Virgin Islands track star Michelle Smith.
Virgin Islands Sports Ambassador Michelle Smith has clinched the first-place title in the U20 400-meter hurdles at the 2025 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Smith blazed ahead of 7 other competitors to bring the gold medal home for the U.S. Virgin Islands for a consecutive year. She finished with a winning time of 56.60, just slightly longer than her 56.41 qualifying time during Saturday’s heat. It was the fastest time in Heat 1.
“I feel like it was a good race overall,” said Smith in a post-race interview. She credited the brisk wind in the Haisley Crawford Stadium for her success. “I don’t remember when, but it was helping,” said an ecstatic Smith.
Smith is one of 16 Virgin Islands athletes competing at the CARIFTA Games. “It’s a very awesome opportunity, not only to put my country on the map, but also myself,” she said in another interview. “All the other Caribbean countries could see that I’m repping my Caribbean country, and I’m still with the people even if I go and compete for my college.”
The 18-year-old track star edged out Jamaica’s Shervaughn Thomas and Trinidad & Tobago’s Jenna-Marie Thomas, who placed first and second, respectively. This win is just another of the young sprint sensation’s growing collection of accolades.
