Two of Cayman’s amateur gymnasts, with one sporting a bronze medal, returned home last month after competing at the Central American Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2019 in Guatemala.
Igor Magalhaes, 16, and Karthik Adapa, 15, travelled to Guatemala City, for the three-day event, where Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Guatemala and the Cayman Islands all participated.
Magalhaes captured the bronze medal in the high bar, in what was his first ever medal for Cayman at any International Gymnastics Federation event.
“I feel honoured that I was able to represent my country in the Central American and Caribbean competition,” Mangalhaes said. “It was tough but, nevertheless, the atmosphere was very friendly and exciting. I feel humbled in winning a bronze in the individual event for the high bar and can’t wait to represent Cayman in future competitions.”
Teammate Adapa placed fourth on parallel bars in what was also his first time competing at a meet sanctioned by the International Gymnastics Federation.
“This experience was a big step forward in terms of my gymnastics career,” he said. “I am thankful for having these types of opportunities where I am able to represent Cayman and do what I enjoy. There was some hard physical and mental training needed to get through this meet and I believe that my coach and my teammates played a big role in preparation for it.”
Coach Kyle Perry, who was with the boys during the event, said, “I’m very proud of Igor and Karthik. Their hard work and dedication over the past year is paying off. I look forward to future competitions and I am excited to see what the future holds.”
Magalhaes and Adapa will be trying to qualify for the 2020 Junior Pan American Gymnastics Championships in May and in the Pan Am Cup which will take place in November.
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