Djimon Gumbs, Rikkoi Brathwaite win bronze medals at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games. Final events coming up.

July 5, 2023 by
Djimon Gumbs won the shot put bronze with a throw of 19.00m/62’34” at San Salvador 2023
Rikkoi Brathwaite won the 100m bronze in 10.26 seconds at San Salvador 2023

Five athletes in two sports represented the Virgin Islands (UK) non July 3 at the San Salvador 2023 CAC Games.

In Track and field events at the Estadio Nacional Jorge “El Magic” Gonzales, Djimon Gumbs, in his first appearance at a CAC Games, won the first medal for the VI at the 24th edition of the Games with a bronze in the shot put after hurling a distance of 19.00m (62.34ft) in his third attempt.

Eldred Henry OLY – shot put National Record holder (21.47m /70.44ft) – placed 6th in the shot put final with a best distance of 18.12m (59.45ft) during his 3rd attempt. Henry had won the territory’s first shot put medal at the CAC Games with a hurl of 20.18m (66.21ft) during his debut at Barranquilla 2018.

Sprinter Rikkoi Brathwaite went on to secure the territory’s second medal at the San Salvador 2023 with a bronze medal win in the 100m in a time of 10.26 seconds. Brathwaite had placed 1st in his heat with a time of 10.29 seconds a couple of hours earlier in his maiden race at the CACs.

The first ever medal for the BVI at a CAC Games was won in the very same stadium in 2002 by Dion Crabbe in the 100m with a then national record time of 10.28 seconds. Brathwaite would go on to break the record with a time of 10.20 seconds achieved at the 2022 NACAC Open Championships, Freeport, Bahamas.

“We knew that the competition field at San Salvador 2023 would be tough with strong contenders for medals and we couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments of Djimon Gumbs and Rikkoi Brathwaite,” said BVI Olympic President Ephraim Penn. “With 2 more days of competition to come, we wish our athletes all the best in their events.”

Athletes who also were competing at San Salvador 2023 on July 3 included Beyoncé Defreitas who debuted in heat 3 of the 100m semi finals to place 4th with a non-advancing time of 11.84 seconds. Defreitas will compete again in the 200m on July 5.

Archer Ritseeniyah Georges, who had competed in the first round of the women’s compound individual event at the Poligogo de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot on July 2, lost 123 – 148 against Andrea Becerra (Mexico) in the elimination round. Georges had an average of 8.2 out of 10 compared to Becerra’s average of 9.9. Georges is the first archer to represent the VI at a major Games with her appearance at San Salvador 2023.

Deya Erickson made her second appearance at a CAC Games competing in the 100m hurdles semi finals on July 4. Her time of 13.92 for a fifth place finish qualified her to move on to the finals on July 5.

Also competing on July 5 are Jaleel Croal, who debuts at the CACs in the 200m semi finals. Twin brothers Djimon and Diamanté Gumbs will compete in the discus. This is also the first CAC games for the Diamanté Gumbs.

“Congratulations on great performances,” said Chef de Mission Gloria Fahie. “They are the beginning of greater accomplishments yet to come!”

Henry, Brathwaite and Georges along with archery coach Winnette Lawrence and technician Xavier Buxo depart El Salvador on July 6. ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome and coach Chris Watters left on July 2 after Lettsome qualified for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games with an overall 6th place in his event.

The BVI has won medals at every CAC Games since 2002 including 5 gold medals – 3 in the 100m by Dion Crabbe at San Salvador 2022, Tahesia Harrigan-Scott at Cartagena de Indias 2006 and Mayaguez 2010; 1 in long jump by Chantel Malone at Vera Cruz 2014 and 1 in the 400m hurdles by Kyron McMaster at Barranquilla 2018. Malone also won silver in long jump at Barranquilla 2018.

The BVI Delegation to the San Salvador 2023 CAC Games included 9 athletes in 3 sports. Missing from photo are ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome and coach Chris Watters.
Filed Under: Archery, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, CAC, Djimon Gumbs, Eldred Henry, Rikkoi Brathwaite, San Salvador 2023 Tagged With: , , , ,

ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome qualifies for Santiago 2023 Pan American Games at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games

July 2, 2023 by
ILCA 7 laser sailor Thad Lettsome qualifies for Santiago 2023 Pan American Games after placing 6th overall at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games. Photo credit: Chris Watters

The San Salvador 2023 CAC Games regatta marks a major accomplishment for a BVI sailor. It is the first time since 1993 that the BVI is represented at the CAC Games and is also the first time this century where a sailor has officially qualified for a place in the Pan American Games. Robbie Hirst was the last sailor to qualify and compete for the BVI at the Pan Am Games where he placed 7th in the 1995 Games in Mar Del Plato, Argentina.

The report presents a day-by-day account of Thad’s road to historic success at the 24th CAC Games.

Day One
The first day of the ILCA 7 men’s single-handed event at the San Salvador 2023 CAC Games started off with a fleet of 16 ILCA 7 lasers racing in light and tricky conditions. Thad would manage to get off the start line clean and sail a conservative first leg, rounding the top mark in 5th position. A large wind shift to the right on the second upwind would put Thad on his back foot. However, with a speedy downwind to finish the race, he would end up in 8th overall.

In race two, the wind built to an unexpected 14-15knots and Thad would take an aggressive approach on the start to be the first one off the line at the race committee end. This allowed him to tack out cleanly and go to the right hand side of the race course. With a few missed shifts at the top mark, Thad would fight back hard to pass boats on the last downwind, finishing in 9th position.

With just 1 spot left for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in Chile this fall, Thad lies in 3rd position to qualify and 8th overall in the regatta after day 1. With 10 more races scheduled over the next 5 day

Day Four
Finally we race! After 2 days of no wind, and no races, the race committee was able to get off two quality races in light to building conditions.

In the first race of the day, Thad would get off to a slow start after being held back initially by debris getting stuck on his center board and rudder. After a hard fought 3rd leg (second upwind) Thad would mount a comeback and see him finish 6th in race 3 of the regatta.

In the second race of the day, the breeze built to a solid 12-14knts. Thad would have a great start, and execute his plan to go up the right side of the course to round the top mark in 2nd position. After a great downwind he would maintain the 2nd position for the last upwind, only to see a small right shift send him back 2 places yet still finish the race with a 4th overall, his best score out of the 4 races to date.

More importantly, Thad now sits 6th overall, and 1st in line to grab the 1 Pan American Games Qualification spot to represent BVI at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games this fall in Chile. With over 10 countries fighting for this 1 spot, Thad has placed himself in a great position leading up to the last 2 days of the event.

Day Six
With just two points separating Thad from the remaining competitors who were seeking Pan Am qualification, the racing was sure to be the hardest yet of the week with the Cuban, United States Virgin Islands, Mexico and Antigua all within grasp of the one spot.

In the first race of the day, Thad would get a good start and remain in front of the elite group, with the exception of the USVI sailor.

Going into the second race of the day, the wind built to a steady 15-17 knots. The race committee was able to get off a clean start and Thad would put his best race of the series down with a solid 2nd place overall for race number 8 of the series.

With Thad’s 2nd place, it would mathematically ensure that no one could claim the Pan Am qualification spot moving forward, and also put Thad into 5th place overall.

However, with the race committee squeezing in 1 final race just seconds before the cut off time, it would come down to who beats who for the 5th overall. A close battle with the Guatemalan sailor saw Thad just slip back 1 point away from 5th overall and finish the regatta 6th overall – just a single point out.

Thad competed in the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games in Peru after receiving a universality place at age 19. His performance at Lima qualified him for the Cali 2021 Junior Pan Am Games in Colombia.

The Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games, which take place October 25 – November 5 in Chile, will also serve as a continental qualifier for the 2024 Olympics with 2 spots available for North American sailors!

Filed Under: BVI Olympic Committee, CAC, PanAM Games, Sailing, San Salvador 2023, Santiago 2023, Thad Lettsome Tagged With: , , , , ,

9 athletes to represent Virgin Islands in 3 sports at San Salvador 2023 CAC Games

June 21, 2023 by

The British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee (BVIOC) has confirmed that 9 athletes from 3 sports will represent the Virgin Islands at the 24th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in San Salvador, El Salvador from June 23 – July 8, 2023.
 
The team comprising 4 track and 3 field athletes, 1 sailor and 1 archer will arrive in El Salvador between June 22 and July 1 ahead of their events. Chef de Mission, Gloria Fahie arrives in San Salvador on June 21 ahead of the athletes in preparation for their arrival. BVIOC President Ephraim Penn is in San Salvador to attend the Centro Caribe Sport AGM before the Opening Ceremony.
 
“This year’s CAC Games are seen as an important qualifying and ranking opportunity for athletes from all sports we can expect to see some tough competition,” said President Penn. “It will be the first time that archery will be represented at these Games and the second time for sailing since 1993 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Athletics has seen representation since the VI’s first participation in the CACs in 1982 and has included softball, squash, triathlon and cycling. This historic achievement for archery is a promising trajectory for the development of different sports in the Territory and brings to fruition one of the BVIOC’s missions for this quadrennial to have more sports compete at major Games.”
 
Laser sailor Thad Lettsome, competing in the ILCA 7 men’s single person dinghy event, is the first of the VI’s team to compete when the sailing events start on Saturday, June 24 at Lake Ilpongo. Lettsome is also selected to be the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, June 23.
 
Archer Ritseeniyah Georges will compete in the Women’s Compound Individual starting Sunday, July 2 at 9:00am at the Polígono de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot.
 
Track athletes include Rikkoi Brathwaite in the 100m semi-finals starting at 5:00pm and Beyonce Defreitas in the 100m semi-finals starting at 5:30pm on Monday, July 3; Deya Erickson in the 100m hurdles semi-finals starting at 5:45pm, Tuesday, July 4; Jaleel Croal in the 200m semi-finals starting at 5:00pm and Beyonce Defreitas in the 200m semi-finals starting at 5:30pm on Wednesday, July 5.
 
The all-men field athletes comprise Olympian Eldred Henry and twins Djimon and Diamante Gumbs. Henry and Djimon Gumbs will compete in the shot put final on Monday, July 3 starting at 5:25pm. Djimon and Diamante Gumbs will compete in the discus final on Wednesday, July 5 starting at 6:55pm.
 
While San Salvador 2023 will be the first CAC Games for 7 of the athletes, it will be the second appearance for Henry, who won the territory’s first shot put medal in a CAC games when he placed 3rd with a distance of 20.18m at Barranquilla 2018 and for Erickson who made her debut at the same games in the 100m hurdles.
 
In addition to the Chef de Mission Gloria Fahie and President Penn, the VI delegation to San Salvador 2023 includes Erwin “Redz” Telemaque (athletics coach), Winnette Lawrence (archery coach), Xavier Buxo (archery technician), Chris Watters (sailing coach) and Chester James (Physiotherapist).
 
The VI will be one of 37 countries represented at the CAC Games. The games, under the auspices of Centro Caribe Sports, will feature 57 disciplines in 37 sports taking place over 16 days. The Games, under the theme “It’s time to transcend”, will be broadcast live on the Centro Caribe Sports Channel on YouTube.
 
The CAC Games are the oldest continuous running regional games dating back to 1926. Held every four years, the Games typically host competitors from countries in Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda and the South American countries of Suriname, Guyana, Colombia and Venezuela. The San Salvador 2023 Games were originally slated to be held in Panama in 2022. 30 sports will take place in El Salvador and 7 will take place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
 
The CAC Games are considered the starting point of international competition for athletes from the region who are seeking to represent their countries at the Olympic level. They are designed to provide a step between sub-CAC region Games held the first year following a Summer Olympics and the Pan American Games, which are held before the Summer Olympic. The next Pan American Games are slated to take place in Santiago, Chile October 20 – November 5, 2023.

More information on the San Salvador 2023 Games can be found on their website.

Follow the BVIOC page on FaceBook for regular updates and results.

Filed Under: Archery, Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, CAC, Eldred Henry, Sailing, Softball-Baseball, Squash, Thad Lettsome, Triathlon Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gold, Silver and Bronze for Virgin Islands at Barranquilla 2018 CAC Games

August 1, 2018 by

Medals at Barranquilla 2018 – Kyron McMaster, 400m hurdles gold and new CAC Games record with a time of 47.60, Chantel Malone, long jump silver (6.520, Eldred Henry, shot put bronze (20.18). Photo: CM Farrington/BVIOC

With one day of competition remaining for the Virgin Islands’ athletes at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, the territory’s senior athletes have set new records for the Games and for the nation so far as they secure three medals of gold, silver and bronze.

Last night, Kyron McMaster, ranked by the IAAF as the third fastest man in the world, set a new CAC Games record when he won the gold in the 400m hurdles with his second fastest time of 47.60. The new record, set in the final race of the night, surpassed the standing eight-years old Games record of 48.47 by almost one second.

On Monday evening, Chantel Malone leapt her way to a silver medal in the long jump with a seasonal best of 6.52. This was her second medal of the CAC Games after winning gold in the same event in Mexico in 2014.

The first win for the VI and new national record was set with Eldred Henry’s bronze medal finish in the shot put on Monday night when he hurled the orb a distance of 20.18m to break his previous national record of 20.00m.

This is the fifth consecutive CAC Games in which the VI has won gold medals starting with Dion Crabbe in the 100m at San Salvador 2002. Tahesia Harrigan-Scott continued the gold medal win when she came 1st in the 100m at Cartagena 2006 and again at Mayaguez 2010. Chantel won the fourth gold in long jump at Mexico 2014 and now the VI has its fifth gold with Kyron’s win. It is the first time at the CAC Games that the territory’s athletes have won 3 medals.

“It has been quite emotional here as we celebrated the 3 medals won at these games so far. I am exceptionally proud of the athletes’ achievements and I along with the VI delegation are looking forward to cheering on Ashley Kelly, Trevia Gumbs and Kala Penn in their upcoming events. I know the same is true for all their supporters back home and elsewhere.” said Ephraim Penn, President of the BVI Olympic Committee.

Ashley Kelly will run in the 400m finals tonight while Trevia Gumbs will compete in the shot-put final and Kala Penn in the triple jump.

“To date, all 13 of the VI’s senior and national athletes at Barranquilla 2018 have competed in their track and field events and a full report will be distributed at the conclusion of the Games but I can confirm that all athletes have worked hard and have been excellent ambassadors for the territory,” said Cleave Farrington, Chef de Mission for Barranquilla 2018. “We have Kyron’s medal ceremony later today followed by 3 more track and field events which we are excited about. The majority of the delegation will depart Colombia tomorrow.”

Updates are posted on the BVIOC social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Filed Under: Athletics, Barranquilla 2018, BVI Olympic Committee, CAC Tagged With: , , , , ,

CACSO & Veracruz Organizing Committee welcome BVI to the 22nd CAC Games

November 14, 2014 by

BVIOC President, Ephraim Penn, and Chef de Mission, Veracruz 2014, Cleave Farrington at the flag raising ceremony for the 22nd CAC Games. Photo: Provided

BVIOC President, Ephraim Penn, and Chef de Mission, Veracruz 2014, Cleave Farrington at the flag raising ceremony for the 22nd CAC Games. Photo: Provided

The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games’ welcome ceremony for the British Virgin Islands, held jointly with Aruba and Bahamas, took place on November 12, 2014 at the World Trade Center in Veracruz, Mexico.  BVI Olympic Committee President,  Ephraim Penn, and Chef de Mission for the games, Cleave Farrington were in attendance.

Speeches on behalf of the organizing committee of Veracruz were given by representative of the General Director of the Organizing Committee, Lic Carlos de Jesus Sosa Ahumada who welcomed the participating countries. Cleave Farrington spoke on behalf of the BVI and thanked Mr. Sosa Ahumada for his warm hospitality and wished the organisers success with the Games.

The BVI flag was raised following the speeches and signaled the closing of the welcome ceremony. Prior to closing, there was an exchange of gifts between BVI and Veracruz organizing committee.

 

Filed Under: Athletics, BVI Olympic Committee, Squash, Vera Cruz News Tagged With: , , , ,