Barbados names 115-member squad for CAC Games

World bronze medalist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion Sada Williams will spearhead Barbados’ medal hunt at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships.

The games are set for June 23 to July 8 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and San Salvador, El Salvador. Williams, the darling of local track and field is expected to be a main podium contender in the women’s 400-metre event.

Fellow quarter-miler and national record holder Jonathan Jones will compete in the men’s 400-metre along with rising star Desean Boyce.

The island’s top sprint hurdler Shane Brathwaite has also been named in the squad along with women’s 100-metre national record holder Tristan Evelyn. One of Barbados’ leading male sprinters Mario Burke has not been named in the team but Matthew Clarke and Kuron Griffith are included.

Top cyclist Amber Joseph and Barbados’ leading female surfer Chelsea Tuach have made the cut.

In the pool, Barbados will be led by CARIFTA Games gold medalist Danielle Titus and Adara Stoddard who has made her second senior national team after dominating at the youth level over the years.

The full squad was announced Saturday morning at a special team meeting held at the Hilton Barbados Resort.

Champion female boxer Kimberly Gittens and swimming stalwart Luis Sebastian Weekes are the team’s flag bearers.

President of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA)  Sandra Osborne apologised for her absence while congratulating the athletes on making the team. “To qualify for Games such as these is often a hard journey in itself, and the fact that you are on the final entry list is testimony to your status as one of the top athletes of the Central American and Caribbean regions,” she said. Osborne also made mention of the four new disciplines in the competition for Barbados this year, noting that this is the biggest contingent that the country has ever fielded.

The new disciplines are netball, chess, rowing, and surfing. The quartet brings the local team tally up to 22 in San Salvador, the venue for the first Games since the pandemic.

Of the 57 disciplines being staged, Barbados will field entries in aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, chess, cycling (road and track), equestrian, golf, men’s hockey, women’s hockey, karate, netball, rowing, sailing, shooting, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, weightlifting, and wrestling. All are expected to give competitive performances. The CAC delegation of 181 persons comprises 115 athletes and 66 officials representing the largest team the country has fielded since qualification became mandatory.

FULL TEAM:

• Archery – Charlene Gill
• Athletics – Desean Boyce, Jonathan Jones, Rasheeme Griffith, Kyle Gale, Sada Williams, Shane Brathwaite, Tristan Evelyn, Rivaldo Leacock, Matthew Clarke, Sonia Gaskin, Kuron Griffith, Tia-Adana Belle.
• Badminton – Kennie King, Dakeil Thorpe, Dave Forde.
• Boxing – Jabali Breedy, Ju-sean Shepherd, Tyreece Taitt, Charles Cox, Kimberly Gittens.
• Chess – Orlando Husbands, Martyn Del Castilho, Hannah Wilson.
• Cycling – Amber Joseph, Jamol Eastmond, Edwin Sutherland.
• Equestrian – Mckenzie Manning, Roberta Foster, Monique Archer, Zoe Archer.
• Golf – Xzavier Wiggins, Emily Odwin.
• Hockey –  Akeem Rudder, Che Roach, Che Warner, Marlon Daniel, Kris Holder, James Godding, Dwayne Atherley, Jerome Harewood, Javier Wharton, Jemar Small, Keenan Knight, Shonkeel Wharton, Khodi Gibson, Justin Catlin, Neil Franklin, Shakeel Wharton, Jada Prescod, Anaya Alleyne- Germain, Nakisha Downes, Takirsha Cambridge, Ayanna Wilson, Katrina Downes, Camille Punder, Aliyah Griffith, D’Jamila Edwards, Kristina Hinds, Kenya Alleyne, Sterre De Koning, Tiffany Browne, Nakira Downes, Iana Strickland, Reianna Stoute.
• Karate – Kodie King.
• Netball – Jada Smith, Shonica Griffith, Tonisha Rock-Yaw, Sabreena Smith, Brianna Holder, Latonia Blackman, Faye Agard, Akeena Stoute, Trishan Deane, Kimani Archer, Tamara Trotman, Victoria Monerville.
• Rowing – Ianto Brewer.
• Sailing – Scott Gittens.
• Shooting- Marwin Bynoe, Dave Seale, Tesonna Alleyne , Michelle Elliot.
• Surfing – Kai St George, Chelsea Tuach.
• Aquatics – Jack Kirby, Luis Weekes, Adara Stoddard, Danielle Titus, Danielle Treasure.
• Tennis – Kaipo Marshall, Hannah Chambers, Xavier Lawrence, Serena Bryan, Stpehen Slocombe, Gabrielle Leslie.
• Taekwondo – Liana Best-Smith, Kristin Turton, Chioke Holder, Che Wiltshire.
• Triathlon – Matthew Wright, Neil Skinner.
• Table Tennis – Angela Reid, Krystle, Anthonette Riley, Kenady King, Tyrese Knight, Trevor Farley, Mark-Anthony Dowell, Tre Riley.
• Weightlifting – Quontana Clarke, Adrian Maynard.