BVI athletes in Paris goldrush
On 23 August 2023 in the early afternoon heat, the British Virgin Islands came to a complete standstill. Half a world away in Budapest, the BVI’s Kyron McMaster crouched in his lane waiting for the starting gun to fire in the 400m hurdles. 47.34 seconds later the small island nation exploded into delirium as McMaster won the BVI’s first ever World Championship medal, silver to follow up his consecutive gold medals at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The 2018 triumph was a particularly poignant moment for the small island nation, as it came just months after Hurricane Irma had ripped through the islands taking several lives (one of them being Xavier ‘Dag’ Samuels, McMaster’s coach and mentor), and leaving 6,000 people homeless. At the time that McMaster was on the podium receiving his medal, many in the BVI were still without power or a permanent home. Six years further on from that sultry afternoon in Hungary, the work of repairing the damage continues.
If that gold medal symbolised the indomitable spirit of the BVI, it is fondly hoped that the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris in July/August will be emblematic of the BVI’s proud emergence onto the world sporting stage, a plucky nation punching above its weight.
Joining McMaster in the quest for glory will be Thad Lettsome sailing in the ILCA 7 (Laser) class, Adaejah Hodge in the 200m sprint, and Rikkoi Brathwaite in the star attraction of every Olympics: the 100m sprint.
Will the heady summer nights in Paris see more explosions of joy across the BVI? No one knows, but what is absolutely certain is that when these proud Olympians come up to the starting line, all eyes in the BVI will be glued intently to the nearest television.
