The men's 50-metre Rifle Prone team of Curtis Blunt, Aftab Khan and Sheldon Waterman and the men's badminton team of Kerwyn Pantin, Anil Seepaul, Rahul Rampersad and Keston Friday earned bronze medals at the 21st Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico yesterday. Blunt had a score of 580.26 out of a possible 600 while Khan tallied (578.18) and Waterman 578.19 for a combined total of 1736.63 just ahead of Guatemala (1736.61) at the Albergue Olimpico, Sallnas, Puerto Rico. Venezuela won gold (1753.78) and Mexico, the silver medals with 1741.71.
Earlier on in the men's 50-metre Rifle Prone Elimination Relay One, Blunt was eight best with his score of 580.2 and Waterman, 11th with his score of 578.19. Among the Relay Two competitors, Khan was third with 578.18 to trail Guatemalan, Marlon Perez (581.21) and Daniel Da Silva of Venezuela (579.20). The T&T men's badminton team of Pantin, Seepaul, Rampersad and Friday were beaten by regional rivals, Jamaica 3-1 in one of two semifinals at the Raymond Dalmau Coliseum.
Jamaican, Charles Pyne swept Pantin 21-14, 23-23 and Garron Palmer outlasted Seepaul 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 for a 2-0 lead in the best of five team series.
However, Rampersad pulled a match back for T&T when he defeated Kashif Bernard 21-15, 21-16. The Jamaican pair of Palmer and Gareth Henry then defeated Pantin and Rampersad 21-18, 21-14 to seal the tie 3-1. Earlier in the morning session, the local men team ended in second spot in Pool A after losing to Guatemala 3-2 in a clash of unbeaten teams in their four-team group. Kevin Gordon swept past Kerwyn Pantin 21-6, 21-16, Rodolfo Ramirez blasted Anil Seepaul, 21-7, 21-11 and Pedro Yang crushed Rahul Rampersad 21-3, 21-13 before the Central Americans forfeited the remaining two matches having won the tie.
Pantin and Rampersad won by walkover against Gordon and Ramirez while Keston Friday and Seepaul won in similar fashion over Yang and Jonathan Solis. On Sunday, the local men's team had defeated Puerto Rico and Barbados, both by 3-2 margins. The local women's trio of Nekeisha Blake, Avril Plaza-Marcelle and Jade Joseph were swept by Puerto Rico in their opening encounter 5-0 and then went under to Guatemala by a similar score to end at the bottom of its three team group.
