SLHTA Salutes Retired High Jumper Levern Spencer

(CASTRIES, Saint Lucia – Wednesday, November 17, 2021) – Former Saint Lucian high jump star, Levern Spencer, has come in for high praise from the Saint Lucia Hospitality & Tourism Association (SLHTA) following her recent announcement that she has quit competitive sports after 23 consecutive years.

In an October 31, 2021, statement, Spencer said: “It was a challenging journey laced with lots of literal blood, sweat, and tears, but a very rewarding journey as well, which led me to four consecutive Olympics, eight consecutive World Championships, five consecutive Commonwealth Games, and gave me 16 Sportswoman of the Year titles.”

She added: “So as I hang up my spikes as Commonwealth Champion, Central America & the Caribbean Champion, Pan American Champion and North & Central America and the Caribbean Champion, I say a big thank you to the Government and People of St. Lucia for the privilege of flying our flag regionally and internationally for all these years, and for your support on this journey.”

Spencer, who was inducted as an SLHTA Goodwill Ambassador on August 30, 2019, at the SLHTA’s 55th Annual General Meeting (AGM), has since then collaborated with the SLHTA to raise funds for various charities and establish legacy projects aimed at the development of young people across the island.

“The SLHTA is not only proud of Spencer’s long career of excellence in her sport, but also the great deal of inspiration she brings to her fellow Saint Lucians,” said SLHTA President, Paul Collymore. “Even as her stellar career comes to an end, the SLHTA believes that Spencer’s admirable qualities, including her untarnished reputation, will continue to be a yardstick by which success is measured. We wish her the very best in the next chapter of her life.”

SLHTA’s Chief Executive Officer, Noorani Azeez, was also congratulatory to the former athlete, noting that: “When one thinks of Levern Spencer and all that she stands for, it’s hard to imagine that anyone else can replace her. She has carried our nation’s banner across the world where she excelled. Throughout her career, she was marketing our island without asking for anything in return. Therefore, the SLHTA salutes this great athlete and looks forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration with her.” 

Thirty-seven-year-old Spencer, a resident of Cacao, Babonneau, is the island’s most decorated athlete, having won a slew of medals at various meets locally, regionally and internationally. 

In 2015, she won gold in High Jump at the Pan Am Games held in Toronto, Canada, which was Saint Lucia’s first-ever Pan Am gold. In 2016, she placed sixth in the High Jump final at the Olympic Games held in Rio, Brazil.

She also won gold in three other major events in 2018: the Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast, Australia), Central American and Caribbean Games (Barranquilla, Colombia), and NACAC Championships (Toronto, Canada). These are just a fraction of the medals high jumper has amassed during her stellar career. 

Before taking up high jump as the centerpiece of her superb career, Spencer dabbled in other sporting events: cricket, volleyball, netball, discus, shot put, and track. She medaled in almost all these sporting events. But when she broke Saint Lucia’s national high jump record as a fourteen-year-old back in 1998 while a student at Entrepot Secondary School, without much training, her coach suggested she specialize in high jump. (ENDS)