Gold for Barbados in Canada beach wrestling

A quartet of Barbados wrestlers returned home this week, after an intense summer of training and competition in Canada. The four enjoyed success at their main competitive event, capturing a total of four medals.

Justin Boyce, Matthew Arindell, Kanye Cumberbatch, and Rebecca Williams took part in a high-performance training camp in Toronto. They were then registered for the third and final beach wrestling event under the auspices of the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association (OAWA), the Lake Erie Beach Wrestling Series Event #3 at the Turkey Point Community Pavilion.

Individual competition took place in the cadet, junior, and senior categories, inclusive of four weight classes for women, and five for men. Boyce and Arindell competed in the senior men’s division, Cumberbatch in junior (under-20) men, and 15-year-old Williams in the women’s open.

Boyce reigned supreme in the men’s 80-kilogram division, as did Arindell in the men’s 90+ kilogram class. Williams, a student at the Combermere School, went up against older and heavier athletes, but was able to get gold in the women’s 70-kilogram class.

Cumberbatch captured a silver medal in the under-20 boys’ division.

OAWA collaborated with the Ontario Amateur Wrestling Officials’ Association to hold this three-part series. The series was put together by Scott Mauthe, along with United World Wrestling Accredited Beach Wrestling Officials Jason and Michelle Flinders.

Previous beach wrestling events were held in June and July, hosted by Port Stanley and St Clair College, Windsor.

The Barbados Wrestling Association (BWA) is hoping to attract more international competitors to future beach wrestling events on these shores as local administrators work towards further developing the sport on island.

Beach wrestling will be part of the Barbados Olympic Association’s Independence Invitational Games (BiiG) in early November.

The BWA was founded in May 2008 with the sole mission, to organise, excite and inspire athletes to achieve success in freestyle, Greco-Roman, and beach wrestling.

(TF)