Caymanian professional watercraft racer James Munroe Jr. made history this December, becoming the first personal watercraft athlete from the Cayman Islands to compete in Asia.
The 20-year-old competed at the WGP#1 Waterjet World Series 2025 at Pattaya Beach, Thailand, which was held on 17-21 Dec.
For Munroe, the event served as a ground-breaking moment as he aimed to “mark a new territory of personal watercraft racing as a Caymanian”, while expanding his experience and skills as a professional athlete.
He concluded the series with a sixth-place overall finish, a performance highlighted by a third-place and a second-place finish in two of his four races.
Though proud of his achievement, he admits to facing “a lot of challenges” on the journey to Thailand and during the competition.
“[It started] with not having sufficient funding early enough to get there in a good time frame, to over 10 hours in flight delays, that resulted in a penalty for missing the riders meeting,” he shares.
“Fast forward to a few hard hits while racing the second race, and a very bad start in the third race, [but] I recovered strategically and finished second in the final race,” he adds.
Remaining positive despite the challenges, he said, “With God’s strength, I stayed consistent and stayed focused. I am just grateful to have the opportunity to represent and give God thanks for these unique experiences. A special thank you to my sponsors and distinguished individuals who supported this journey.”
