THE Government of St Lucia is considering how to reward Levern Spencer for her spectacular performance at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Australia, Sports Minister Fortuna Belrose said.
At a news conference on Monday, Minister Belrose lauded Spencer’s performance and said the announcement of her reward will be made later.
Spencer made history by becoming the first Commonwealth Games champion from St Lucia.
The 33 year old won the gold medal in the women’s high jump with a season-best performance of 1.95m, leaving the United Kingdom and Australia to settle for the silver and bronze medals respectively.
“To be honest with you when she won that medal I didn’t sleep for 24 hours,” Belrose told reporters. “For our country, she’s made us tremendously proud, significantly proud and I think it’s something that everybody should celebrate and when she arrives here, we all should actually go out and meet her,” she added.
Belrose says the triumph was a significant achievement for an individual athlete that should be celebrated by all St Lucians.
According to Belrose, Spencer should serve as an example for how St Lucia can develop the sporting talent of the young.
“For young people in this country, that’s the message we want to communicate; it takes time but if you work at it, if you stick to it, you can achieve the goals. and sport is really a great tool to demonstrate to young people, how best they can stay focused on their goals and realise it,” Belrose added.
“It’s a really good feeling and I am happy I’m the one making history for my country,” Spencer was quoted as saying.