The final day of the Orkney 2025 International Island Games proved to be a spectacular close for the Cayman Islands, as the nation, who sent 32 delegates, added seven more medals to its impressive tally, bringing the grand total to 37.
This outstanding performance secured Cayman a remarkable fifth position overall among all 23 competing nations in these biennial games, with a breakdown of 16 gold, seven silver, and 14 bronze medals.
On closing day, 18 July, Karthik Adapa dominated the gymnastics arena, adding a staggering five medals to his collection.
He secured gold in the men’s FIG individual floor, high bar, parallel bars and rings, along with a bronze in the men’s FIG individual vault.
These additions brought his personal medal count for the games to an astounding 11, comprising six gold, two silver, and three bronze, making him Cayman’s most decorated athlete at this year’s event.
Justin Spencer also contributed to the gymnastics success that day, adding a silver in the men’s FIG individual pommel, to go with his bronze in the SET individual pommel.
The Cayman squash team delivered a golden finish in the highly anticipated team event.
The gold-medal-winning squad comprised Michaela Janse Van Rensburg, Jace Jervis, Julian Jervis, Jade Pitcairn, Cameron Stafford and Emma Turnbull.
Looking at the overall medal distribution for Cayman, swimming led the charge with five gold, three silver and eight bronze.
Gymnastics followed closely with six gold, three silver and four bronze, while squash secured five gold, one silver and one bronze.
Sailing added a bronze to the nation’s count, while athletics and badminton, despite valiant efforts, did not yield any medals this year.
Post-Games feedback from Cayman athletes
Adapa, reflecting on his unparalleled performance, told the Compass, “This is the best I’ve ever done on the international stage. I’ve been putting in a lot of work into my training for the past year and seeing this sort of payoff has been amazing. Especially at a multi-sport event [as] I’m usually by myself in competitions, but with all these Caymanians here, it feels like the victory was bigger than me. I loved it, absolutely magical.”
As for his immediate plans, he said, “I’m spending the next few months in England doing some intense training, so I’m hoping to take my gymnastics to an even further level.”
Stafford, a key member of the golden squash team and a recipient of three gold medals, told the Compass, “The … Games this year were amazing and very well organised.”
He added, “Going into the event, our goal was to win as many medals as possible. Winning gold for your country on an international stage is truly an honour [and] walking away with three gold medals is a great achievement, and every member of the team played a crucial role in our success.”
He said he’s very happy and satisfied with how he performed at these games, narrowly missing out on a medal in the individual event.
“My main focus was on winning gold in all the doubles categories and in the team event,” he said.
Looking ahead, Stafford is already focused on future challenges as he will be competing in the Pan American Senior Squash Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in September, followed by the Senior Caribbean Squash Championships in Jamaica later this year.
The 20th edition of the Island Games, held from 12-18 July, brought together 2,141 athletes and officials representing 24 islands from around the world.
Participants competed in 12 different sports: archery, athletics, badminton, cycling, football, golf, gymnastics, lawn bowls, sailing, squash, swimming and triathlon.
The Faroe Islands are slated to host the next Island Games in 2027.
Cayman’s total medal tally
Karthik Adapa
Bronze
Gold
Silver
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It would have been helpful if the article had included the overall medal count for all the competing countries, and also our record for previous Island Games.
This concept of an “Olympics” for small islands territories has been a great success and Cayman can be very proud of its performances over the years.