From netball to the track: Shian Lewis aims to shine at Carifta Games

BEING the daughter of Trinidad and Tobago under-16 netball coach Suzie Hyles-Lewis and former national basketball standout Steven “Lighter” Lewis, it’s fair to say that 16-year-old Shian Lewis has sporting genetics running through her veins.

This weekend, as a 78-member TT team looks to do battle at the Carifta Athletics Games at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo from April 19-21, Shian will be taking to the track in the 800-metre and 1,500m events in the girls’ under-17 category.

It will be Shian’s second Carifta championships. At her debut games in Grenada last year, she returned with a pair of bronze medals in the girls’ under-17 1,500m and as a member of the girls’ under-17 4x400m quartet.

The One-a-Week Multi-sports club athlete has some winning momentum on her side as well, as she was a member of the national under-16 team that were crowned champions of the Jean Pierre Netball Youth Tournament in Barbados on April 12. TT went unbeaten in the round-robin tournament, with their 34-20 victory over St Lucia sealing the regional crown.

Shian was a shining light at the tourney as well, as she grabbed the MVP award and was also recognised as the competition’s highest shooter.

Now that she has conquered the Caribbean on the netball court, Shian is hopeful of transferring that success to the track and shaking off the jitters she experienced in Grenada last year.

“I was kinda nervous last year because coach told me ‘if I didn’t go out there and buss people throat, I wouldn’t be going home,’ Shian told Newsday at a Carifta training session in Mucurapo on April 16.

“I took that personally because of the mindset I have. For this Carifta, in the 800m, I want to go for the gold medal. In the 1,500m, I will try my best and I feel I can come third.”

Shian started playing netball at six or seven, while she said she only started running track at 15.

“They say it’s in my genes. Any sport I try to do, I’m successful in it, so I do have that mindset to go out and do well.”

Similar to Shian, 16-year-old rising shot put star Peyton Winter is also eager to perform well for the TT faithful.

Winter is a two-time Carifta medallist, having bagged silver medals in the girls’ under-17 shot put event at both the 2023 and 2024 games. This year, competing in the under-20 shot put, Winter wants to go one better. However, she does admit that the expectation does bring pressure.

“My previous performances (do put pressure on me) because everyone is now expecting great things. It puts a lot of pressure on us.”

Winter believes she has been handling the pressure well thus far, and reckons the fans can indeed expect great things from her in the field.

“(The transition to under-20) has been good. I’ve prepared well and I’ve been training hard, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

“So far, I just want to aim for a personal best and get a spot on the podium. I want to make it in the top three.” Winter said TT have assembled a great team of athletes and believes they can challenge the country’s Carifta record tally of 40 medals. Last year, TT copped 27 medals, which placed them third on the final standings behind Jamaica (83 medals) and Bahamas (36 medals).