Lashley leads Barbados’ nine-medal haul

Team manager Allan Kelly has credited solid preparation and international exposure for Barbados’ historic performance at the Caribbean Junior Road Cycling Championships in Belize, where the team topped the standings with nine medals.

Barbados won an event-leading nine medals at the championships, held from August 22 to 23, in a performance Kelly described as the best by a national junior team in more than a decade.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY from Belize ahead of the team’s return to the island on Tuesday, Kelly rated the overall performance as excellent, saying the cyclists exceeded all expectations.

“We knew the calibre of riders we were going up against in Belize. They have been attending some international camps so we knew the competition would have been very fierce, but we came away with nine medals, and as the overall top country throughout the whole championship. I’m blown away,” an elated Kelly said.

Kelly said it represented a major improvement for Barbados, which also selected a larger team for this year’s event.

“Usually we have a smaller group of athletes who are always there at the top junior level, but this year starting with the first day of the time trial, we had five riders competing.

“We won medals with all five of those athletes, so that was a phenomenal accomplishment.”

The successful run continued in Sunday’s road race, where Barbados won another four medals.

“I can tell you definitely within the last decade to fifteen years, we’ve never accomplished such a feat. So it’s very rewarding and very promising, this is the start of something big,” Kelly said.

He attributed the improved performances in Belize to the rigorous training undertaken by the cyclists, including team leaders Alexis Lashley and Jonah Kelly.

Jonah has been based in Belgium for the past few months, where some of the cyclists he competed against in Belize were also based.

“The Caribbean riders have really upped their game**,”** Kelly said. “Because they’re going international now to make sure that they can find podium spots and we are doing the same.

“I attribute a lot of the success to the international exposure and the solid training programmes that we have our athletes going through.”

Lashley starred for Barbados with gold medals on both days of competition and, according to Kelly, her success came as no surprise.

“Alexis was very confident going into both events, and she knew she had the form and she knew she had the talent, so she went out from the gun, and she did remarkably well.

“It is a team event, but she was the star of these championships and we are exceptionally proud of her.”

Not content to rest on their laurels, Kelly said the riders and the Barbados Cycling Union were already planning for continued success.

“We will have a serious junior focused sport in 2027, where we’re going to focus on a lot of the major games, whether it’s the Pan Am championships or other international events, that we get our cyclists to overseas.

“Jonah is focused on taking up his trade in Belgium, where he will be based and he’s actually trying now to get on to a junior pro development team that can take him to that level, so he can ride in some of the biggest races in the world.”

(KH)