Proud parents show support

Long before 12-year-old Kaija Eastmond surged ahead of the field to claim gold in the 50-metre backstroke on the opening day of the 2025 CARIFTA Aquatic Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, her father, Jamar, had his phone poised and recording. Clad in the familiar aquamarine and gold of Barbados — a mirror of the colours on his daughter’s swim cap — he was visibly nervous. But as the race unfolded and it became clear Kaija would touch the wall first, anxiety gave way to unbridled ecstasy.

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