President of the Jamaican Olympic Committee, Mr Christopher Samuda (in black and white striped shirt); President of Archery Guyana, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (in blue); Asst. Secretary-General of Archery Guyana, Mr. Ryan McKinnon (far right in white); on whose left is Secretary-General of Archery Guyana, Mr. Nicholas Hing, all flanked by team members and supporters
Team Guyana have again done Archery Guyana proud by securing a massive medal haul at the 6th Caribbean Development Championships, held in Ocho Rios, Jamaica from September 19-22, 2024.
The seven countries that participated in that competition were Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA.
The ranking rounds were held on Friday, September 20, and the following are the ranking scores for the men: Mehandra Chatargum, 636; Jeewanram Persaud, 619; Faraad Gani, 606; Saifullah Gani, 606; Gregory McKoy, 605; Teemahall Lall, 530; Richard Dookie, 492; Saeed Karim, 483; Alec Simmons, 460; and Afzal Karim, 424.
The women’s ranking scores are: Juanita Persaud, 627; Melesa Ramnaraine, 600; Roshini Boodhoo, 559; Fatima Gani, 552; Julie-Ann Williams, 502; Karin Toppin, 425; Naudia Maraj, 415; Nataliya Pollard, 408; and Theresa Jaikishun-Deoroop, 306.
Elimination matches were held on Saturday, September 21, which saw some very exciting matches with the archers aiming for the top brackets in the medal matches for the following day at the Plantation Cove venue.
The semi-final and final matches were played on Sunday with more excitement as there were surprises and upsets among archers shooting for the gold.
A special award has been presented to World Archery Americas Development Committee Chair Philip Graves for his tireless commitment to the Caribbean Development Championships and to archery.
Also receiving gifts of recognition from the Jamaican Archery Association were the head coaches from each country.
While Team Jamaica took a larger medal count: 25 (8 gold, 12 silver & 5 bronze), Guyana won a total of 23 medals: 15 gold, 5 sliver and 3 bronze, with the most gold medals awarded to Guyana in entire competition.
Last year’s Recurve Mixed Team power couple Jeewanram Persaud and Roshini Boodhoo took the gold again in this year’s Mixed Team matches, as did last year’s Barebow Mixed Team of Teemahall Lall and Nataliya Pollard.
Team Guyana in action
Trinidad & Tobago followed with a total of 13 medals (7 gold, 3 silver & 3 bronze). The British Virgin Islands took a total of 7 medals (2 gold, 2 silver & 3 bronze), The Bahamas medal total was 6 (3 gold, 1 silver & 2 bronze), Barbados followed with 5 (4 silver & 1 bronze), and USA 2 (2 gold medals)
Additionally, in the mixed teams wherein archers from 2 different countries were paired, Jamaica and Guyana won silver, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago won bronze, and Guyana and Barbados won bronze.
President of Archery Guyana, Mrs. Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon, has expressed her immense pride in Guyana’s representation in Jamaica with such an incredible success. According to her, every one of the participants from various affiliated clubs in Guyana performed to their best.
She said, “They brought their very best to the field, and it is their talent, dedication, and perseverance that truly made this tournament special. Without their commitment, countless hours of training, and perseverance through all obstacles, none of this would have been possible. I am reminded of how far we’ve come from 2018 when Archery Guyana hosted the inaugural Level 1 coaching seminar. The global pandemic may have slowed us down for a couple of years, but within five years, despite the downtime, here we are on the international stage, coming home with a very shiny collection of medals.”
The Guyanese archers impressed all who saw them compete, and demonstrated true sportsmanship towards their fellow competitors while making friends at the same time.
The Team was led by the following officials: Nicholas Hing: Chef-de-Mission/Head Coach; Saeed Karim: Team Logistics Coordinator/Archer; Roshini Boodhoo: Team Manager/Archer; Jeewanram Persaud: Coach/Archer; Juliana Rickhee: Team Support Coordinator; Shrikanta Deoroop: Team Photographer.
Archery Guyana remains committed to fostering the development of its athletes and raising the profile of the sport both locally and internationally. The federation is grateful for the support of its affiliates; Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; the National Sports Commission; the Guyana Olympic Association; Guyana Beverages Inc; World of Flowers; and the Guyanese public and the media.
The Board of Directors of Archery Guyana wishes to extend a massive thank you to World Archery Americas, the Jamaican Archery Federation, the organisers and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. A special commendation is extended to Coach Phil Graves – his leadership and expertise have been pivotal in making this event what it is, and his commitment to the development of archery in our region has been invaluable.
