Eighteen year old Virgin Islands Sports Ambassador Michelle Smith, has been capturing
attention with her outstanding athletic performances. Michelle and her family have deep roots in Track and Field with a strong Christ-centered value system. Her mother, Mireille Sankatsing-Smith, was the 1992 NCAA National Indoor Champion in the 800m event. Her father, Keith A. Smith Sr., won a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay at the 1991 Pan-American Games. Michelle also has two athletic siblings, Malique Smith and Mikaela Smith, who are both active in Track and Field. Despite limited competition during her early years, Michelle has demonstrated extraordinary skill and determination, making her a formidable contender on both regional and global stages. She also excelled academically, graduating from Montverde Academy with honors such as Student Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Year. She was also awarded one of five students named All-USA Today HSSA Girls Track Team! Smith started her Collegiate career in August 2024 as a full scholarship athlete at the University of Georgia, majoring in Biology with the intent of becoming a Forensic Pathologist.
Michelle qualified for the World Athletics U20 Championships in the 400m, 800m, 100m Hurdles and 400m Hurdles. She will represent the Virgin Islands in the 400m Hurdles in these World Championships. The heats for the 400m Hurdles will be on August 28 at 9:38 am, The semi finals are on August 30 at 3:35 pm and the Final will be run on Saturday August 31 at 4:35 pm.
Michelle holds the VI National record in the 800m, 300m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles. She has the VI National U20 record in all those and the 400m, 60m Hurdles, 100m Hurdles, Long Jump. Michelle also has the CARIFTA record in the U17 400m Hurdles and NACAC U18 record in the 400m Hurdles and the 800m.
Sofia Swindell is a Team Virgin Islands track and field athlete and a high school senior at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. She has been competing in track and field since the age of nine and specializes in sprints, hurdles, and triple jump. Sofia’s exceptional performances and Virgin Islands heritage (her mother and generations before hail from St. Croix) earned Sofia a spot on the Virgin Islands national team. Since 2023, Sofia has proudly represented the Virgin Islands in the NACAC Championships, U20 Pan American Games, and two CARIFTA Games. Sofia qualified for the World Athletics U20 Championships in the 200m and 100m Hurdles. Sofia is excited to represent the Territory on the global stage in the 100m hurdles. The 100m Hurdles heat is on August 29 at 11:10 am, the semi-final is the same day at 3pm. The Final of the 100m Hurdles is on August 30 at 5:10 pm.
A true competitor, Sofia already boasts an impressive list of accomplishments including being a bronze medalist in the 100m hurdles at both the 2023 NACAC U18/U23 Championships and the 51st CARIFTA Games in 2024 (with a personal best time of 13.95). She also holds the Virgin Islands U20 record in the 55m hurdles, the NJ State record in the 200m (her time of 23.97 broke the 2016 record previously held by olympian Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone), and 16 individual and relay high school records.
Virgin Islands Track and Field team member Brandon Pemberton is a rising sprinting star with a promising future ahead. He is currently a student-athlete at Barton Community College in Kansas. Last season he achieved his personal best performance in the 100m dash with a time of 10.51. The performance qualifies Brandon for the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima Peru. The 100m Heats will be at 11:10 am on the first day of competition Aug. 27; the semi-final for the 100m is at 5:07 pm the same day and the final is on August 28 at 7:47 pm.
Brandon is the son of Derry Pemberton, who represented the US Virgin Islands at the ‘92 Olympics in Barcelona. He was also part of the bronze medal winning team in the 4x100m relay at the PanAm Games in 1991.
Brandon Pemberton is the 2024 V.I National Champion in the 100m dash. As he continues to train and compete, his goal is to represent the US Virgin Islands at the highest levels in the future.