St. Vincent honors Olympian Shafiqua Maloney

She made it to the 800-meter final at the Paris Summer Olympics but did not medal. Still, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is nevertheless rolling out the red carpet for national treasure Shafiqua Maloney, who returned to the multi-island federation for the first time in eight years this week.

Joining Dominica and Grenada, which respectively held massive public celebrations for their gold and bronze medal-winning Olympians in recent weeks, St. Vincent says it feels compelled to honor Maloney for her valiant efforts in becoming the first local to qualify for the final of an Olympic event and to prepare her for Los Angeles in 2028.

Neighboring St. Lucia is almost ready for this week’s arrival of the queen of the Caribbean, Julien Alfred, who beat a star-studded field to win the 100-meter sprint and keep that medal in the region.

Government officials drove Maloney from the Argyle International Airport in a police-led convoy to the city. But before leaving the airport, she embraced her mom and dad in the airport’s VIP lounge after an eight-year hiatus.

Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and other top dignitaries were on hand to meet the American Airlines flight that brought her home. He announced a package of support measures for her, especially because she had revealed on the Jamaica-based Sports Max channel weeks before Paris that she had been destitute, homeless, penniless, and unable to pay her coach in the run-up to Paris.

“I’ve been homeless for like a couple of months, especially last year; I was bouncing around from home to home. Right now, I live in a dorm situation. So, I’m happy for these people who allow me to stay here right now. But it’s been hard,” she said, talking about the University of Arkansas.

Maloney said she was grateful for the chance to come back home after such a long period. “Thank you, guys, for everyone, for welcoming me back, my family. I am happy to see my mom and my dad, and just, you know, I feel the love and all the appreciation, so thank you.”

PM Gonsalves said that the cabinet had given her US $10,000 to care for specific needs. “I wasn’t going to talk about it until. People want me to talk about things before I’m ready to talk about them when time comes. Eh? Not before, only when time comes. But I learned that she had to come here to see her mom. This was a special visit. I don’t have to say everything, but you know me well enough; you know I’ll be doing something.”

Maloney, 24, the holder of a BSC in Geography and a Masters in operational management, will also be honored by being a member of the Vincentian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly this week before flying back to the Eastern Caribbean for another round of celebrations.