Camacho: CAC Games a stepping stone

SPORT Company chairman Douglas Camacho yesterday praised this country’s athletes for their tremendous effort at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) in Colombia, saying it was a great launching pad for more major meets on the horizon.

TT ended the medal standings in ninth position with 30 medals – nine gold, eight silver and 13 bronze – finding places on the podium in cycling, track and field, swimming, boxing, hockey and rowing.

Yesterday, in TT’s last action of the CAC Games the national mixed compound archery team finished fourth after falling 155-138 to Mexico in the bronze medal match. The TT team included Jonathon Thomas, Priyanka Dhanie, Peter Kong, Hasmath Ali, Johnathan Mosca and Daniel Catariz.

On Thursday night, TT boxer Michael Alexander earned silver after losing 5-0 to Cuban Lazaro Alvarez in the men’s lightweight (60kg) finals.

The TT men’s rugby sevens team missed out on a medal after finishing fourth. Shakeel Dyte got the only try as TT fell 26-5 to Jamaica in the bronze medal match.

Camacho said, “I thought it was a very good performance. What I find particularly heartening actually is the number of sporting disciplines that actually medalled. It was not just track and field. The success of track and field for sure (was impressive). For swimming and cycling, I must single them out for the number of medals they won.”

Track and field (nine), cycling (nine) and swimming (seven) combined to earn 25 medals for TT.

Camacho said it was great to see both the TT men and women contributing to the medal tally. The TT men earned 19 medals and the women took home 11.

Camacho said the CAC Games were a great launching pad for the TT athletes who have ambitions of competing in major meets such as the 2020 Olympic Games. “Absolutely (this is a launching pad). I think the next stepping stone for many would be the Pan American Games. For some of the individual sports, it would be the World Championships and in the case of the cyclists it would be a case of attending the UCI (International Cycling Union) events that allows them to accumulate points (to qualify for Olympics). I urge them to continue making the sacrifice, the effort etcetera.” Camacho said the impressive times achieved by the TT athletes proves that the national athletes can achieve at more competitive meets.

“The times as well (were good). Medals are one thing, (but) people could always argue is this medal equal to that (games or) is that medal equal to the other, but if you look at the times in many of the events, national records fell, games records fell. Our performance was definitely exemplary and I am very heartened by it. All in all I would say a great job.”

TT MEDALS:

TRACK AND FIELD

Gold – Keshorn Walcott (men’s javelin); Cleopatra Borel (women’s shot put)

Silver – Ruebin Walters (men’s 110m hurdles); Khalifa St Fort (women’s 100m); Semoy Hackett (women’s 200m); Hackett, St Fort, Reyare Thomas, Zakiyah Denoon (women’s 4x100m relay); Aleena Brooks (women’s 800m)

Bronze – Kyle Greaux (men’s 200m); Andwuelle Wright (men’s long jump)

BOXING

Silver – Michael Alexander (men’s lightweight - 60kg)

Bronze – Nigel Paul (men’s super heavyweight - 91+kg)

CYCLING

Gold – Teneil Campbell (women’s road race); Nicholas Paul (men’s 1K time trial, men’s sprint, men’s team sprint); Njisane Phillip, Kwesi Browne (men’s sprint team)

Bronze – Kwesi Browne (men’s keirin); Akil Campbell (men’s omnium); Teneil Campbell (women’s individual pursuit, women’s omnium, women’s scratch)

HOCKEY

Bronze – TT men’s team; TT women’s team

ROWING

Silver – Felice Chow (women’s singles sculls)

SWIMMING

Gold – Dylan Carter (men’s 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly)

Silver – Dylan Carter (men’s 50m freestyle)

Bronze – Dylan Carter, Joshua Romany, Jabari Baptiste, Kael Yorke (men’s 4x100m freestyle relay); David McLeod (men’s 50m backstroke); Joshua Romany (men’s 50m butterfly)