Moderate sporting returns in 2022

As 2022 closes off, the past 12 months essentially was a period of recovery, as sports here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was catching itself from being stymied by the disastrous effects and fall outs from the novel coronavirus.

Thankfully, we were able to get in some events locally, while St Vincent and the Grenadines had representation on the regional and international arenas.

Amidst everything else and the relatively limited exposure, there were some performances that must be registered as stand outs in the context of Vincentian achievements.

As such, this column has adjudged that middle distance – athlete- Handal Roban has impressed most in 2022.

Roban, who was based in Jamaica attending the Jamaica College (JC), topped his list of accomplishments by running the fastest ever split time in the High School Boys category of 4 x 800m at the Penn Relays- a feat set apart in the 126 -year history of the famous event.

Roban’s moment in history came on Saturday, April 30, at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, USA, clocking 1:48.12 on the second leg for JC. Roban was thus rewarded the accolade of High School Boys Most Outstanding Athlete.

Down the line, Roban was the lone Vincentian spark at the inaugural Caribbean Games, which took place in Guadeloupe from June 29 to July 3, claiming bronze in the Men’s 1500m.

More success was to come his way, when he gained a silver medal in the 800m at the Anita Doherty North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association’s (NACAC) Open Championships on August 20, in Grand Bahamas.

In the process, Roban lowered his personal best and the St Vincent and the Grenadines all-time record, to a new mark of 1:47.03.

The much sought after Roban has since enrolled at the Penn Sate University in the USA.

Still in Track and Field, St Vincent and the Grenadines had its best showing at the Junior Carifta Games held in Jamaica over the Easter weekend.

At the Games, St Vincent and the Grenadines pouched five medals, the most on the country’s list since it began participating back in 1972.

Responsible for the medal count were Keo Davis, Uroy Ryan, Amal Glasgow and Verrol Sam.

Davis won silver in the Under-17 Male 200m and bronze in the 100m, while Ryan gained silver in the Male Under-20 Long Jump, with Glasgow and Sam earning bronze in the Under-20 Male 400m and the Under-20 Male High Jump, respectively.

Over the same Easter weekend in Barbados, young Vincentian swimmers ensured that their country maintained its trend of winning medals at the Carifta Swim Championships.

Among those making it the eighth straight year of medal success, was the quartet of Kennice Greene, Kevern Da Silva, Zariel Nelson and Jamie Joachim, who docked in second in the 4 x 50m Freestyle for Girls 13- 14.

Greene though secured an individual bronze medal in the 50m Freestyle. Joining Greene as the stand-out male swimmer was Brandon George, who copped bronze in the Boys 13 to 14 Backstroke.

Continuing in the pool, the swim contingent were the best performers at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England, from July 24 to August 8.

All six representatives were able attain at least a personal best in one event.

Similarly, young Squash players -Jayden George and Jaydon Williams, champed titles at the Caribbean Area Squash Association Junior Championships in Guyana.

George copped the Under-13 Male singles title and Williams procured the Under-15 Male singles crown.

In Netball, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ senior team won the OECS/ECCB tournament held in Dominica and finished fourth in the Americas Qualifiers staged in Jamaica.

Additionally, SVG ended 2022 as the highest ranked team in the OECS on World Netball’s table at position number 20.

Also, during the year, Obed Mc Coy achieved West Indies’ best bowling figures in a T/20 Internationals, when he scalped 6 for 17 versus India on August 1.

Mc Coy thus became the first West Indies bowler to take six wickets in a T/20I and the first to have a five-wicket haul against India in that format.

One cannot slight the efforts of young basket baller- Shad Thomas, who left his mark on the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Championships in the USA.

Representing Catawba Valley Community College, Thomas finished the 2021/2022 season as the top rebounder nationwide and was named among the top five players in Region 10.

In Football, SVG’s Vincy Ballers claimed the inaugural Free Kick Youth Cup title held in St Lucia.

Other sub- regional successes in Football, saw the national Under-15 female team trumping the Jewels of the Caribbean tournament, while the U-17 Males placed second in Pride of the Caribbean, also staged in Antigua. They overshadowed the creditable efforts of the U-14 male team in Caribbean Football Union Challenge Series in Santo Domingo.

Honourable mentions must go to Jannillea Glasgow for touring with the senior West Indies Women’s Cricket Team and has been named in the West Indies outfit to the inaugural ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.

Similarly, the appointment of Samantha Lynch as the team’s assistant coach, while her sister, Maria Abbott will also be in South Africa as part of an umpires’ development panel.

Worthy of note, were the performances of Shaquana Jacobs and Zichri Hepburn, who collected golds at the Friendship Games in Martinique, as well as the exploits of Shaffiqua Maloney and Mikeisha Welcome on the US Collegiate circuit.

Commendations must go to the SVG Netball Association for successfully hosting the first ever Americas Male Netball Tournament.

While 2022 can be considered as providing droplets of success, this column can only hope that things will be put in place to ensure greater achievements all round in 2023.