Team Guyana dominates at Archery CDC

Monday, Sep 23

Team Guyana has once again done Archery Guyana proud at the 6th Caribbean Development Championships, which was held in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, from September 19-22, 2024. Seven countries competed, namely; Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA.

The Ranking rounds were held on Friday, September 20 and the following are the ranking scores for the men: Mehandra Chatargum 636, Jeewanram Persaud 619, Faraad Gani 606, Saifullah Gani 606, Gregory McKoy 605, Teemahall Lall 530, Richard Dookie 492, Saeed Karim 483, Alec Simmons 460, Afzal Karim 424.

The women’s ranking scores are: Juanita Persaud 627, Melesa Ramnaraine 600, Roshini Boodhoo 559, Fatima Gani 552, Julie-Ann Williams 502, Karin Toppin 425, Naudia Maraj 415, Nataliya Pollard 408, Theresa Jaikishun-Deoroop 306.

The elimination matches were held on Saturday, September 21, which saw some very exciting matches with the archers aiming for the top brackets in the medal matches for the following day at the Plantation Cove venue.

The semi-final and final matches were played on Sunday with more exciting as there were surprises and upsets among archers shooting for the gold.

A Special award was presented to Mr Philip Graves, chair of the World Archery Americas Development Committee, for his tireless commitment to the Caribbean Development Championships and archery.

Also receiving gifts of recognition from the Jamaican Archery Association were the head coaches from each country.

While Team Jamaica took a larger medal count: 25 (8 gold, 12 silver & 5 bronze), Guyana won a total of 23 medals; 15 gold, 5 sliver and 3 bronze, with the most gold medals awarded to Guyana in entire competition. Last year’s Recurve Mixed Team power couple Jeewanram Persaud and Roshini Boodhoo took the gold again in this year’s Mixed Team matches, as did last year’s Barebow Mixed Team of Teemahall Lall and Nataliya Pollard.

Trinidad & Tobago followed with a total of 13 medals (7 gold, 3 silver & 3 bronze). The British Virgin Islands took a total of 7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver & 3 bronze), Bahamas’ medal total was 6 (3 gold, 1 silver & 2 bronze), Barbados followed with 5 (4 silver & 1 bronze), and USA 2 (2 gold medals)

Additionally, in the mixed teams where archers from 2 different countries were paired, Jamaica & Guyana won silver, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago won bronze, and Guyana and Barbados won bronze.

President of Archery Guyana, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon expressed her immense pride in Guyana's representation in Jamaica with such an incredible success. According to her, every one of the participants from various affiliated clubs in Guyana performed to their best. “They brought their very best to the field, and it is their talent, dedication, and perseverance that truly made this tournament special. Without their commitment, countless hours of training, and perseverance through all obstacles, none of this would have been possible. I am reminded of how far we’ve come from 2018 when Archery Guyana hosted the inaugural Level 1 coaching seminar. The global pandemic may have slowed us down for a couple of years, but within five years, despite the downtime, here we are, on the international stage, coming home with a very shiny collection of medals.”

The Guyanese archers impressed all who saw them compete and demonstrated true sportsmanship towards their fellow competitors while making friends at the same time.

The Team was led by the following officials: Nicholas Hing - Chef-de-Mission/Head Coach, Saeed Karim – Team Logistics Coordinator/Archer, Roshini Boodhoo – Team Manager/Archer, Jeewanram Persaud – Coach/Archer, Juliana Rickhee – Team Support Coordinator, Shrikanta Deoroop – Team Photographer.

Archery Guyana remains committed to fostering the development of its athletes and raising the profile of the sport both locally and internationally. The federation is grateful for the support of its affiliates, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the National Sports Commission, the Guyana Olympic Association, Guyana Beverages Inc., World of Flowers and the Guyanese public and the media.

The Board of Directors of Archery Guyana wishes to extend a massive thank you to World Archery Americas, the Jamaican Archery Federation, the organisers and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. A special commendation is extended to Coach Phil Graves - his leadership and expertise have been pivotal in making this event what it is, and his commitment to the development of archery in our region has been invaluable.