BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Federation will be represented at the 2022 CARIFTA Games which gets underway this weekend in Kingston, Jamaica as several local athletes made the qualifying standards, after they found it tough during the qualifying phase last month.
In a statement, St. Kitts-Nevis Athletics (SKNA) announced that 17 athletes were selected to represent the Federation and would travel along with five personnel as part of their management team for the Games which gets underway from April 16 at the Kingston National Track and Field Stadium.
The team departed for the Games today (Apr. 14), and SKNA noted that the official delegation includes athletes from both St. Kitts and Nevis as well as a few collegiate athletes studying in the United States.
“Ms. Azurdee Phillip is the team manager and Mr. Hugh Matthew is the head coach. Phillip and Matthew are joined by Mr. Damon Bacchus, General Secretary of SKN Athletics, as well as Mr. Dwayne Warner, Vice President of SKN Athletics,” the statement read.
The body did not indicate the events in which the selected athletes will be competing neither did the statement on its official page provide details on who the athletes are. However, other pages have provided the names of each athlete and the classes in which they are competing.
Seven of them are expected to compete in the Boys Under-20 category: They are Kamarely Newton, Akedianto Willet, K’Anthony Benjamin, Alexander Caines, Aldrett Nisbett, William Sharp and Jelani Johnson.
Jonnecia Williams, Tiffany McKenzie, Tijuanique Morton and Cadence Stanley will be competing in the Girls Under-20 category. They are the only females selected for the team, as no young lady was selected for the Girls Under-17.
There were six selections in the Boys Under-17 category, with the Stephan Balson, Mason Cassious, Rondell Williams, Jermahd Huggins, Doran Thomas and Akanye Samuel making the journey.
The Games are split into two age categories, Under-17 and Under-20 in which 27 countries will be participating after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Track and Field Jamaica stepped in late last year to host the event after Bermuda and Guyana turned down the hosting rights due to the impact COVID-19 had on their economies.
