Caribbean Corner

St. Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre has lauded the new Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions, the St. Lucia Kings on capturing their first title. The Kings defeated defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors by six wickets in an exhilarating final at Providence Stadium on Oct. 6. A statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister recently, Pierre congratulated the Kings on their historic winning performance. “Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre on behalf of the government and people of Saint Lucia congratulates the Saint Lucia Kings on their impressive achievement in securing the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title. This victory has brought immense pride to our island nation,” it read. “The Saint Lucia Kings have demonstrated remarkable resilience and teamwork throughout the tournament. “Their success further amplifies Saint Lucia’s achievement in sports on the world stage, with Julien Alfred blazing the trail. “This victory is an inspiration, showc...

The athlete who became the pride of the Caribbean at the recent Paris Olympics says she can hardly wait for the end of the Diamond League season to head home to St. Lucia and celebrate with her legion of supporters and well wishers. Julien Alfred who easily beat a high-class field including race America favorite Sha Cari Richardson in the women’s marquee event, is currently in Europe wrapping up the 2024 outdoor season. She is expected home at the weekend. Authorities are preparing a rousing welcome for her including a motorcade and a package of cash and other rewards. Alfred who lives and trains in the US alongside stars like Dina Asher-Smith, Rashidat Adeleke and Kevona Davis, also picked up a silver in the 200 meters, a race she says she wants to focus on more and improve her times in the coming months, the Times newspaper reported this week. “I’m going to go back home. I haven’t got a chance to celebrate with my country as yet, to see the youth of my country. So, I really just ...

A week after Grenada threw a huge party, motorcade and presentation of gifts for three medalists at the just-concluded Paris Olympics, fellow Eastern Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Sunday did likewise for triple jumper Thea La Fond-Gadson who brought the first ever Olympic medal to the Emerald Island. La Fond-Gadson, her husband and coach Aaron as well as other family members rode in a state vehicle and motorcade from the main airport at Portsmouth in the north to Roseau in the capital as thousands of Dominicans lined the streets, waving flags and congratulating her on not only winning the island nation’s first medal, but a gold in the triple jump. Dressed in a tracksuit of local colors, Thea used crutches to support herself because she recently underwent surgery for a troublesome right knee that had started acting up earlier this year. She said that she had had no intention of missing Paris so she worked through the pain barrier until bagging the gold medal. “The doctor s...

Cricket Wicket Indies (CWI) recently announced that chief executive officer Johnny Grave will step down from his role at the end of October this year. Grave served as CEO for CWI for the past seven years,  . President Dr Kishore Shallow said Grave had made a “lasting impact” on cricket in the region. “Johnny’s efforts, particularly through challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as successfully hosting three World Cups including, the Women’s World T20 in 2018, the Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2022 and recently, the Men’s T20 World Cup, have made a lasting impact on CWI.” “Appreciably, the organization has taken many positive strides during his tenure. A standout achievement is the acquisition and full ownership of the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG), which is now our headquarters and home to our men’s and women’s Academies,” Dr Shallow said. “On behalf of the Board and all at CWI, I express heartfelt thanks to him for the unwavering commitment and leade...