Shane Cadagon appointed as Sports Ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Shane Cadagon, the national level swimmer, has been appointed as the newest sports ambassador for St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday, 27th September 2023.

He is one of the youngest personalities who has been assigned as the Sports Ambassador of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He was introduced to the nation as the sports ambassador during the 44th anniversary of the Independence celebrations of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St Vincent and Grenadines, applauded the amazing work done by Cadagon, who also happens to be a national scholar, who has assisted and guided young individuals in their educational and athletic pursuits, through his non-governmental organizations.

Swimming, being one of the most followed sports in the Olympics, has been dominated by countries such as Australia, China, the USA, etc.

However, Shane Cadagon, a Vincentian swimmer who specialises in the 50-meter freestyle, represented his nation. It was not just a personal achievement but a huge boost for the swimming program of his nation as well.

Cadagon’s house was surrounded by various beaches, so he started swimming at the age of five. In order to ensure his safety, he learnt to swim in his backyard pool from a private tutor, and with the passage of time, he honed his skills to perfection.

Cadagon stated that he has always been passionate about sports, but what kept him driving was Swimming.

Initially, swimming was not seen as a popular sport in St. Vincent, then Cadagon started participating in the regional competition when he was ten years old, bring the sport to the forefront.

Cadagon trained with two teams:

• Blacksands Swim Squad in St. Vincent
• Alto Swim Club in Palo Alto

He continued to learn and grow in his sport, becoming one of the fastest swimmers on the Blacksands Swim squad.

He trained himself in different swimming strokes but kept his complete focus on one of his best strokes, which was freestyle.

Cadagon’s talent and skills were tested when he represented St. Vincent in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. During the preparation for the competition, he travelled to Oahu.

The Olympics time schedule was unusual for Cadagon and not in his favour, as the preliminary heat was held in the morning and the finals to take place at night on the same day.

But, throughout his race, he managed to remain ahead of all his competitors, maintaining a healthy lead in the process. During his race, his entire focus was on completing the task at hand.

When he touched the wall, he looked up and saw himself surrounded by the cameras. He said that it was truly an amazing experience for him to represent his country at such a high level.

Personal Best Records of Shane Cadagon

In 50-metre freestyle (25 m pool), he has the record of 23.74 seconds

In a 50-metre freestyle (50 m pool), his personal best timing is 24.71 seconds.

In 50- a metre butterfly, (50m pool), he has a national record of 26.16 seconds.