By S.Browne. Updated 12:54 p.m., Thursday, September 3, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Black Sands Swim Squad (BSSS) finished second overall at the 2026 SVG Gallagher National Swim Championships, while topping the men’s team standings as 32 swimmers combined for 108 medals and several national records.
The championships, held from August 27 to 30, 2026, at the Shrewsbury Aquatic Centre, brought together swimmers from across St Vincent and the Grenadines, alongside visiting competitors from Barbados, Grenada and St Kitts.
BSSS accumulated 1,136 points to finish second in the combined team standings, behind defending champions Blue Marlins Swim Club, who secured their sixth consecutive overall title with 1,345 points. H2O Lions Swim Academy finished third with 424 points.
BSSS’s performance was particularly strong in the men’s competition, where the squad topped the standings with 599 points, edging Blue Marlins, who finished with 586. H2O Lions placed third with 257 points.
The club was represented by 32 swimmers and ended the championships with 108 medals, comprising 46 gold, 46 silver and 16 bronze.
Among the standout performances was that of Sarai Williams in the Girls 8 & Under category. Williams won nine gold medals and claimed both the Overall Age-Group Champion Trophy and the Sprint Challenge Trophy.
She also set two new national records in the 7–8 age category, lowering the 25-metre backstroke record from 19.80 seconds to 19.49 and the 50-metre breaststroke record from 45.97 to 45.25.
Ira Hadley was another standout performer, collecting nine gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the Girls 9–10 category. Her performances earned her the Overall Age-Group Champion Trophy.
In the Boys 9–10 category, Methuselah McLean won seven gold and five silver medals and was also named Overall Age-Group Champion.
Kione Deshong delivered one of the meet’s most notable performances in the Boys 13–14 category. He won nine gold and three silver medals, claimed the Overall Age-Group Champion Trophy and established four new national records.
Deshong lowered the 100-metre breaststroke record from 1:08.03 to 1:06.81, the 200-metre breaststroke record from 2:33.14 to 2:30.63, the 100-metre butterfly record from 1:01.69 to 1:01.39 and the 200-metre individual medley record from 2:19.53 to 2:16.89.
BSSS Head Coach Kyle Dougan described Deshong’s 100-metre breaststroke performance as particularly significant, noting that the young swimmer’s time demonstrates the level of potential among swimmers in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
“For a young swimmer from SVG to produce a performance at that level is something we should all be extremely proud of,” Dougan said. “It demonstrates the potential that exists within our young swimmers and shows that athletes from the Caribbean can compete on an international level.”
Former BSSS swimmer Tyler Robinson, who now resides and trains in Jamaica, also made an immediate impact after returning to compete at the championships in an effort to secure a place on the national team.
Robinson established three new Boys 15–16 national records, lowering the 100-metre breaststroke record from 1:05.78 to 1:05.08, the 200-metre breaststroke record from 2:30.25 to 2:28, and the 100-metre individual medley record from 1:01.03 to 1:00.84.
The championships also marked the national debut for several swimmers representing BSSS, including Kandre Deshong, Dre Byam, Damarie Carrington, Darius Humphrey, Freya Providence-York, Grayson Richardson, and Keri and Erin Dickson.
Janai George, Azalea Cox and Seth Byron each finished third in their respective age groups, while Anthony George and Rayshana Boyce-Edwards finished second overall.
Blue Marlins’ sixth consecutive overall championship was powered by 1,345 points, with the club’s 27 swimmers collecting 148 medals. The club also produced three national records through Hazen Da Briel in the Boys 15–16 200-metre freestyle, 400-metre freestyle and 50-metre butterfly.
H2O Lions Swim Academy completed the overall top three with 424 points. The club reported strong improvements in personal-best times throughout the championships, with Calique Grant finishing third in the Boys 9–10 category and Ezron Quashie winning the 800-metre freestyle in the Boys 11–12 category.
For BSSS, the performance continues a strong presence at the top of local swimming, with the squad combining established competitors and emerging young swimmers while remaining within striking distance of the defending champions.
The club is now preparing for its first Developmental Meet, which it will host in partnership with Tropical Shipping on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Shrewsbury Aquatic Centre. The meet will be open to existing and aspiring swimmers in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
END
