Jamaican swimmer Anna-Lyssa Cooke delivered a commanding performance and emerged as one of the brightest stars at the 29th staging of the Goodwill Swimming Championships, held in Barbados from August 15-17. 

The first-year Campion College student and member of the Jamaica national junior swimming squad secured nine gold medals and one bronze medal across individual and relay events, capping her achievements with the prestigious High Point Trophy for the girls 11-12 age group.

Among her many highlights was a record-breaking swim in the 100m freestyle, where she touched the wall at 1:01.27, erasing the previous meet record of 1:02.70 set in 2024. 

Cooke’s dominance was evident from the opening day when she claimed gold in the 100m freestyle and anchored Jamaica’s 4x100m medley relay team to a gold medal and new national record of 5:03.23, up from the previous record of 5:08.06. She added a bronze in the 100m backstroke. On the second day, she powered to gold in the 200m individual medley, 50m freestyle, and 50m butterfly where she also clocked a new national record of 30.84, bettering the previous 31.34 mark, and swam the third leg helping her team win the 4x50m medley relay in another national record-breaking performance of 2:13.60, from the previous 2:19.32. The same team shattered the 4x50m Freestyle Relay national record, touching in 1:57.71 against the former mark of 2:00.88. 

In total, Cooke contributed to four new national records and three new meet records, including two relays with teammates Anna Scarlett, Layla Reid, and Leah-Paige Phillips. She teamed up with the girls to reset the girls 11-12 200m medley relay record with a time of 2:13.60, improving on the 2024 mark of 2:17.32. The same quartet went on to establish a new standard in the 200m freestyle relay, clocking 1:57.71 to edge past the 2022 record of 1:58.46. 

Cooke was among the standout performers of the regional meet, delivering Jamaica’s highest gold medal haul of the games and helping the team top the medal table with 48 gold, 26 silver, and 27 bronze, the best tally of any nation, even as the Bahamas edged ahead on points. Among other standouts was team captain Renee Chung, who dominated the 15–17 age group with 10 medals, eight gold and two bronze, and secured the high-point trophy for her category. 

Speaking after her performance, Anna-Lyssa shared that her immediate focus is on returning to Campion College for the upcoming academic year, where she intends to continue excelling in her studies while representing both her school team, the Campion Crocs, and her club, Tornadoes. “My eyes are also on the 53rd staging of the CARIFTA Games, and I want to keep pushing myself to make Jamaica proud at every level,” she said. 

Her achievements were made possible through the support of family, friends, and sponsors who invested in her preparation and participation. The Sygnus Group and other well-wishers contributed approximately J$400,000 toward her training and meet expenses, while reggae artist and songwriter Christopher Martin gifted her technical swim gear valued at approximately US$1,500. 

Her parents, Dr Andrei Cooke and Kadene McPherson-Cooke, also expressed their pride. “We are beyond proud of her and are looking forward to supporting her as she aims for her dreams,” Dr Cooke said.

McPherson-Cooke added, “We are grateful for the encouragement she has received, both financially and in kind words. Special thanks must go to the Tornadoes Swim Club, with Coach Wendy, and especially to Coach Miguel, for believing in her and preparing her tirelessly for this meet.” 

Cooke is already well known outside the pool. She is a published children’s book author with ‘Alaine’s Big Mistake: A Lesson of Peer Pressure‘, available on Amazon.com. Earlier this year, she established a national record in the 800m freestyle relay at the Neville Alexander Memorial Meet. She also set a meet record in the 50m butterfly at the Swimaz Aquatic Long Course Championships. 

The Goodwill Games featured competitors from ten countries across the region, including Jamaica, Barbados, Curaçao, The Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks & Caicos Islands.

Cooke’s outstanding performance not only elevated Jamaica’s medal count but also underscored her growing reputation as one of the Caribbean’s most promising young swimmers.