Two-Sport Soufrière Star Excelling at Sports Academy

Sammy House claimed victory at the Saint Lucia Sports Academy (SLSA) 2025 Track and Field Championships on Tuesday, earning an impressive 426 points. But it was Jean House that had the top athlete on the day at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground — national athlete Sheldon Willie, who won three individual gold medals.  Jean House finished in third position with 388 points, as Spencer House took second with 395. Willie, though, won the 1500m in 4:52.5, the 800m in 2:18.0 and the 400m in 53.5 to top the boys’ 15 & Over division, adding gold and silver in the relays for Jean House.  The funny thing about Willie, a Soufrière native, is that he is not a national track athlete but a two-time member of the national Under-15 cricket team. A medium pacer and middle-order batter, he was even named captain in 2023. But when he was recruited to the Academy out of the Les Etangs Primary School, it was actually for track and field. “Athletics has always been one of my main sports,” he emphasised. “When the Sports Academy came to recruit me, my mom sent me for track, but I went to cricket. I thought that I had...