The British Virgin Islands will be proudly represented by sprinters Rikkoi Brathwaite and Beyonce Defreitas at the highly anticipated World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom from March 1 to 3, 2024.
Both athletes are set to compete in the intense indoor 60-metre event, showcasing their speed and skill on the global stage.
Brathwaite, a seasoned sprinter with an impressive track record, is scheduled to compete in the prelims on March 1 at 8:10 a.m. BVI time. If successful, he will advance to the semis and finals, taking the track again at 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. respectively on the same day. With a strong performance in the 2024 track season, including a notable 6.65 seconds sprint, Brathwaite aims to build on his past achievements, which include a personal best of 6.52 seconds achieved on March 12, 2022. He is no stranger to the event, having demonstrated his speed by running 6.66 seconds and advancing to the semis at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2022.
Defreitas, another talented sprinter, will face her competitors on March 2 at 6:20 a.m. BVI time. The semis and finals are scheduled for 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. respectively, closing out Day 2 of the competition. With a season’s best of 7.37 seconds achieved just two weeks ago, Defreitas is in excellent form. Her personal best of 7.34 seconds, dated February 24, 2023, adds to her confidence as she steps onto the world stage. While this marks Defreitas’s first World Athletics Indoor Championships, she brings valuable experience from representing Team BVI at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Oregon in 2022.
The British Virgin Islands’ only World Athletics Indoor Championships medal came in 2008 when Tahesia Harrigian-Scott secured bronze in the 60m sprint at Valencia, Spain. With Ralston Henry, a World Athletics certified senior coach, overseeing coaching and management duties, Team BVI is poised for a strong showing at the championships.
The BVI contingent is set to depart on February 27, carrying the hopes and expectations of their nation to Glasgow, with aspirations to add to the historic achievements of BVI athletes on the global stage.