News & Views: BVI Olympians Make Historic Firsts
Meet the athletes from the British Virgin Islands who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Kyron McMaster competed in the men’s 400m hurdles. In a game of firsts for the territory, McMaster and Chantel Malone became the BVI’s first 2 athletes to advance to the finals to compete amongst the world’s best athletes in their events. They each were the first athletes to compete in the hurdles and long jump respectively.
McMaster was the first athlete to win his heats and the first to make the top 4 finalists to cross the line with his time of 47.08 – current 4th fastest time and the world’s 8th fastest time ever – in what has been classed as the event’s fastest Olympic race. McMaster and swimmer, Elinah Phillip, also set National Records with Phillip’s time of 25.74 marking her as the top Caribbean performer in the 50m Free.
McMaster won the men’s 400m hurdles final in a time of 48.25 seconds during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast on April 12, 2018. It was the Virgin Islands’ first medal at a Commonwealth Games.
Chantel Malone, who competed in the women’s long jump, was the College Conference Champion for both indoor and outdoor track and field events, named All-American at the NCAA Division 1 Championship and was a finalist at the World Junior Championships in two events: the long jump and the 400. She placed fourth at the Commonwealth Games, won gold at the CAC Championships and most recently won a silver medal at the NACAC Championships. At the 2019 Pan American Games, Malone became the first athlete to win a medal for the British Virgin Islands in the history of the Pan American Games, winning the gold medal at the long jump event.
Swimmer Elinah Phillip competed in the women’s 50m freestyle. This was the first Olympic Games for McMaster and Malone. Phillip made her Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil where she was the VI’s youngest athlete and the first to represent the Territory in aquatics at any Olympics
The team’s Chef de Mission, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott, a three times Olympian in the 100m sprint, had expressed confidence that the athletes would make the Virgin Islands proud.
“Even though COVID-19 has drastically changed the dynamics of the Olympic Games, it did not waiver the determination or drive of our brilliant athletes,” she declared. “They have prepared vigorously to represent the Virgin Islands in their respective events coming up in the next few weeks.”
The delegation to Tokyo also included BVIOC President Ephraim Penn; Secretary General Lloyd Black and team coach, Winston Potter. Others in the delegation included McMaster’s coach, Lennox Graham; Dwight Phillipe, coach for Chantal Malone, and Brien Moffitt, coach for Elinah Phillip. Dr. The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley MHA was also slated to attend the Games.
