St Lucia will send a determined four-member contingent to represent the island at the 2025 Junior Pan American Games, set to take place from August 9 to 23 in Asunción, Paraguay. With over 4,200 athletes from 41 countries expected to compete, St Lucia will hope to make a mark across athletics and table tennis.
The official announcement was made Thursday afternoon at Olympic House, where the St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) unveiled its Under-23 delegation. Leading the charge in track and field is Khailan Vitalis, a rising star in the 110m hurdles. A student-athlete at Clemson University, Vitalis holds the national record in the event with a time of 13.83 seconds, achieved earlier this year at the Jo Meaker Classic in Texas. He will be joined by Joy Edward, St Lucia’s national record holder in the women’s shot put with a throw of 15.31 metres, set in May 2024. Edward, who also competes in the hammer throw, is currently studying Criminal Justice at Troy University in the United States. The athletics team will be guided by experienced coach Terry Finisterre.
In table tennis, St Lucia will be represented in the men’s team competition by Manie Eleuthere and Joshua Lubin, both accomplished young athletes with regional pedigree. Eleuthere is a former Caribbean Under-13 champion and the current Independence Day Classic Senior and U19 champion, while Lubin was crowned National Under-19 champion in December 2024. The duo will compete at the SND Arena in central Asunción under the guidance of coach Christopher Wells.
Monica Dudley will serve as Chef de Mission for Team St Lucia. She expressed full confidence in the delegation, stating, “I am confident each athlete will strive for excellence as they seek to make their families and nation proud.”
St Lucia’s history at the Junior Pan American Games includes a bronze medal in sailing by Luc Chevrier in the inaugural 2021 Games in Cali-Calle, Colombia. Chevrier has since gone on to become a two-time Olympian. Other athletes from that team—Michael Joseph, who made the 400m final, and Jayhan Odlum-Smith—also earned spots on the Paris 2024 Olympic team, while Mikaili Charlemagne competed at Tokyo 2020.
With a strong legacy of emerging talent, St Lucia's 2025 team will aim not only for medals but for direct qualification to the 2027 Senior Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, which is awarded to gold medalists.
As the countdown begins, the nation’s hopes rest with its young athletes—poised, prepared, and proud to wear the St Lucian colours on the continental stage.