The 21st anniversary celebration of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) has recognised the achievements of international sports athletes and how much those accomplishments mean to the people of the Caribbean, “our aspirations for excellence”, added Keith Joseph, CANOC president.

Thea LaFond, Dominica, on her second attempt, claimed a gold medal with a women’s triple jump of 15.02m and remained in the lead for the remaining four rounds of the competition. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts, won silver in the women’s triple jump, behind LaFond, with a leap of 14.87m.

Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, who threw the shot put at a distance of 22.15m, took bronze in the men’s shot put final. San Juan’s Julien Alfred, having shown her class in the previous semi-final, again delivered an incredible gold medal performance with a leap of 10.72m in the 100m final.

Grenada’s Lindon Victor earned himself and his country a bronze medal in the men’s decathlon with a total of 8711 points. Earlier in the day, Victor threw 53.91m to record the best Olympic discus throw performance in Olympic decathlon history at the Olympic Games.

“Once again, our Caribbean athletes have demonstrated that we are not inhibited by the relatively small size of our respective countries, nor are we intimidated by our aspirations for excellence in all fields of endeavour, not least of which is sport,” CANOC president said, Keith Joseph.

CANOC also wants to include those athletes in the 21st anniversary celebrations, “we are celebrating excellence, but we understand very well that, as a collective, we, the people of the Caribbean, must constantly strive for even higher levels of achievement”.