Anderson Peters, men’s world champion in javelin throw, was left injured after crew members of a party boat in Grenada attacked him on Wednesday, according to Caribbean National Weekly. Peters, who grabbed silver in the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, was beaten and then thrown overboard.
The incident reportedly happened on party boat ‘Harbour Master’, which was offering services during the Carnival celebrations. A clip circulating on social media shows Peters surrounded by crew members, who later throw him into the water.
Grenada Police have confirmed that the crew members of the boat are in custody following the incident, which triggered anger among the Grenadians. “Peters is presently receiving medical attention for minor injuries,” said the police statement.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Grenada Olympic Committee said it was “saddened by the news of the cowardly actions of some five persons who physically assaulted our national sporting icon and hero”.
“We have received preliminary information on the incident and understand that our world champion sustained non-life-threatening injuries from the assault meted out [by] these non-nationals.
“The Grenada Olympic Committee joins with all of Grenada in condemning these barbaric actions and look forward to the relevant authorities taking decisive actions against all the perpetrators. We stand ready to lend our support with his recovery and look forward to an expeditious resolution to the matter,” it read.
{{/usCountry}}“The Grenada Olympic Committee joins with all of Grenada in condemning these barbaric actions and look forward to the relevant authorities taking decisive actions against all the perpetrators. We stand ready to lend our support with his recovery and look forward to an expeditious resolution to the matter,” it read.
{{/usCountry}}Peters, a two-time world champion, claimed silver at the 2022 Games with a mark of 88.64, as he fell short of Arshad Nadeem's record 90.18m throw that helped him win gold.
The 24-year-old earlier defended his title at the world championships in Eugene, which also saw India's Neeraj Chopra grabbing silver. Peters produced a 90.54m throw to comfortably eclipse Chopra’s best attempt of 88.13m.