Six great Caribbean athletes to watch at the Paris games

There will be a total of 21 Caribbean countries and territories that will have athletes competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and while they have yet to hit the medal board in the competition’s opening days, the silverware should begin stacking up in no time. 

Here are six athletes who hail from the Caribbean to keep an eye on as the Olympics progress:

Julien Alfred, St. Lucia, Track & Field

The 23-year-old sprinter has been a force in nearly every competition she has taken part in over the last seven years. She won gold in the 100 meters at the Commonwealth Youth Games (2017), Caribbean Games (U23, 2022), and Central American and Caribbean Games last year. She also boasts a silver at the 2018 Youth Olympics and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. 

She took home gold in the 60 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland earlier this year, posting a time of 6.98 seconds, which equaled the world lead.

She will be competing in both the 100m and 200m competitions in Paris.

Devynne Charlton, Bahamas, Track & Field

Charlton, 28, is riding high heading into Paris after setting the 60m hurdles world record at the World Indoor Championships this year. It was the first time outside of junior competitions that the Purdue University alum has taken gold at a major event. 

She will be competing in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Summer Games, which is an event she won silver in back at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.

After winning gold in Glasgow, Charlton said she was in the best shape of her life. That certainly bodes well for her chances in Paris. 

Thea LaFond, Dominica, Track & Field

LaFond is already a record-breaker, becoming the first Dominican to win gold at a major competition by winning the Triple Jump at the 2024 World Indoor Championships. She set a personal best and new Dominican record with a jump of 15.01 meters.

She has steadily gotten better with age. The 30-year-old won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and silver four years later. She then took gold at the 2022 Diamond League in Paris. 

The women’s triple jump at the Olympics begins on Aug. 2 where LaFond will be one of the favorites.

Athletics – World Athletics Championship – Women’s 4x100m Relay Heats – National Athletics Centre, Budapest, Hungary – August 25, 2023 Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on her way to win heat 1REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price, Jamaica, Track & Field

This will be the last go-around on the Olympic stage for the 37-year-old Fraser-Price, who looks to put the finishing touches on a brilliant career that has made her one of the most decorated women’s sprinters ever. 

The Jamaican is an eight-time Olympic medalist, which includes two golds in the 100 meters (2008, 2012)  and a 4×100 gold in 2020. She also owns 10 gold medals at the World Championships, part of a resume that makes her the most successful female individual sprinter in history. 

While she is one of the older athletes at the Games, she will still be a force to be reckoned with at the individual 100 meters competition, which begins on Aug. 2. She will also join Team Jamaica in the 4×100 relay.

Kiriani James, Grenada, Track & Field

In what will be his fourth Olympics, the 31-year-old James will look to reach the heights he achieved 12 years ago when he won gold in the men’s 400 meters at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. With it, he became the first and only Olympic medalist for Grenada.

He won silver four years later in Rio and bronze in Tokyo, making him the first man to earn the full set of three medals in the centennial history of the event.

It has been a decade since James won gold at a major competition, doing so in 2014 at the Commonwealth Games. His last medal was a silver, which came two years ago at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The men’s 400 meters kicks off on Aug. 4.

Steven Gardiner, Bahamas

Competing against James in the 400m will be Gardiner, a 28-year-old Bahamian who won Olympic gold in the competition at the Tokyo Games three years ago. He also won gold at the 2019 World Championships with his time of 43.48 seconds is a Bahamian record and makes him the sixth-fastest man in the history of the event.

Gardiner also owns the world record in the 300m, set in 2022.