18 year old SVG Sailor, Scarlett Hadley, Making Records at the Junior PanAm Games, Paraguay
Eighteen-year-old Scarlett Hadley represented St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) at the Junior Pan American Games in Encarnacion, Paraguay, 15th to 17th August, delivering a record-making performance in the sailing competition.
This is the first time St Vincent and the Grenadines has competed in Sailing at these Games and sets the bar for young SVG sailors to aspire to. Hadley has been a trailblazer for St Vincent and the Grenadines sailing on the international stage for over 3 years, and this performance was another first for the sport of sailing.
Hadley raced a series of 5 races against fierce competition, the best young sailors from across the Americas and the Caribbean. Her best result was an 11th and she finished 15th overall. As the 3rd youngest competitor this was an impressive result.
Hadley continues to pursue her Olympic dream, and this was a huge stepping stone on that journey. Her coach at the event was 3 times Olympian Andew Lewis from Trinidad. “She was a dream to work with”, said Lewis, “she is yet to reach her true potential, so she has plenty of opportunities for greater success ahead”.
Hadley was part of a Caribbean sailing team, managed by Penny McIntyre from Barbados. “It was amazing to be part of the Caribbean team” said Hadley, “and having Andrew as a coach gave me both confidence and motivation throughout the event.”
The SVG Sailing Association stated: “We have been working closely with the SVG National Olympic Committee as well as other regional Sailing Associations to bring together the strength of the Caribbean sailing community.
This has resulted in a huge step up in training opportunities and support for the region’s sailors at international regattas. It has been fantastic to see the difference in Scarlett’s performance and puts her in a great position to prepare for her next big event, the Youth World Championships in Portugal this December”
