Addy Chin of Jamaica made history when she became the first Jamaican woman to qualify as a competitor for the Aquathlon World Championships, which were held at the X-bionic® Sphere Sports Complex near Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia on August 18-22, 2022. She finished 18th out of 19 competitors in the 60-64 age group. While this was not the result she hoped for, Chin said, “I am so proud to represent Jamaica. Although it is second to last, it is still the 18th-fastest in the world for my age group. I was extremely happy to be a part of the parade of nations and opening ceremony carrying the Jamaican flag. It was fabulous!!”
When she qualified to participate in the Aquathlon, Chin said, “There is no better athletic achievement than to represent one’s country at the highest level possible in any given sport. it will be the greatest honor to bear the country’s flag and be an ambassador for all our countrymen, family and friends who have been behind me from the get-go.”
Adrienne “Addy” Chin has always been an avid athlete and participated in netball, tennis, track and field, softball, and swimming in high school. She was born in Portsmouth, England, to Chinese-Jamaican parents. The family returned to Jamaica when she was a baby and lived in Vineyard Town in Kingston. Chin attended Blake’s Preparatory School, Alpha Academy, which she represented in the long jump at the Champs competitions in Kingston. Although she placed last, she joked that the best part was that she didn’t have to go to school that day. She was always best at swimming, coming in third in the 50-meter breaststroke in the Girls Swimming Champs. She also attended Alpha Commercial College, and before moving to the US in the 1980s, she worked with Air Jamaica and Jamaica General Insurance. In the US, she worked as a secretary at the US Federal Courthouse in Miami; for Fowler, White, et al; and at Holland and Knight as a legal word processor. In 1995, she became a registered nurse, working in several hospitals in oncology, dialysis, surgical (post-op) ICU, home health services, and the emergency room.
When she moved to the United States, Chin started going to a gym and was encouraged to enter a bodybuilding competition, where she finished in fourth place. Continuing in the sport with appropriate training and diet, she won her first event in 1986. She quit for a while to focus on earning a nursing degree, but when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure, she decided to return to the pool for fitness swimming, and in less than a year, she entered the 2006 National Championships and placed 10th in the 200-yard breaststroke. She has since won swimming awards at the international, national, and local levels representing the US. She is also a Triathlete and has competed at world, local, and national events in the US. She is a member of the Jamaica Triathlon Association and a dedicated member of the Jamaican-American and Chinese communities in South Florida. She has been recognized by many alumni associations for her strong support and was honored by the Jamaican Consulate General in Miami for her service to the community.
The Aquathlon World Championships included a 1-kilometer swim and a 5-kilometer run, with titles to be presented in several categories, including the Elite, U23, Junior, and Age-Group categories. Prizes for winners totaled US$10,000, and men and women competed for the same amount of prize money.
