International
A Seven-Year Silver Journey – Kyron McMaster Creates BVI History At The World Athletics Championship
Kyron McMaster walked on to the track in the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary.
It was a moment seven years in the making. Wednesday, August 23, the day of the much talked about final of the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships.
He stood proudly in Lane 8 wearing his British Virgin Islands blue, red and white running gear. McMaster booked his spot in the final after winning his semifinal race in a time of 47.72 seconds a day before, on August 22.
“You know, crazy but the Lord’s been setting me up for this here cause all season I’ve been getting Lane 8, all my races and I was like “Why the hell I keep getting Lane 8,” McMaster shared, adding: “So I got really acquainted with it, I made love to it and it made love to me back.”
He did not only have to conquer the hurdles, but a field of the current best 400m hurdlers in the world – Olympic gold medalist Karsten Warholm of Norway, defending champion Brazilian Alison Dos Santos and American Rai Benjamin.
“The focus was there. I didn’t study the field, I just studied my race.,” McMaster explained when asked about his thoughts before the race.
And then the start gun was fired around 3:45 p.m. local time and McMaster, a two-time Commonwealth Gold medalist, was even closer to one of his dreams – medalling at the World Championships.
“Well, this year we did something different. I stopped focusing on the fields. I stopped focusing on what everybody is doing.”
The British Virgin Islander clocked 47.34 seconds, behind Warholm’s 46.89 seconds, who added the World Championships crown to his Olympic title, while American Benjamin was third in 47.56 seconds. Defending champion dos Santos came in fifth in 48.10 seconds,
“I actually didn’t know I came second until I passed the finish line,” McMaster said during his post-race interview.
“My objective was focused on executing my race and come through the line. After I came through the line, I look up (at) the scoreboard… then I saw my name and was like holy shit. I got a silver. Atta boy,” he smiled.
He did not beat his personal best and seasonal best of 47.08 and 47.26, in that order. But the 26-year-old won the territory’s first silver medal at the World Athletics Championships on his mother’s birthday.
It was indeed a family celebration.
“It is amazing. Is my first world medal, I’ve been chasing this since 2017. So it’s a relief that after seven years I got my medal.”
To the athletes putting in the work to shine on the global stage, McMaster urged them to “don’t give up. Keep going.”
The United States has announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is under indictment on federal drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges, formally asserting that the Venezuelan leader faces criminal prosecution in U.S. courts.
The announcement, made amid sharply escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, confirms that Maduro is accused of conspiring to flood the United States with cocaine in coordination with armed groups and corrupt officials. U.S. prosecutors allege that Maduro played a central role in a criminal enterprise that used Venezuela as a key transit hub for narcotics destined for American cities.
The case remains pending in U.S. federal court, with American officials saying the indictment will stand until Maduro appears before a judge.
The BVI Airports Authority is advising the traveling public of current regional airspace restrictions resulting from a notice issued by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The notice affects U.S.-registered aircraft and U.S.-based carriers operating within the Caribbean region. As a result, flights to and from the Virgin Islands may be subject to delays, diversions, rescheduling, or cancellations, depending on individual airline routing and operational decisions.
The Authority emphasized that these restrictions are outside its control and are being managed directly by the affected airlines in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements.
Passengers are strongly advised to:
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Contact their airline directly for the most current and accurate information regarding flight status; and
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Confirm flight details before traveling to the airport, as schedules may change with limited notice.
The BVI Airports Authority said it remains in close communication with airline partners and relevant aviation stakeholders and will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
The Authority thanked the public for its understanding and cooperation, noting that safety remains the top priority.
Former President Donald J. Trump claimed on Saturday, January 3, that U.S. forces had detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s first lady Cilia Flores Mr. Maduro and removed him from Venezuela during an overnight military operation.
In a statement posted in the early hours of Saturday, Jan. 3, Mr. Trump said American forces had carried out what he described as a decisive operation in and around Caracas, asserting that Mr. Maduro and Ms. Flores were taken into custody and flown out of the country. Mr. Trump did not specify which U.S. agencies were involved or where Mr. Maduro was being held.
There was no immediate confirmation from the White House, the Pentagon, or the State Department. As of early Saturday, U.S. officials declined to comment, and no formal announcement had been issued by the Biden administration or military leadership.
Reports of explosions in Caracas circulated on social media shortly before 2 a.m. local time. Journalists from CNN reported hearing multiple blasts and observing power outages in parts of the capital, though the cause and scope of the incidents remained unclear.
Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, said in a televised address that the government had not been able to confirm the whereabouts of Mr. Maduro or Ms. Flores. She accused the United States of what she called a “criminal military aggression” and said Venezuela had placed its armed forces on high alert. Her claims could not be independently verified.
In Washington, Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said he had been briefed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told him that Mr. Maduro had been detained under longstanding U.S. criminal indictments. Senator Lee said the operation was intended to enforce an arrest warrant and ensure the safety of U.S. personnel involved.
Mr. Maduro has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice since 2020 on charges including narcotrafficking, narco-terrorism, and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. U.S. prosecutors have accused him of leading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, allegations Mr. Maduro has repeatedly denied, calling them politically motivated.
For years, the U.S. government has offered millions of dollars in rewards for information leading to Mr. Maduro’s arrest. Until now, the charges had not been enforced through direct military action.
Legal experts said any U.S. military operation on Venezuelan soil would raise immediate constitutional questions, particularly in the absence of congressional authorization. Senator Lee himself has previously expressed concern over presidential war powers and the lack of a formal authorization for the use of military force.
Across Latin America, governments have historically opposed foreign military intervention in the region, and diplomatic reaction was expected to be swift. As of Saturday morning, Venezuelan state media had not acknowledged any detention of Mr. Maduro, and his location remained unknown.
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