A Searchlight Commemorative Article: Shafiqua does SVG proud

VINCENTIAN ATHLETE, Shafiqua Maloney proved that she is the fourth best Women’s 800m runner in the world at present when she finished just outside the podium on Monday, August 5, 2024, at the Paris Olympics in France. She became the first Vincentian woman to advance further than the heats in the Olympics.

Esworth Coombs in 1996, at the Atlanta Games, was the first Vincentian to do so when he reached the semi-finals of the Men’s 400m.

Photo: Shafiqua Maloney Facebook

Ranked 27th in the world going into the Olympics, Maloney placed fourth in a time of 1:57.66, as she trailed Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson (1:56.72),Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia (1:57.15), and Kenya’s Mary Moraa (1:57.42) in that order.

Maloney’s fourth place, according to Sportsmax’s commentary on the race, was the best ever placing for an English- Speaking Caribbean female athlete in the Olympics 800-m.