Nicolette Fernandes bags Guyana’s first Pan Am gold medal
Accomplished Squash player Nicolette Fernandes has become the first Guyanese, male or female, to win gold at the Pan American Squash Championships in Guatemala, after a scintillating victory on Wednesday night.
Nicolette Fernandes proudly displaying the Golden Arrowhead after her Gold medal performance
Out of an 8-player team, Fernandes was the only player who managed to advance to the tenser rounds of the XXIX edition of the Championships, and she rolled back the years as she exhibited fine form and class to cop the gold medal.
Coming up against the tournament’s Number 1 seeded player, Laura Tovar of Colombia, Fernandes made it seem easy-peasy as she clinched victory in three straight sets, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5.
Meanwhile, in Tuesday night’s semifinal, the Guyanese Women’s National Champion toppled Hannah Blatt of Canada in another three-set encounter, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5. She also overcame another Canadian, Maria Min, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8, on her way to the semifinal.
Prior to her professional career, Fernandes had come the closest to the Pan American gold in 2006, when she came up short against Mexico’s Samantha Teran and, settled for silver on that occasion. However, her illustrious squash career encompasses gold, silver and bronze finishes at the Caribbean, South American and Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.
Fernandes has also excelled in the professional circuit at the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) tours. Her highest World Ranking was #19.
The 38-year-old will now turn her attention to the team category, along with the rest of Team Guyana, which will be played from today through Saturday.
The women’s team, which will be headed by Fernandes, comprises Ashley Khalil, Mary Fung-A-Fat and Gabrielle Fraser; while the men’s team, which will be led by Alex Arjoon, comprises Kristian Jeffrey, Jason-Ray Khalil and Samuel Ince-Carvalhal.
The team will not only be pursuing a podium finish, but also qualification for the Central American and Caribbean Games, since the top 8 Women’s and Men’s teams will automatically qualify for the event. Coach Ramon Chan-A-Sue, Manager Garfield Wiltshire, and Referee Alwyn Callender have accompanied the team to Guatemala.
