Sky Brown’s Olympic surfing dream was wiped out after she failed to qualify for Paris 2024 at the ISA World Surfing Games in Puerto Rico.
The 15-year-old was hoping to represent Team GB in both surfing and skateboarding at this summer’s Games in the French capital.
But her quest for qualification in the former was extinguished by a third-placed finish in the sixth repechage on Friday, behind 14-year-old Chinese surfer Yang Siqi and Janire Gonzalez-Etxabarri of Spain.
She registered scores of 4.53 and 4.33 from her two best attempts for a combined total of 8.86 in the waters off Arecibo.
Fellow teenager Yang won the heat with 11.83 points, while Gonzalez-Etxabarri posted 11.43 to secure her place in Paris.
Brown is the reigning world champion in park skateboarding, but is greener on the elite surfing circuit.
The Japan-born athlete, who aged 13 won park skateboard bronze in the sport’s debut at Tokyo 2020, recently said it “would mean the world” to be an Olympian in both sports.
St Lucia, St Maarten, Grenada, Haiti register contrasting League B wins
St Lucia, St Maarten, Grenada, and Haiti all opened their 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League accounts with victories in League B on Friday.
Grenada blanked St Martin 2-0, and St Lucia edged Curacao 2-1 in the Group B double-header at Kirani James Athletics Stadium.
Over in Group C, Haiti were 4-1 winners over Puerto Rico, and St Maarten blanked Aruba 2-0 at Estadio Centroamericano in Puerto Rico.
St Lucia vs. Curaçao
In what was the first-ever Nations League encounter between the two nations, St Lucia were the better team on the day.
Arkell Jude-Boyd broke the deadlock for St Lucia in the 24th when he fended off a defender on his way to poking an effort through the legs of Eloy Room in goal for Curacao to make it 1-0 at the break.
Jude-Boyd went close to extending the lead in the second half, but Room came up big for Curacao on that occasion.
However, St Lucia inevitably doubled the lead in the 55th through Caniggia Elva, who finished off a loose ball.
Curacao pulled one back in the 63rd when Joshua Brenet fired home from Leandro Bacuna’s pass.
St Maarten vs. Aruba
St Maarten and Aruba failed to separate themselves for most of the contest, as their respective goalkeepers Tyrell Richardson and Matthew Lentink were in good knick between the sticks.
It wasn’t until the 81st that Gerwin Lake broke the deadlock for St Maarten when he rifled an effort past Lentink, who had no chance at a save on that occasion.
Ronan Olivacce added a second for St Maarten in the 90+3, with an easy tap-in from Chovanie Amatkarijo’s pass.
St Martin vs. Grenada
Grenada were always favoured to secure the three points and that they did.
It took them only five minutes to open the scoring as Lucas Akins capitalised on a defensive error.
The menacing Regan Charles-Cook made the points safe when he tucked home from close range in the 38th minute.
St Martin tried to stay in the contest but found Grenada’s defence and goalkeeper Chad Phillip in defiant mode.
Puerto Rico vs. Haiti
After being relegated from League A, Haiti is intent of getting back to the top and they demonstrated that with a comfortable beating of Puerto Rico.
Interestingly, it was Puerto Rico that struck first in the 29th when Gerald Diaz fired home from a rebound.
Haiti responded with a second half flurry, which was started by Danley Jean Jacques in the 51st.
Frantzdy Pierrot added a second in the 60th, taking his Nations League tally to eight goals, before Don Louicius finished off a tidy team build up in the 76th to put Haiti 3-1 up.
Duckens Nazon then capped the win with an 83rd-minute strike to put Haiti on course for promotion.
Jamaica, French Guiana to contest CFU U-14 Challenge Series Tier I final; Bermuda, Barbados to meet in Tier II showpiece
Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz and French Guiana will contest the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys’ Under-14 Tier I final, following contrasting 3-1 and 4-3 semi-final victories over Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago at the Dwight Yorke Stadium on Friday.
Kelvin DJ Brown with a brace in the 52nd and 70+2, and one from Kyle Hussey (60th) got the job done for the young Reggae Boyz, who had to come from behind after Wilfredo Reyes Rivera (35th) sent Puerto Rico in front.
For the first time since the start of the tournament, which saw games played across 70 minutes, the young Reggae Boyz struggled to find rhythm as Puerto Rico enjoyed the better of play in the first half.
Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana in action.
Puerto Rico displayed excellent combination plays in the middle of the park, leaving Jamaica’s Davion Clarke and Kenrick Brown to work extra hard. They eventually broke the deadlock when Wilfredo Reyes Rivera converted from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time to put Puerto Rico 1-0 up at the break.
Jamaica came out more spirited on the resumption and pulled level through Brown’s firm header, which gave Puerto Rico’s goalkeeper Martin Perez Colon no chance at a save.
Hussey then pushed the Jamaicans ahead when he fired home from deep inside the 18-yard box on the hour mark.
Brown then capped the win for the young Reggae Boyz when he again headed home in time added.
Barbados versus Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Jamaicans will take an unbeaten record into Sunday’s final against French Guiana, who edged host Trinidad and Tobago in a thrilling encounter.
Matheo Francois (9th), Tyler Hartino (13th), Enzo Cherica (19th), and Guezo Atoukou (32nd) were on target for French Guiana, who dominated proceedings in the first half.
However, Trinidad and Tobago showed grit and fight with Jeremai Nanton (11th), Adasa Richardson (59th), and Jahmiah Gibbes (70th) getting on the scoresheet, but it wasn’t enough at the end.
Sunday’s final is scheduled for 6:30 pm at Dwight Yorke Stadium.
Bermuda versus Anguilla.
Meanwhile, Bermuda and Barbados will also contest the Tier II final on Sunday, after they registered 6-0 and 3-0 wins over Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands, respectively.
Jeon Wolfe scored a hat-trick, and Z-Ani Jennings added a brace, while Chaz Edmead got the other for Bermuda in their lopsided encounter.
Barbados also showed class in their win courtesy of goals from Amari Small, Trey Baker, and Maleek Peters.
Grand weekend celebration planned to honour Grenada's Paris Olympic team
Grenada’s athletes to the Paris Olympic Games are set to be feted with much pomp and pageantry when they return home over the weekend, following their credible performance at the recently-concluded global multi-sport showpiece.
The six-member team comprising Kirani James, Lindon Victor, Anderson Peters, Halle Hazzard, Tilly Collymore and Zachary Gresham will be celebrated for their efforts in track and field and in the pool, as they gave Grenada much to be proud of.
Victor’s decathlon bronze, as well as Peters javelin bronze represents the Spice Isle’s highest-ever medal haul at an Olympic Games.
James, the island’s most decorated athlete, just missed out on a medal in the men’s 400m, as he placed fifth.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Government of Grenada announced that ceremonies will take place on Saturday August 17 and Sunday, August 18.
Peters, James and Victor will arrive on Saturday.
“The activities have been put in place to celebrate athletes who have brought glory and honour to our land,” said Acting Minister of Sports Delma Thomas.
“Let’s get together and be part of the grandest welcome ever, as we celebrate Grenadian resilience and excellence,” she added, while encouraging citizens throughout Grenada to organize in their various communities to participate, especially in the events on Sunday.
The athletes will be greeted by government officials, sport associations’ executives and family members, while Grenadians are invited to join the greeting party outside of the airport at 2:00pm. The weekend’s activities will also include a national motorcade on Sunday, August 18, which begins at Morne Rouge and a recognition rally at the Playing field in Victor’s home parish La Sagesse.
Thomas also hinted at some major announcements regarding the development of sports that will be made at the La Sagesse rally. Packages to honour all the Olympians will also be unveiled in a special address by Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
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