By Samantha Peene
Cayman’s elite male gymnasts finished in the middle of the pack amongst the best gymnasts in the Americas.
Karthik Adapa and Igor Magalhaes reunited to compete at the Pan American Championships on Friday, 26 May, in Colombia.
The pair spent their first year apart after Magalhaes left for his first year of university in the UK.
The games were held in Medellín, Colombia, and served as a qualifier for Pan American Games and World Championships later this year.
Although Magalhaes was unable to qualify through this competition due to only competing in four of the six events because of injuries, Adapa still stands a chance.
The qualification process is complex and this was not the only opportunity, so the gymnasts and coach Kyle Perry are hopeful that they will earn positions at the 2023 Pan American Games and the World Championships.
With a fall on the pommel horse, Adapa still landed himself in the middle of the pack in the final all-around results, finishing in 58th of the 86 best gymnasts in the Americas.
“We had victories on a lot of events, but a lot of events we still need to improve,” said Perry.
Cayman was in rotation with Bolivia and Costa Rica, also competing at the same time as Colombia.
With the stands filled with proud Colombians, the arena was practically shaking with cheers throughout the competition.
The pair started on rings, then went to vault, parallel bars, high bar, floor, and finished on pommel horse.
Magalhaes spent his first year away from Cayman at university training hard and making major upgrades, including a triple-back dismount off of the high bar; a skill that no other Caymanian has ever competed.
He also took home a national record on floor after competing a double layout as his first tumbling pass.
The judges posted a score of 12.300 for Magalhaes. This landed him in 47 of 71, with Yul Kyung Moldauer of Team USA taking first with a score of 14.500.
Although he did well on the events competed, Magalhaes was unable to compete rings or parallel bars, due to a shoulder and hand injury.
Since Magalhaes left Cayman for university, Adapa has been training without him for the first time in his career, and has stepped up as a leader to the younger male athletes in the gym. The two were excited to reunite and compete together once again.
Team USA swept the podium in the individual competition, taking home eight medals.
Next up for the Cayman gymnasts is Inter-Island Games in Åland, Finland from June 3 to June 9, where they will have a complete men’s team for the first time ever.
Report by journalist Samantha Peene in Medellín, Colombia.
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