Sanjay Weekes Makes First Appearance at World Athletics Tokyo

Montserrat marked a milestone in international athletics this past weekend as 20-year-old sprinter Sanjay Weekes competed at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Running in the preliminary round of the men’s 100 metres on Saturday, September 13, 2025, he clocked 11.08 seconds to finish fourth in his heat. While the result was not enough to advance to the next round, the young sprinter said the experience was invaluable.

“To be very honest, I’ve competed at other major competitions so this one although classified as world championship I took it as another regular competition,” he said. “I just wanted to go out, represent my country well to the best of my abilities and also have fun. It’s always a great honor to be representing the island of Montserrat and I’ll train even harder to continue to show that I’m here for a reason and I can potentially medal at one of these major games in the near future.”

The Essex County College student-athlete admitted that a nagging quadriceps injury hampered his performance. “My quad has been giving me issues for about two months now but it wasn’t as bad leading into the world championships,” he explained. “After 30–40 metres of my race I did feel my quad hurting so I just maintained the speed that I had, I couldn’t go any faster.”

Reflecting on his journey, he remained upbeat. “What matters isn’t the fall, but the speed of your rise. Thank you God. Track and Field taught me a lot especially this year but I am grateful for each experience I’ve encountered. I am thankful to have great people in my corner when in time of need and even when I’m not in need.”

His season, which began in January competing for Essex and included an appearance at the Penn Relays in April, has now come to a close. “This was the ending of my 2025 track season and although not the outcome I wanted I am happy,” he said. “Time to let this quad heal and refocus on next season, same mindset, different approach and maybe even a different event. See you in 2027.”