As the 2021 Junior Pan American Games wind down, several Cayman Islands athletes are returning home, pleased with the personal records they set at the inaugural event in Cali, Colombia.
A team of 14 athletes, across swimming, athletics, gymnastics, squash, cycling and artistic swimming represented Cayman and, while they didn’t earn a podium place, many of them achieved personal best times.
Gymnastics
Cayman’s gymnasts Igor Magalhaes and Karthik Adapa were up first, with their events starting on 27 Nov. They each set new personal bests in the all-around gymnastics category.
Magalhaes finished with a score of 64.55, while Adapa, who was the flag bearer for Cayman along with swimmer Kyra Rabess, closed with a score of 63.55.
Cayman’s national gymnastics head coach Kyle Perry told the Cayman Compass that he was happy to see his athletes put forth their best efforts.
“The boys had their best FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) competition ever, breaking both personal and national records… ,” Perry said. “I’m proud of their performance… Thanks to the (Cayman Islands Olympic Committee) and Cayman Islands Gymnastics Association for sending us and believing in us.”
Swimming
Starting Sunday, 28 Nov., Jillian Crooks, her older brother Jordan Crooks, Rabess and Raya Embury-Brown hit the pool, competing for three consecutive days.
Cayman’s youngest Olympian, Jillian Crooks clocked four personal best times, in the 200 metre freestyle, 100m back, 50m freestyle and the 200m individual medley out of her five races.
“This meet was really amazing,” she told the Compass. “It was exciting to compete in a 50m pool – my first time since the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. It was also exciting to share this meet with my brother, Jordan, my other teammates, and many of my CARIFTA friends.”
Jordan Crooks missed a bronze medal by .41 seconds in the 100m freestyle finals – finishing fourth behind Mexico’s Andres Dupont Cabrera, who touched the wall in 50.37 seconds –and just over his personal best of 50.25 seconds. He also competed in the 50m free as well as the 100m butterfly, where he earned a personal best time.
Meanwhile, Stingray Swim Club teammates Rabess and Embury-Brown had their fair share of competition. Embury-Brown competed in four events. While Embury-Brown did not improve her times, Rabess clocked a personal best in the 100m freestyle, finishing in 59.16 seconds. Rabess, who also competed in three other events, stated in an interview with PanAm Aquatics that her training leading up to the event was difficult.
“Personally, for me… it does get to a point where, like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not improving anymore’…but that’s when you really have to train your hardest and that’s when it’s going to be the hardest mentally for you, but I just say keep pushing through it,” she said in the interview.
Squash
Cayman’s squash players Emma Turnbull, Jade Pitcairn and Kali Maclean hit the courts for what would prove to be a tough outing. As a team, they placed seventh overall, losing to Mexico 3-0 and Guatemala 2-1, and winning 3-0 against El Salvador.
Pitcairn also fell short in an individual match against the United States, where she lost 3-0. Teammate Turnbull was also unsuccessful in her individual match against Mexico, which ended 3-0.
Both Pitcairn and Turnbull partnered up for a doubles match against Colombia. However, that match ended 2-0, in favour of the Colombians.
Athletics
Lacee Barnes, who holds national records in both shot put and discus, took fifth place out of 11 athletes competing in the discus finals on Tuesday, 30 Nov. Barnes threw 51m, just behind her all-time best throw of 51.52m.
Barnes told the Compass that she was pleased with her performance considering the level of competition she faced.
“This is the highest I’ve ever placed for Cayman at a competition of this magnitude so with that, I’m happy,” she said. “I was just a metre away from placing so there’s still work to be done but I’m pleased with my progression.”
Cayman’s Olympian Shalysa Wray hit the track on 2 Dec., for the 400m finals, running a personal best 53.47 and placing 5th.
Wray told the Compass, it was her first competitive race outdoors for the season.
“I opened my season basically with a personal best,” she said. “It’s actually pretty mind blowing to me but I’ve been training really hard, so it did pay off and it’s going to pay off in the long run as well because this is just a start.”
Artistic Aquatics
Alexandria Owen and Abbie Carnahan competed their technical duet on, 2 Dec., receiving a score of 59.3, which positioned them at 15th overall.
Cayman’s head coach for artistic aquatics, Alissa Moberg said the sky is the limit for her athletes, who are setting the bar for synchronised swimming within the Cayman Islands.
“Being the newest programme competing at the games fills us with so much pride,” Moberg told the Compass. “Abbie and Alex haven’t had a lot of time to train together, but their determination, work ethic and incredible attitudes carried them through, and we are so proud of them. The duo will compete again on, 4 Dec. for their free routine event.
Cycling
Nathaniel Forbes, who is Cayman’s lone cyclist participating at the 2021 Junior PanAm Games, will compete in the U23 men’s road race on 3 Dec.
Several athletes are still competing; the Cayman Compass will update the story accordingly.
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