Sheridan Greaves grabs bronze in thrilling Panama karate showdown

Barbados’ karate team etched their name into the Central Caribbean Cup Karate Championships history books, securing two hard-earned bronze medals, with team captain Sheridan Greaves delivering a nail-biting victory in his match on Saturday.

The venue was the Gimnasio Roberto Durán and it erupted as Greaves, competing in the senior men’s +84kg division, battled his way to an 8-6 triumph over Curacao’s Ruviene Mathilda in a contest that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

The action was relentless from the opening. Greaves, showcasing his lightning-fast reflexes, struck first with a low reverse punch, sending a clear message to his opponent. He followed up with another perfectly timed reverse, slipping past Mathilda’s jab to land a precise blow. Evading Mathilda’s relentless pressure, Greaves masterfully executed a kick of his front leg to the stomach, propelling himself to a commanding 4-0 lead.

However, Mathilda wasn’t ready to concede. In a dramatic 60-second burst, he clawed back with a reverse punch and a swift jab, narrowing the gap to 4-3. The tension in the arena was palpable. Barbados coach Cameron King, sensing a crucial moment, called for a video review. The replay confirmed Greaves had landed another point, extending the lead to 5-3.

Greaves found another way through Mathilda’s defenses, landing another reverse punch to go up 6-3. But Mathilda wasn’t finished, unleashing a barrage of combinations to Greaves’ face, quickly closing the gap to a precarious 6-5. Greaves dug deep, finding the reserves to strike back and secure an 8-6 victory, and the bronze medal.

Greaves’ path to the bronze medal match was far from smooth. He faced a daunting comeback in his round of 16 bout against Puerto Rico’s Omar Martinez. After initially scoring, Greaves found himself trailing by four points. But with the calm guidance of Coach King, he switched stances and unleashed a series of well-placed kicks, igniting a spectacular comeback. He emerged victorious 14-10.

His semi-final clash against Panama’s Ortega Galvez proved a tighter affair. The two traded points, locking the score at 3-3. But Galvez’s relentless combinations to the head proved decisive, ending Greaves’ run to the final with a 7-3 loss and sending him to the bronze medal match.

Earlier in the competition, Delano Allsopp captured the first bronze medal for Barbados in the Under-21 -75kg category. Ric-Anne Brathwaite narrowly missed out on bronze in the senior women’s -68kg kumite match. Joseph Tseu’s journey ended in the quarter-finals of the senior men’s kata repechage, and Shannan Skeete was eliminated in the first round of the senior women’s kata.

The Barbados team is scheduled to return home on Monday. (AS)