Belizean-American athlete, Shaun Gill, retires after competing in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

by Charles Gladden

PARIS, France, Thurs. Aug. 8, 2024

The sole competitor for Belize in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – 31-year-old Belizean-American athlete, Shaun Gill – has announced his retirement after participating in the Men’s 100-meter race on Saturday, August 3.

Only competing in one event, he placed 6th in the fourth heat of the preliminary round of the Men’s 100-meter race with a time of 11.17 seconds, thus failing to advance to further rounds. After the race, Gill announced his retirement to Olympic reporters, “Everybody doesn’t know but this was my last race. I’m retiring. This is the official announcement. This was the last one and it’s a sad moment for me. I didn’t compete, and I didn’t get the performance I expected, but this was the last one. So, thanks to everyone! This is my farewell tour.”

Gill, the Jewel’s flag bearer at the Games, waved the Belize flag during this year’s opening, which featured participating athletes traveling upriver on boats.

This is Gill’s second time competing on the world stage. He made his debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with several other Belizean athletes in their respective events, and similar to this year’s Olympics, he didn’t advance further than the preliminaries after placing 5th in the first heat.

“Thank you guys for supporting me. Thank you guys for believing in me. You know, I hope I represented you well. Like I said, this is the farewell. Thank you,” Gill said.

Gill was accompanied by Cojac Smith, President of the Belize Athletics Association, and Giovanni Alamilla, Belize’s Head of Mission.

He has recently been accepted to Texas A&M University where he plans to continue his education by obtaining his Master’s Degree in Management Studies.

(AMANDALA Ed. Note: Thanks for representing the Jewel with dignity and grace, brother Shaun Gill. Your effort is greatly appreciated. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!)