CAREBACO Junior Championships: Badminton coaches impressed with team’s performances

Guyana’s national junior badminton team recently roped in 8 bronze medals across 5 divisions in the just concluded Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) Junior Championships which were held in Aruba, in the Lesser Antilles.
Mishka Beharry took home bronze in the Girls’ Under-17 Singles, while Ethan Bulkan secured bronze in the Boys’ Under-13 singles.
In team competitions, the pair of Xavio Alexander and Frank Waddell secured bronze in the Boys’ Under-19 doubles, while Leshaunte Berkley and Gabrielle Felix finished third in the Girls’ Under-19 doubles. In the Girls’ U11 doubles, Anjaneysa Godette and Riyo Alexander teamed up for Guyana’s 7th and 8th bronze medals of the games.

Reflecting on the weekend’s competition in Aruba, coach of the Guyana team, senior national champion Priyanna Ramdhani, expressed pride in the athletes’ performances.
“The team’s performance was very good! Excellent! Big improvements from the last Caribbean games. Last year we only got one medal, a bronze; this year we got 8 medals. We fell short in the semifinals, but that’s okay. Big improvements, and we’re proud of all of the players,” Ramdhani shared.
Another team coach, senior player Akili Haynes, was quizzed on areas of improvement the young players may need, and he responded,
“You could say maybe everything, because I’m sure no badminton player is perfect. But, for instance, I want them to work more on tactics, better understanding of the game, attitude towards the game. Also, we’re looking at footwork and consistency when it comes to Badminton. Few mistakes I’d say cost us, but it’s stuff we could work on. I know for sure that we’ll be better next time around.”
Guyana took a 20-member contingent to the CAREBACO Junior Championships in Aruba, and the athletes competed in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles from the under-11 to the under-19 category. Some 153 athletes from several territories around the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Jamaica, Barbados, and hosts Aruba competed in 204 Badminton games across 4 days during the championships.