Beyond Kirani: Where is Grenada’s next generation of professionals?

Sports Commentary by Michael Bascombe

Sir Kirani James is not competing at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest this weekend, but any serious discussion about the present and future of Grenadian athletics still has to include him.

James turned 34 on September 1 and remains competitive internationally. He ran a season-best 44.83 seconds for third in Zurich, clocked 44.92 in Brescia, and returned to the podium in Rovereto on Tuesday with 45.11.

That level of consistency, more than 15 years after he emerged internationally, deserves recognition. But it also raises an unavoidable question: who will eventually fill the void when Kirani leaves the international circuit?

Grenada is not without athletes competing beyond the domestic level. World Athletics lists Gamali Felix and Michael Francois, both 400-metre athletes, and 200-metre runner Troy Mason among Grenada’s ranked athletes under its Athletes’ Representatives framework.

However, Grenada’s most established presence at the highest level remains concentrated around James in the 400 metres, Anderson Peters in the javelin, and Lindon Victor in the decathlon. Victor reinforced his international standing this year by winning the Commonwealth title in Glasgow with 8,096 points. Sprinter Nazzio John has also indicated his intention to turn professional for the 2027 season.

So perhaps the question is not simply, “Where are Grenada’s professional athletes?”

A better question is: Where is the next group capable of consistently reaching major championships and competing at the top level of the international circuit?

Grenada has produced successful juniors and athletes who have secured overseas scholarships. The difficulty appears to be sustaining that progression into the senior ranks.

What happens between 18 and 23? How closely are athletes monitored once they leave Grenada? Is the NCAA and college route producing the expected outcomes? What happens when scholarships end? Is there sufficient support for athletes who have completed college but are not yet earning enough from the sport to continue full-time?

The situation involving female athletes deserves particular attention.

Grenada Athletics Association (GAA) President Johnell Mitchell raised the issue on TalkSports last weekend.

“We need to do something about our female athletes and the direction of our female athletes,” he said.

Mitchell referred to Suerena Alexander and Jamara Patterson and also identified triple jumper Christanna Charles as an athlete with significant potential. His wider concern was that too few promising female juniors are progressing successfully into the senior ranks.

Before solutions can be prescribed, however, the GAA needs evidence.

What happened to Grenada’s leading female athletes after CARIFTA and InterCol? How many were still competing three or five years later? If they left the sport, why?

Was it coaching, scholarships, finance, education, family responsibilities, limited competition, or the absence of a realistic professional pathway?

Grenada athletics has produced world-class athletes. The more difficult challenge is building a system that makes world-class development less dependent on exceptional individuals.