Top triathlete Renwick gains a scholarship

A scholarship was always the goal for Kayla Renwick, one of the top female triathlon athletes in Barbados and with years of hard work and dedication, that dream has been made a reality.

The 18-year-old has been accepted into Wagner College in Staten Island, New York City where she will pursue a degree in Sports Administration and Business with a focus on sports law as well. A student of Harrison College where she is finishing off her CAPE studies, Renwick said her enrollment at Wagner College doesn’t only feel good but also shows that hard work does pay off.   

“I feel like every athlete has to put in a lot of work and with triathlon, because it is three sports in one, the work is three times as much. So, this shows that the hard work is paying off,” Renwick told Barbados TODAY.

A journey that began at six years old when she first competed in triathlon has evolved into the foundation upon which Renwick will build her career and future.

A member of Alpha Sharks Swim Club, Renwick has represented Barbados in both pool and open water swimming events. Always heavily involved in sports, Renwick also ran cross country for Harrison College and she recalled that in 2018 after a break from triathlon, her friends in the sport encouraged her to return and from there she never looked back.

According to Renwick, triathlon is one of the newer National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports for women and there aren’t that many schools for the sport in the United States but now that is gradually changing.

“Triathlon is a newer NCAA sport for women so there weren’t that many schools; I mean there are about 50 schools in the United States that have it (triathlon) right now and obviously it is still growing. So as the years go by more schools are putting it in as a programme. As the years went by my options were kind of limited and I knew I wanted to go D1 or D2 (differences between scholarships offered to triathlon athletes).

“My coach sent me a spreadsheet of all the schools in the United States that did triathlon and in order like D1, D2, D3, so I reached out to a few of the schools. I sent them my sports curriculum vitae and from there they wanted a meeting and that is how the whole process began,” Renwick explained.

This weekend Renwick will compete in the BFIT qualifiers for a chance to feature at the 2022 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships scheduled for September 23rd to 24th at the Clearwater Beach in Southside, Bermuda.

No stranger to participating at this level, Renwick first participated in Tobago in 2018 and also again in 2019 in Kingston, Jamaica. With a strong preference for swimming when it comes to triathlon which also consists of cycling and running, Renwick will compete in the 16 to 19 age group.

She offered some words of encouragement for young girls who want to compete in the sport. “It is never too late to try a new sport and everything you do in life is going to require hard work. So, if it is something you want to do just keep going at it and keep trying every day.”

The talented Renwick has had some outstanding performances in recent times having won the BFIT Kids Series held this year and is the reigning duathlon female champion.

Last year October Renwick placed second in her category of the BFIT triathlon championship behind another top female triathlon athlete Chara Hinds who is currently enrolled at Delaware State University pursuing her studies in engineering.

With guidance from her coaches Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) president Darren Treasure and national champion Oein Josiah, Renwick noted that they have been a source of inspiration for her.

“My coaches always say if you have a goal, time is going to keep going so you just have to keep working for it. So, I have goals set and I have to continue working no matter how hard it gets because I want to reach those goals,” Renwick added.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb