The national archery team pose for a photo after placing second in the South Caribbean Archery Championships in Barbados.
L-R: Jonathan Kacal, Keegan Gower-Allum, Samantha Jagesar, Jean Luc Espinet, Adrian Yates-Boopsingh, Dunbar Roopnarine, Nikhil Kanhai, Nazimine Roopnarine, Dean Wilkins.
Kneeling L-R: Robert Gibson, Colvin Chin, Rakesh Sookoo.

T&T’s Target Archery Federation team placed second overall in South Caribbean Archery Championships which took place at the Barbados Archery Association’s Range in Waterford last month.

T&T managed to secure four out of the nine FITA titles and three out of eight championship trophies, finishing just behind Barbados, who also got seven gold medals but managed nine silvers compared to T&T’s seven. The team comprised of Rakesh Sookoo, Robert Gibson, Dean Wilkins, Samantha Jagesar, Dunbar Roopnarine, Nazimine Roopnarine, Nikhil Kanhai, Keegan Gower-Allum, Jean Luc Espinet and Adrian Yates-Boopsingh.

The team also comprised national coach Colvin Chin, national judge Joanne Yates-Boopsingh and manager Jonathan Kacal. There were 39 archers competing in the Yeomen, Intermediate and Senior divisions with subcategories separating men ad women and also compound bow and recurve bow. The most entertaining category was the Yeomen Recurve category where three young local archers, Gower-Allum, Espinet and Yates-Boopsingh, topped every event with FITA totals of 1251, 1240 to 1224 respectively.

Keegan Gower-Allum took silver and gave Yates-Boopsingh a run as the match closed 110 to 105. Jean Luc Espinet won his bronze medal match convincingly to secure all platforms on the podium. This was the first time archers in this age bracket (14-15) represented the country. T&T’s Nikhil Kanhai, 17, dominated the Intermediate category, taking the gold in the FITA and winning the Championship event over fellow teammate Dunbar Roopnarine, who was second.

In the Senior division, Robert Gibson and Dean Wilkins took gold and silver respectively in the FITA event. Gibson went on to win the Championship Round after coming against Gaston Mollinard from Martinique in the Semifinal and then Pedro Thomas of Barbados in the final match. In the Compound Bow category, Rakesh Sookoo took the FITA with the highest score ever shot in Barbados—1305. Closely behind was Jacques-Olivier Mafoula of Martinique with 1293.