By Randy Bennett
Barbados’ CARIFTA team excelled exactly how head coach Ramon Armstrong expected them to.
Despite carrying an inexperienced 23-member squad to the Bahamas for the 50th edition of the Games, Armstrong has described the team’s 11 medal haul at the recently concluded Games in the Bahamas as “exceptional”.
Barbados equaled last year’s tally, with the two gold medals surpassing the one that was won in 2022.
They finished fifth overall in the medal standings behind winners Jamaica (78 medals), home country Bahamas (46), Trinidad and Tobago (25) and St Kitts and Nevis, which also had 11 medals but captured five gold medals.
The team arrived home at the Grantley Adams International Airport this morning just after 8:30 and was greeted by family, friends and supporters that included track clubs and schools.
In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Armstrong said he was extremely pleased with the two gold, six silver and three bronze medals that the team won.
He said based on their performances the future of track and field on the island was in good hands.
“I am very pleased with the team’s performance. A small team, a young team, yet some solid performances. We had a number of medalists, multiple finalists, we had some personal best performances and it is very encouraging for the future years to come,” Armstrong said.
“I wouldn’t say the team exceeded my expectations but I would say that it was exceptional. I mean when you saw the amount of effort and the support from each other, they really bonded together well as a team, they supported each other and everybody gave of their best and gave all they had in every single event and it was good to see our athletes not being timid, but out there being fierce and competitive in the arena.
“It was a really good and encouraging experience to see how our athletes went and represented our nation,” he added.
The team was affected by injuries, with Under-20 boys’ sprinter Josiah Parris and Under-20 girl Kishawna Niles unable to make the trip to the Bahamas.
Additionally, Kaden Dowrich-Roach sustained an injury just before the start of the Under-17 boys’ 400 metres finals and was unable to compete.
Armstrong said the medal tally could have been even higher had it not been for those injuries.
“Yeah, obviously, but injuries are a part of the sport and you just have to manage the process. You know everything doesn’t happen as you would like it to, but through it all I think we were able to navigate through the conditions and the circumstances fairly well and do the best we could with what we had,” the head coach said.
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