(L-R) Djimon L. Gumbs, Beyoncé A. DeFreitas, Rikkoi A.R. Brathwaite, and Deya Y. Erickson represented the Virgin Islands at the recently concluded Pan American Athletics Championship in Colombia. Photo: BVIAA

The BVI Athletics Association said it is proud of Team VI’s performance at the inaugural Pan American Athletics Championship in Colombia. Photo: BVIAA

The VI was represented by world-class athletes Rikkoi A.R. Brathwaite (100M); Deya Y. Erickson (100M Hurdles); Beyoncé A. DeFreitas (100M & 200M); and Djimon L. Gumbs (ShotPut).

The competition, which ran from Friday, June 26, 2026, to Sunday, June 28, 2026, featured combined events, track and field, and race walking. The historic championships welcomed 407 senior athletes from 27 registered nations competing for titles and podium finishes on a world-class stage.

Gold medalists in individual events at this championship automatically qualified for the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

A solid showing

The young men competed on Friday, June 26, 2026. Gumbs finished 4th in the Shot Put event with a massive 18.93 heave. Brathwaite, though finishing 3rd in his Heat, did not advance to the next round with a time of 10.41 seconds in the 100M. 

Competing on Saturday, June 27, 2026, Defreitas finished the 200M finals with a 23.21s timestamp and a 6th-place finish overall. Erickson, meanwhile, ran 13.41s in the 100M Hurdles, finishing 7th overall. 

“Team BVI closes the curtains on the inaugural PANAM Senior Championships with a solid showing,” the BVIAA said, “We’re extremely proud of our athletes.”