WILLEMSTAD (DA) — Curaçao’s athletics team departed late Tuesday for the 53rd CARIFTA Games in Grenada, taking a 12-athlete delegation that blends returning medalists, experienced regional competitors and several young athletes set for their first appearance on one of the Caribbean’s biggest junior track and field stages.
The delegation traveled first to Trinidad before continuing to Grenada and is scheduled to return April 7 at 4:30 p.m.
Curaçao’s athletics team consists of Sharifa Fernandes de Faria, Shayleigh Martha, Niaviv Matrona, Jahdrienne Mercera, Angely Curiel, Zsa Zsa Frans, Juriviënska Koster, Rivka Goede, Quenten Kopra, Bradley Bonevacia, Raminge Laker Dewindt and Sdewey Zhuang.
The group includes eight female athletes and four male athletes across the U17 and U20 categories. Rivka Goede traveled separately from the United States, where she is a student-athlete at East Texas A&M, and joined the team in Grenada.
Saturday’s athletics schedule places Angely Curiel in the girls U20 javelin throw. Curiel arrives with one of the strongest recent CARIFTA resumes on the team after winning bronze in 2025 with a throw of 40.08 meters and later improving her personal best to 45.03 meters.
Sunday brings a packed day for Curaçao’s athletics team. Zsa Zsa Frans and Juriviënska Koster are set for the girls U20 heptathlon, while Quenten Kopra is entered in boys U17 high jump, Shayleigh Martha in girls U17 long jump, Rivka Goede in girls U20 long jump, Raminge Laker Dewindt in boys U20 long jump and Bradley Bonevacia in boys U17 javelin.
Frans goes into the meet as one of Curaçao’s most proven athletes after winning bronze in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2023 and 2024 CARIFTA Games. Koster qualified for the heptathlon with 4,326 points and also owns a silver medal in the 100 meters from the 2025 Dutch junior championships.
Kopra qualified for CARIFTA with a clearance of 1.91 meters after reaching a personal best of 1.95 meters in December. Bonevacia enters Grenada after breaking the national U17 javelin record with a throw of 50.67 meters.
Martha will make her CARIFTA debut after qualifying in the long jump with 5.44 meters. Goede brings international experience, while Laker Dewindt heads to Grenada after a 7.37-meter jump at The Eagles Invitational 2026, a mark that broke a national record that had stood for more than a decade.
Monday’s athletics schedule includes Niaviv Matrona and Jahdrienne Mercera in girls U17 javelin, Sharifa Fernandes de Faria in girls U17 100-meter hurdles, Frans again in girls U20 100-meter hurdles and Zhuang in boys U20 110-meter hurdles.
Sharifa, 15, qualified in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.17 seconds and already competed at the 2025 CARIFTA Games in Trinidad and Tobago. Matrona, 14, has improved her javelin best to 39.90 meters, while Mercera qualified with 32.73 meters and later raised that mark to 34.04.
Zhuang also returns with a medal background at this level. He won bronze in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2024 CARIFTA Games in 13.94 seconds and qualified this year in 14.16.
The athletics team will compete under head coach Jairo Duzant, assisted by Richi Regales. Jerry Brandon is serving as physiotherapist and Tamara Salsbach as head of delegation.