Two gymnasts to represent SVG in first CARIFTA Gymnastics in Jamaica

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Gymnastics Association (SVGGA), will be competing in the first ever Carifta Gymnastics Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, from November 28 to December 30, 2024, to be hosted by the CARIFTA Gymnastics Confederation. In a release the SVGAA said St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), will be represented by two gymnasts- Jordane Charles, and Azaria Lewis, from the Dolphin Gymnastics Academy, and would compete among their peers in the USAG WAG categories for under 18 and under 16, respectively. They will be accompanied by coach and technical director, LaPrise Williams; and Fiona Charles -Williams, general secretary acting as team manager.

Charles, a 17-year-old first year student at the SVG Community College competed in Jamaica’s Invitational Meet in 2019 and won first place in the vaulting round, second on the uneven parallel bars, and third All-round. She has had successes at both Caribbean Championships held in Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Charles also took part in the SVG Coconut Classics Meet in 2020 where she won first for the vaulting, second for uneven parallel bars, and third for both balance beam and floor, placing second for All-round.

Lewis, a 14-year-old fourth former at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Girls’ High School began her gymnastics career at age seven. No stranger to competition, Lewis participated in the 2019 Championships held in Trinidad placing third on balance beam, uneven parallel bars and the vault, and came out third All-Around. Internationally, she competed at the Manhattan Classics in 2020 where she placed first in balance beam, uneven parallel bars and the vault, second on floor, and first All-round. She also contributed to the team achieving the Team Spirit Award. In the local competition- Coconut Classics Meet in 2020, the athlete placed second in balance beam, uneven parallel bars and floor and first in vault.

The SVGGA said the Carifta championships is a significant occasion for the local gymnasts to demonstrate their skills at the regional level and encourage regional camaraderie in the sport.

Gymnastics began in SVG in October, 2015, and local gymnasts have competed locally, regionally and international since.