SPICE ISLE RULES! – takes top honours at Bajan triathlon

Chris Regis beat out a strong field of competitors to win
the Men’s Olympic Triathlon at the Powerade National
Triathlon Championships in Barbados last Sunday. 

By Petra Gooding

THEY came, they saw, they conquered.

It was all about Grenada as the Spice Island won both the Men’s and Women’s categories in the gruelling Olympic Triathlon at the Powerade National Triathlon Champion-ships on the Spring Garden Highway, Barbados on Sunday, September 29.

Grenadian Chris Regis beat out competitors from Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic and host country Barbados to win the Olympic Triathlon in 2 hours 21 minutes and 28 seconds. Second was Adam Cripwell of the United Kingdom, while Gregory Austin of Barbados was third.

Meanwhile, it was first and third for Grenada in the Women’s Olympic Triathlon with Inga Karasek winning in 2:35:48, while compatriot Helen Raffey was third in 2:48:29.

Regis was sitting in second position for most of the race behind Barbados’ Darren Treasure, but the Bajan unfortunately succumbed to the sweltering conditions and did not finish the race. Treasure fell to the ground suffering from dehydration and had to be rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.

Women’s Olympic Triathlon Champion Inga Karasek was almost
ten minutes faster than the second place competitor at the
Powerade National Triathlon Championships in Barbados.

At the end of the race, a beaming Regis told the Grenada Advocate the race was awesome and that his success was all because of the hard work and training that he had done in the lead-up to the race.


“It was a really good race; I have been training for a while now and I just went out there and did my best and I succeed. The swimming was good for me but the heat affected me somewhat during the cycling section. But you have to have stamina; your stamina must be there. If you don’t have stamina you not going to make it at all,” said Regis.

Trinidad and Tobago dominated the Men’s Sprint Triathlon taking the first three positions. Sixteen-year-old Christian Gillette won in 1:08:21 with Jason Gooding second in 1:10:26 and Joshua Ho third in 1:10:40.

In the Women’s Sprint Triathlon Cristiann Farah won in 1:16:35 with Barbados’ Marissa Bradshaw and Denise Crebin taking second and third spots in 1:18:30 and 1:22:24 respectively.

The Olympic Triathlon is a gruelling race that consists of a 1:5 km swim, a 40 km bike ride and ends with a 10km run.