Vincentian swimmers represent at 2nd Junior Pan Am Games

Two swimmers represented St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) at the 2nd edition of the Junior Pan American Games, held from August, 9 to 23, 2025 in Paraguay where in excess of 4000 young athletes aged 15 to 22 years from across the Americas, competed across 42 sporting disciplines.

Representing SVG in the Swimming competition was 17-yea-old Matthew Ballah, and 15-year-old Hazen Dabriel, accompanied by Anwar Medjahed, who served as SVG’s National Swim Coach during the Games.

A release from Black Sand Swim Squad states that Vincentian athletes delivered strong performances with standout moments from Dabriel, who broke the age group (15 to 17) record in the 200m freestyle, clocking 2:05.93. He also competed in the 50m and 100m freestyle setting personal best times in both events, further highlighting his growth and potential, a release from the swim squad states.

Ballah also made waves in the pool, competing in the 50m freestyle, 100 freestyle, and the 100m backstroke. He achieved personal bests in two of his three events, and missed the SVG national record in the 100m backstroke by .01 of a second.

Coach Medjahed praised the athletes’ determination and performance, stating, “Both Hazen and Matthew represented their country with pride, discipline, and excellence. Competing at this level is a huge milestone, and they’ve proven that SVG has a bright future in swimming.”