2026, he won the national 400-metre hurdles title and also recorded a season’s best of 52.01 seconds in the event.

Former Prime Minister and current Senior Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas also congratulated Francis on his move.

Congratulations, Akanye! Wishing you continued success as you take your athletic and academic talents to the next level, he wrote in a social media post.

The national athletics community also supported Francis’s move and congratulated him for his departure to Coppin State while wishing him success for his new journey.

At Coppin State, Francis will continue his academic studies with NCAA Division I athletics. This would help the young athlete in developing his skills while competing at a higher level.

For St. Kitts and Nevis, Francis’s athletic journey highlights that the federation is putting efforts into its athletic programme. He has now begun his new journey with his move to the Coppin State University.