Meet the seven Haitians looking to shock the world at the Paris Olympics

CAP-HAITIEN—After hours of arduous training and nerve-wracking qualifying games, seven athletes have booked their tickets to represent Haiti in unarguably one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world: the Olympic games. 

Haiti will enter the 33rd edition of the Olympics with a rather captivating list of athletes since it includes the fastest Haitian man ever, a 14-year-old swimmer, a swimmer who has two sisters who have represented Haiti at the Olympics already,  a Judoka raised in Port-au-Prince and more.

The Olympics will take place in Paris from Jul. 26 to Aug. 11.

Here’s a quick look at our seven Olympians:

Boxer Cedrick Belony

Although Cedrick Belony started boxing late, when he was 15, he rose through the ranks at the amateur and professional levels. Belony qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after just 10 years of experience.

“Don’t ever stop dreaming and don’t ever stop believing,” the Quebec native wrote in a Jun. 21 Facebook post. “You never know what can happen and how fast it can happen. #Never stop dreaming.”

During his ten-year career, Belony collected several Gold and Silver Gloves Championships. He also took home the Provincial Championship title of Quebec twice.

Belony first showcased his talent internationally in Spring 2023 when he represented Haiti at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, winning a bronze medal. He then participated in the Olympics qualification stage this past spring, booking himself a spot in the competition.

Judoka Philippe Metellus 

At age 34, Judoka Philippe Metellus is one of the most experienced athletes who will represent Haiti at the Olympics.

“What a journey it was!” the Port-au-Prince native posted on Instagram on June 25. “So many things to say about today, but only two words come to my mind: grateful & relieved. Can’t wait to make my country proud on this stage. Ready for the last dance? I am.”

It will be Metellus’ first participation at the Olympics, but he has represented Haiti in multiple notorious international competitions such as the 2019 World Championships Senior, the 2023 Paris Grand Slam, the Pan American Open in Quito in 2019 and more. He most recently won the silver medal at the Abidjan Open last month.

Metellus missed out on the 2020 Olympics by just one spot and redoubled his efforts for the 2024 Olympics. 

He started practicing judo when he was 12 in Port-au-Prince but now lives in Montreal.

“I feel on top of the world. Going to the Olympics was a really big goal of mine. Being able to accomplish it at 14 is really mind-blowing.”

Swimmer Mayah Chouloute, 14-year-old Haitian-American from Boca Raton, Florida

Gymnast Lynnzee Brown

Haitian-American Lynnzee Brown will be the first ever gymnast to represent Haiti at the Olympics.

The 25-year-old Missouri native started competing for Haiti in 2023 after a stunning collegiate career with the Denver Pioneers, in which she won the 2019 NCAA floor exercise co-champion award, the 2021 Region 2 Gymnast of the Year among other notable accolades.

She was the first ever gymnast to represent Haiti at the World Championships in October 2023 in Antwerp, Belgium. Brown also represented Haiti at the 2023 Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships, finishing in 15th place.

One of Brown’s expertise is the floor, which is a series of movements performed solely on the floor. During the 2023 World Championships, Brown performed the last routine her deceased mother, Tamela Brown, watched her do.

Sprinter Christopher Borzor

New York native Christopher Borzor can brag about being the fastest known Haitian to ever step foot on earth since he holds the record for the 100-meter sprint, running it in 10.14 seconds. The 25-year-old broke the record during the NACAC New Life Invitational at The Bahamas National Stadium on June 15, 2024.

Borzor grew up in Uniondale, a town in Long Island, N.Y. He was impressive during his high school career at Uniondale HS in four events: the 100, 200, 400-meter sprint and the long jump.

However, when Borzor attended the University of Cincinnati, he mainly ran the 100 and 200 meters. He holds Cincinnati’s records for the indoor 200 (20.84s), 300-meter sprint (33.98s), and outdoor 200-meter run (20.55s).

After a stellar career with the Bearcats, Borzor competed for the University of South Carolina last season as a graduate student. 

Swimmer Mayah Chouloute

Fourteen-year-old swimmer Mayah Chouloute is the youngest athlete on Haiti’s Olympic squad. She’s been swimming for 11 years and always had her eyes set on the Olympics but never expected to make it this early in her career, according to 5 WPTV West Palm Beach.

“I feel on top of the world,” Chouloute told WPTV. “Going to the Olympics was a really big goal of mine. Being able to accomplish it at 14 is really mind-blowing.”

Chouloute lives in Boca Raton, Florida, and will represent Haiti in the 50-meter freestyle swim in Paris.

Swimmer Alexandre Grand’Pierre

Swimmer Alexandre Grand’Pierre qualified for the Olympics after winning the gold medal for the 100-meter breaststroke at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships (C.C.A.N.) on Jun 27 at the Paris Aquatics Centre.

Grand’Pierre broke the 100-meter breaststroke record at C.C.A.N. and for the Haitian team, finishing the race in one minute and 2.39 seconds. Grand’Pierre is also Haiti’s record holder for the 50 and 200-meter breaststroke and 200-meter individual medley.

An Atlanta native, Grand’Pierre also competes for Bowdoin College, a Division III school in Maine. Grand’Pierre recently finished his senior season with Bowdoin and left his mark at the university, holding the school’s 50, 100 and 200-yard breaststroke records.

He is the younger brother of Naomy Grand’Pierre, the first woman to represent Haiti in swimming at the Olympics. She competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Four years later, her younger sister, Emilie Grand’Pierre, also swam for Haiti at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Naomy Grand’Pierre will coach her younger brother at the Olympics in Paris. 

The post Meet the seven Haitians looking to shock the world at the Paris Olympics appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Meet the seven Haitians looking to shock the world at the Paris Olympics was first posted on July 16, 2024 at 9:25 am.