SAINT LUCIA’S team to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Track and Field Championships held at the Kirani James National Stadium in Grenada finished fifth. They returned home with nine medals; three gold, four silver and two bronze.
Middle distance runner Marbeq Edgar captured two gold medals: in the 800-metres in a time of 1 minute and 51.24 seconds and in the 1500-metres in a time of 3 minutes and 58.88 seconds. Saint Lucia’s other gold medal came via female high jumper MakebaAlcide with a winning height of 1.70 meters.
National champion javelin thrower Albert Reynolds won silver with his personal best and national record of 79.44 metres. Male high jumper Mickey Ferdinand secured a silver medal with a height of 2.03 metres.
Female javelin thrower Shermalyn Albert won a bronze with a throw of 42.25 metres and also in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.55 metres. Alcide picked up her second medal at the championships with a throw of 12.90 metres in the shot put event while the men’s 4×400 metres relay team — Marbeq Edgar, TalbercPoleon, Reuben Nichols and Jonathan Celestine — had to settle for the bronze.
The championships was won by the British Virgin Islands who amassed 10 gold, 8 silver, 3 bronze medals, with host country Grenada second with 8 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze; third was Saint Kitts and Nevis with 4 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze; and fourth Antigua and Barbuda with 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.
Public Relations Officer of the Saint Lucia Athletics Association, Dane Magloire, who travelled to Grenada as Coach, said, “There is need for more athletes to be competing at that level and it is important that we continue to develop our athletes after they leave school, whether it be locally or overseas.”
He added: “We are right in the mix with other athletes from the region, but we need to implement a long term plan.”
The Saint Lucian contingent to the Games competed under the banner of the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Incorporated.