Howard University senior, Latroya Pina will be representing the island nation of Cape Verde in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, along side her siblings Troy and Jayla Pina. The trio makes up 75 percent of the Cape Verdean swim team. Latroya swims in multiple categories including the 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter breaststroke.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Cape Verde is trying to make swimming a big sport now, so it’s our responsibility to represent our country,” Latroya said in a statement to #Essence. “People in Cape Verde and all the Cape Verdeans in the U.S. will be looking up to us.”
Cape Verde is a Lusophone-speaking island nation off the coast of West Africa.
The team is scheduled to swim in the Confederation Africaine de Natation Championship Meet early September in Algiers, Algeria. The meet is a precursor to the 2019 World Championships in South Korea, followed by the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
According to #WUSA9, Howard University is the only #HBCU with a swim team and Pina’s team is the first one from #CapeVerde.
Congratulations to Latroya, Troy and Jayla Pina for making your family and your country proud!
