Action has kicked off at the 2026 Pan American Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where a trio of talented Cayman gymnasts are ready to make their mark on the international stage.
The Cayman athlete delegation competing in the event hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 17 to 21 June, include returning veteran Karthik Adapa alongside first-timers Sienna Santiago and Justin Spencer.
Santiago is testing herself across all four women’s artistic events, taking on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. On the men’s side, Adapa and Spencer are competing on all six apparatuses: vault, high bar, pommel horse, parallel bars, floor exercise and rings.
Santiago is being guided through her events by coach Alison Laidler, while Karthik and Justin are competing under the instruction of coach Kyle Perry.
The group is being led by head of delegation Danny Santiago, with physiotherapist Rose Watt on hand to manage the physical demands of the multi-day competition.
Adapa’s fourth appearance
The 21-year-old Karthik Adapa is a seasoned face in these circles, making his fourth career appearance at the continental competition.
After facing adversity at the World Championships last October, where an injury limited him to just a single apparatus performance on the parallel bars, Adapa views his return to the event differently this time around.
“I am taking my career one competition at a time,” he said. “My hopes this time around, as my first competition back from the injury, is to stay clean, stay safe and finally be able show off the skills I was unable to perform at the World Championships.”
“The specific area that I hope to improve on and give more focus will be on high bar. I am performing two release moves in one routine which is a major step up for me, so ensuring that those improvements go well is high priority for me,” he added.
Adapa is embracing his position as an experienced guide for the younger contingent, stepping into a leadership role that brings his own journey full circle.
“Giving support and guidance to the two new up-and-coming international representatives for gymnastics, Sienna and Justin, is something I have really been looking forward to,” he said. “For so long, it had only really been me and Igor Magalhaes at competitions. Then, for the last couple of years, it has just been me solo.
“Now, competing with two teammates is just amazing. Not to mention, I have seen these two grow and improve their skills from when they were so little, so it almost feels full circle to see them start their international journey in the way I had in 2021 – excluding Island Games here. I am rooting so hard for their success and hope any comfort or guidance I can give them will be of help.”
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