“Games for All” is a fitting motto for the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, with around 5,000 athletes from across the Commonwealth gathering to test their skills against both the elements and their opponents in 20 sports and 283 events.
Caribbean athletes have typically found success here, winning 41 medals at the 2018 Games in Australia. However, all but three of those medals came in athletes, and most of those athletes will only have a four-day period between the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games and the conclusion of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States. Traditionally, when other major athletics events coincide with the Commonwealth Games, many of the athletics superstars – not just from the Caribbean – withdraw.
The silver lining is that the Caribbean will have an opportunity to discover new stars. Here are some of the region’s best hopes for this summer’s Games – across all ages and disciplines – with the talent, promise, form or experience to shine.
Antigua and Barbuda
Ceyhae Greene (athletics)
Greene now holds the baton as the leading sprinter for his country. Now entering his prime, the 26-year-old won bronze medals at both the junior and senior levels at the CAC and Pan American Games. He will surely set his sights on the precious metal in Birmingham.
Bahamas
Donald Thomas (high jump)
At 37, Thomas is at the end of his glittering career but wants to end it in Birmingham. The veteran has an excellent career record in the high jump, with gold medals at the 2007 World Championships and 2010 Commonwealth Games on his resume. Despite his age, he is proving he can still compete, with a season’s best jump of 2.25m and an 11th place finish at the recent World Indoor Championships.
Barbados
Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews (cricket)
Cricket returns to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 1998, but it will be the debut for women’s cricket. In line to represent the West Indies will be the Barbados women’s team, with two of the best and most exciting all-round talents in Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews. Fresh from a semi-final in the last ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, they will be hoping to go further in Birmingham.
Dominica
Thea LaFond (triple jump)
The 2018 Commonwealth Games was a breakthrough event for Dominica. The country tasted success for the first time when 28-year-old LaFond’s jump of 12.82m gave her bronze in the triple jump.
Yordanys Durañona Garcia (triple jump)
Dominica waited 60 years for her first Commonwealth Games medal but needed just four more days for her second. Yordanys Durañona Garcia’s triple distance of 16.86m gave the Cuban-born athlete a silver medal.
Grenada
Anderson Peters (spear)
Still only 24 years old, Anderson Peters is a veteran in the javelin arena. The Grenadian is no longer a character, especially after winning gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Gold eluded him in 2018, so he will aim for gold in Birmingham.
Victor is born (decathlon)
With four medals over the last two Commonwealth Games, the Spice Isle will be looking to continue their success. And 29-year-old Lindon Victor, who holds the decathlon record for Grenada, will be looking to defend his gold medal from the last Games.
Guyana
Chelsea Edghill (table tennis)
Edghill created history by becoming the first table tennis player to represent Guyana at the Olympics. At 24, she already has plenty of experience, having competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as a 17-year-old and represented Guyana at the Youth Olympics and Pan American Games.
Aleka Persaud (swimming)
Persaud has the distinction of being Guyana’s youngest Olympian, having taken her bow at the age of 15 in Tokyo. She holds the national record in the 50m freestyle (among many others) and will get her first shot at the Commonwealth Games.
Kevin Allicock (boxing)
Guyana has a reputation for producing quality boxers and Allicock looks destined to be another. The 22-year-old featherweight fighter is considered one of the best in the English-speaking Caribbean – if not the best in his division. There is no doubt that the Commonwealth Youth Games silver medalist will be ready to go for success in Birmingham.
Jamaica
Jhaniele Fowler & Shamera Sterling (netball)
What happens when you pair the best shooter in netball, Jhaniele Fowler, with arguably the most versatile and best defender, Shamera Sterling? You get a formidable Sunshine Girls netball team and real gold medal contenders.
Yona Knight-Wisdom (diving)
The 26-year-old diver has Pan American silver in his collection and as a veteran of two Olympics and one Commonwealth Games, he will be looking to make a big splash… if only the proverbial one!
Chloe Whylie (weight lifting)
Whylie has an impressive haul of silver and two bronze medals from the 2022 Canadian Invitational, so it looks like weightlifting just might be able to shoulder some of the medal-winning burden!
Saint Lucia
Julian Alfred (athletics)
Alfred is one of the new sprint sensations in the region. At age 20, the Texas Longhorns star won silver in the women’s 100 meters at the Youth Olympics and won gold in the same distance at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Nassau. She is on the verge of breaking through and could very well do so in Birmingham.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Shafiqua Maloney (athletics)
Maloney is SVG’s most successful and experienced athlete, but is still only 23 years old. The middle distance runner proved her quality, winning gold and silver in the 800m and 400m respectively at the NACAC U-23 Championships. She will be knocking on the door at these Games.
Trinidad and Tobago
Nicholas Paul (cyclist)
They say speed kills and Nicholas Paul has more than anyone else as the fastest man in the world. Despite missing time through injury, the 23-year-old will still be one of the most feared riders at the Games because he has plenty of experience, skill and – most importantly – speed.
Nigel Paul (boxing)
Paul lasted just seven seconds in his debut at the Rio Olympics, then failed to enter the Tokyo edition after a change in the ranking system. He might have been thrown out, but he kept fighting, recovering to win bronze at the World Super Heavyweight Championships last year. Never one to be reckoned with, Paul will aim to write his name amongst Birmingham’s best.
Dylan Carter (swimming)
Carter finished his 2021 season as one of the top swimmers, setting numerous records and leading his London Roar team to third place in the International Swimming League. A double Olympic and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Carter has the form and credentials to make a bigger impression at the Games.
