This afternoon, Governor deJongh congratulated two Virgin Islands sprinters for their extraordinary performances over the weekend. Laverne Jones-Ferrette and Tabarie Henry, teammates from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, set world-leading times within hours of each other Sunday at track meets in Germany and Texas.

Jones, a two-time U.S. Virgin Islands Olympian, ran the world's fastest 60 meters dash of the past two years in the heats of the BW Bank Meet in Karlsruhe, Germany, setting a V.I. national record of 7.09 seconds with the fifth fastest short dash on record. Jones went on to win the event before 4,500 fans with a time of 7.11 seconds in the finals.

A few hours later, Henry ran the fastest indoor 400 meters in the world this year. The Texas A & M University sophomore's time of 45.81 seconds earned him first place at the 2010 Texas A & M Challenge. Henry also ran the third leg for the winning Texas A & M 4 x 400 meter relay team, which posted a time of 3:05.

Last week, Henry set this year's 7th fastest 200 meters time with a 21.13 second performance. He is the Virgin Islands national record holder at 200 and 400 meters.

Speaking about the athlete's accomplishments, the Governor said:

“The two sprinters are examples of what our territory’s youngsters can achieve when they are dedicated to working hard toward their goals. Through their accomplishments on the track field, Jones-Ferrette and Henry serve as role models for not only the next generation of V.I. Olympians, but to our young academic and artistic stars as well,” deJongh said, adding, “We must continue to ensure that the next Laverne Jones-Ferrette has all the resources available to her now to be successful when her time comes to excel on the world stage.”

“Cecile and I join the families, friends and teammates of Laverne Jones-Ferrette and Tabarie Henry in celebrating their world-beating accomplishments, and we wish the two remarkable athletes continued success on the field and with all their other endeavors."

The governor pointed out that through our work to revitalize our parks and recreational facilities, and by investing in our schools’ athletic programs, more young Virgin Islanders will have the opportunity to set the next round of world records.