Sprinter Kishawna Niles first pick in athletics draft

Anticipation and excitement were on the menu last night at Bubba’s Sports Bar as 100-metre sprinters Kishawna Niles of Barbados and Cayman Islands’ Davonte Howell were the toast of the Barbados Grand Prix athletics draft.

Niles, a world Under-20 bronze medalist with a personal best 11.33 seconds, was the first athlete chosen as team Lions led the way with a local pick for the Women’s 100 metres, ahead of the unprecedented track and field meet which takes place at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex on July 5.

The Grand Prix brings together a host of regional and international talent arranged in four squads – Lions, Panthers, Outlaws and Eagles – competing for a team prize of US$5 000, while there is also a total prize fund estimated at US$5 000 for each individual event, including US$2 000 for the winner.

Each team, assigned one coach and one manager, put together their roster from a pool of 112 athletes who were submitted based on their 2024 and 2025 performances, to compete in the men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 110/100m hurdles, long jump and shot put (male only).

With the first pick of the Men’s 100-metres, Outlaws coaches Jesse King and Joy-Ann Eli swiftly swooped upon 19-year-old Howell, a 2024 Paris Olympian who in the same year won the Under-20 boys’ marquee sprint event in 10.15 seconds at the CARIFTA Games in Grenada.

Howell’s personal best now stands at 10.05 seconds, run last month in Jacksonville, Florida.

Outlaws also selected Trinidadian Jerod Elcock to pair Howell. They also snapped up Antiguan Joella Lloyd and Barbadian Khristel Martindale for the Women’s 100 metres, as well as Beyonce Defreitas of the British Virgin Islands and Bajan Tionce Walrond in the Women’s 200 metres.

To complete their half-lap selections, King and Eli went with a local duo — 2024 CARIFTA silver medallist Aragorn Straker and Raheem Taitt-Best.

Meet coordinator Rupert Spencer confirmed the selections for the remaining events will be done at a later date, while encouraging folks to support the event and the athletes.

“I just really want people to get out and support local track and field. This is going to be a meet like never before held in Barbados. We’re bringing in quality competition to set our local athletes against,” said Spencer whose son Aren, a Barbadian athlete studying abroad at Baylor, conceptualised the one-of-a-kind event.

“Get out there, get your tickets. There’s no excuse, you can get tickets easily and we want you all to come out and support the Barbados Grand Prix 2025. It is the start of something really big.”

Gabriel Burnett and Desiree Gamble will take charge of the Eagles, as Ramon Armstrong and Kierre Beckles coach the Panthers, while Jamal Grosvenor and June Caddle hold the reins of the Lions. (RW)

Women’s 100m draft

Kishawna Niles, Danae Niles (Lions)

Joella Lloyd, Khristel Martindale (Outlaws)

Camille Rutherford, Akilah Lewis (Eagles)

Michelle Lee-Ahye, Zaria Greaves (Panthers)

Men’s 100m draft

Julian Forde, Mario Burke (Lions)

Davonte Howell, Jerod Elcock (Outlaws)

Rikkoi Brathwaite, Darian Clarke (Eagles)

Omari Lewis, Justin Maynard (Panthers)

Women’s 200m draft

Aniya Nurse, Sole Frederick (Lions)

Beyonce Defreitas, Tionce Walrond (Outlaws)

Naj Watson, Kelia Bentham (Eagles)

Sanaa Frederick, Kelescia Downes (Panthers)

Men’s 200m draft

Kuron Griffith, Nazzio John (Lions)

Aragorn Straker, Raheem Taitt-Best (Outlaws)

Demar Francis, Ajani Ince (Eagles)

Ross Walrond, Kion Benjamin (Panthers)