Sports in 2024: What a Year!

Thea Lafond-Gadson put Dominica on the map with her exploits at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, Kavem Hodge became the first Dominican to get a test century in England, Central Cooperative Credit Union Dublanc FC dominated local football, and the D-Tread Blazers reestablished themselves as the kings of basketball. These are just some of the major sporting highlights for 2024, a year that saw Dominica take steps to become a major player in Caribbean sports.

Athletics

The most significant moment of the year was Thea Lafond-Gadson's historic leap in the Women's Triple Jump at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in August. On a cold rainy night in Paris, Thea jumped an impressive 15.02 metres to win Dominica's first gold medal at the Olympic Games. 15.02 metres also represented a new national record and the best jump in the world for 2024.

Thea became an instant hero and received a hero's welcome on her return home, where she was showered with gifts from the public and the Government of Dominica. She received Dominica's highest national honour, the Dominica Award of Honour. She also received a $400,000 cash gift and a 7,459-square-foot lot in Warner and was appointed Sports Ambassador for Dominica. The government also announced that it will construct a synthetic track facility named the Thea LaFond-Gadson Track & Field Complex upon completion.

Thea's accomplishments capped off an amazing performance from the Dominican team at the Olympic Games. The 4-member team came home with one gold medal and three national records, with runner Dennik Luke setting a new national record in the men's 800-meter event and swimmer Jasmine Schofield setting a new national record in the women's 50-meter freestyle. Some other highlights in Athletics in 2024 included National shot putter Trenese Hamilton being crowned national champion in the United States. She led her school, Barton County Community College, to gold in women's shot put. Addison James set a new personal best on his way to recording Dominica's only medal at the 2024 CARIFTA Games in Grenada.

Cricket

Dominican athletes' global successes continued in cricket. Kavem Hodge became the first Dominican to register a test century in England. Hodge, who hails from the village of Atkinson, equaled the record of the late great Dominican cricketer Irving Shillingford, who hit 120 against England at Nottingham in July.

Another Dominican cricketer, Alick Athanaze, also signalled his intentions on the global stage. While the youngster from Grandbay didn't hit triple figures in 2024, he managed a career-best 92 against South Africa and 90 against Bangladesh in a test series. The sky is indeed the limit for Athanaze.

Some of the other big cricket stories for 2024 included Dominica winning the Windward Islands senior men's tournament in August, the Nagico Northern stars capturing the President's Cup, St Lucia winning the 2024 Caribbean Premier League title for the first time, and the West Indies winning their first Test Match in Australia in almost 30 years.

Dominica did not host any match in the ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June/July 2024. In late 2023, Dominica pulled out of hosting the tournament because the facilities could not meet the ICC standards in time for hosting the tournament.

Football

In football, the year belonged to Central Cooperative Credit Union Dublanc FC. The West Coast Football Club dominated local football, winning the two major cups organised by the Dominica Football Association. Captain Briel Thomas and his team won the Premier League title comfortably, finishing in front of second place Valvoline We United. Dublanc striker Travist Joseph also set a new Premier League record for goals scored, scoring 28 on the season, eclipsing Randolph Peltier's record of 23. Dublanc followed up their Premier title run with an impressive showing in the President's Cup, winning that tournament in December. The Club also enjoyed success on the regional stage. They advanced to the semi-finals of the CFU Club Championships, recording the best showing ever by a Dominican Club at that tournament back in August.

Meanwhile, the Men's Senior National Football endured a year of mixed results. Dominica was promoted to League B of the CONCACAF Nations League. The team suffered heavy defeats to the Dominican Republic and Bermuda in the competition, but it managed to pull off a win over Antigua for the first time in several years to avoid relegation and remain in the League While Dominica maintained its position at the CONCACAF level, the team was eliminated from the World Cup Qualifiers in June. Dominica suffered a 6-nil defeat to Guatemala and went down to Jamaica 3-2 at Windsor Park.

Basketball

Dominica's most successful basketball club retained its position as kings of the court, winning national basketball titles. The D-Tread Blazers took home both the premier and first-division crowns, adding more silverware to their stacked cabinet of trophies. The Blazers beat the Paix Bouche Eagles 3-1 in the best-of-5 match finals of the Premier League. The Blazers, a Division One team, overcame a youthful Dr Darroux Pichelin Sports Club Falcons team to win the Division One title.

Other Basketball highlights of 2024 included the Wadadli Elite Stingers from Antigua winning the Les Express des Iles Kreyol Basketball Championships, held for the first time in Dominica in August. In March, the 767 sports club won the St Lucia Basketball Federation's Invitational Tournament.

Volleyball

Dominica celebrated gold with the national under-21 men's beach volleyball team, which captured the gold medal at the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association under-21 beach volleyball championships in St Kitts in September. The men's team of Mervin Mingo and Bill Frederick won gold beating St Kitts in the finals. The run capped off a fantastic tournament for the Dominica team, which went unbeaten and didn't drop a single set. Dominica also finished second in the 2024 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Associations Men's Tournament in Antigua in October. The team lost to Antigua in the finals.

Netball

Dominica secured a third-place finish in the 2024 Jean Pierre Caribbean under-16 netball championships held in St. Lucia in April. However, the senior women's team found the ECCB international series in September tough. They managed only three wins in seven matches.

Dominica, however, had something to cheer about on the court: The former president of the Dominica Netball Association, Loreen Bennis-Roberts, was elected the new first vice president of the Caribbean Netball Association in April.

Conclusion

2024 showed what Dominican athletes can do when put into the correct environment and given the right resources. Thea Lafond Gadson won the country's first gold medal thanks to the added investment from the Dominica Olympic Committee, which allowed her to quit her job as a teacher and focus on athletics. Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze excelled in cricket thanks to Cricket West Indies' improved regional franchise system.

Conclusion

Dominican athletes have proven over the years that they have the talent to compete on the global stage, but they need a wealth of resources to reach the podium. Improved and unimpeded access to sporting facilities, a sports policy, and more government and private sector support will go a long way toward producing world-class athletes from Dominica.

Despite the obstacles off the field, Dominican athletes strive for excellence. Let's hope that this character of resilience will continue to help them through 2025 and beyond.