Cayman’s athletes have taken to the sea and track at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile with Rasheem Brown competing in the 110-metre hurdles, and Charlotte Webster sailing through eight races.
Brown entered his 110m race with a best time of 13.50 seconds. However, he clocked in at 14.11 to finish fifth in the finals.
“The overall competition was great and the opportunity to compete once again for the Cayman Islands,” Brown told the Compass after his race. “Not really ideal to compete this time of the season since I’m just starting off season training in October. But I’m definitely looking forward to the upcoming Olympic year.”
Webster, who is competing in the Dinghy – ILCA 6 division, has accumulated 84 net points from her races through 31 Oct., positioning her 12th out of 17 sailors heading into the podium event scheduled for Saturday, 4 Nov.
Brown’s and Webster’s results come on the heels of fellow Cayman athletes who secured some best times and B final placements in the Centro Acuático pool, which got things started for the 345 team.
One of those top performers was Sierrah Broadbelt, who swam to a B final placement in the 200m butterfly where she finished third in a personal best time of 2:20.10. She went on to win her heat in the 400m individual medley, securing her second best time of 5:15.81.
Cayman golfer Justin Hastings swung into action on 2 Nov., the first of four days of play.
Esport competitor
While it isn’t the traditional way of competing in the sporting world, esports is nonetheless officially part of the games in Chile following the partnership between the Global Esports Federation and Panam Sports to create the inaugural Pan American Esports Championships.
Over 100 esports athletes from 25 countries across the Americas participated in the welcome ceremony of the PanAm Esports Championships on 1 Nov., including Cayman’s very own Noel Squire, who will be putting his video gaming skills to the test for the eFootball title.
Squire will take on the region’s best gaming enthusiasts – something he has dreamt about since he was 6 years old, when he was playing Nintendo DS, Gameboy and PlayStation 2.
“This is a dream come true,” Squire told the Compass. “As a kid growing up, watching a lot of YouTube, you go to school and they tell you that you have to get a job, but in reality, what I really want to do is be a streamer. So by getting this opportunity, I’m actually blessed.”
Squire will compete from 2-4 Nov. at the National Stadium Sports Park in Santiago. He said his training should bode well, noting that his choice of sport isn’t all that different from the actual physical discipline.
“It’s the same thing, but it’s more mental than physical,” he said. “It’s a mental battle. For example, you get home from work, you’re obviously tired but you got to go on the game and you got to stay on for a good five hours. Sometimes you’re losing but you can’t give up. You got to find that inner fight and see how you can get better.”
He noted that his hours invested in training to be the best player in the world means he only has one result in mind – winning for himself and his country.
Related Videos
