“I feel like everything we touch in sports development turns to gold.”
Those were the triumphant words of Saint Lucia’s Minister for Youth Development and Sports, Kenson Casimir, as he celebrated one of the nation’s most historic performances at the Carifta Games.
ding the charge was 16-year-old Jady Emmanuel of Morne Paul, who etched her name in the record books as Saint Lucia’s first-ever double sprint champion at the prestigious regional event. Representing Choiseul Secondary School, Emmanuel stormed to victory in both the Under-17 girls’ 100m and 200m races in Trinidad and Tobago.
In Saturday’s 100m final, the rising star blazed across the finish line in 11.50 seconds, a new personal best and a national Under-18 record, eclipsing the previous mark of 11.53 seconds set by Olympic champion Julien Alfred in 2017. Emmanuel followed up with another breathtaking performance in the 200m final, clocking 23.47 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded by a Saint Lucian Under-18 athlete.
Despite a gruelling race schedule and battling leg cramps, Emmanuel delivered performances that left spectators in awe and cemented her status among the nation’s most promising young athletes.
Minister Casimir, brimming with pride, drew parallels between Jady’s potential and that of Saint Lucia’s Olympic star.
“What an individual. We have literally another Julien Alfred,” he said. “If you talk about the mentality, if we talk about the heart, if we talk about the soul of the individual, being somebody who is humble, we do have that on our hands.”
Emmanuel’s golden double was the crown jewel of Saint Lucia’s impressive medal tally, which also included Naya Jules’ pole vault bronze and Destinee Cenac’s high jump silver. With four medals in total, the nation secured an impressive sixth-place finish overall at the games.
Casimir credited the government’s unwavering commitment to athletic development as the driving force behind this success.
“I can tell you, it is the easiest thing for this Cabinet of Ministers and this Prime Minister that when I describe what the situation is for those young athletes – to give them the support … the documentation, the finances that these individuals need to continue to put Saint Lucia on the map.”
He also expressed regret over the withdrawal of medal hopeful Naomi London due to injury, noting that the team had anticipated at least two more podium finishes. Nevertheless, he emphasised the solid foundation being laid for the future of Saint Lucian sports.
“We made history,” Casimir said. “We’ve never won a sprint double. We’ve finally done that.”
Highlighting the ministry’s strategic vision, he pointed to a well-structured sports development pyramid, spanning grassroots initiatives to elite high-performance programmes. He also praised the critical role of sports psychologists and other professionals in honing the athletes’ competitive edge.
