Tough early going for English-speaking teams at CAC
Published:Saturday | June 24, 2023 | 1:24 AM
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (CMC):
English-speaking Caribbean athletes attending the 24th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador have found the early going tough.
The Games officially opened yesterday but there has been competition already in beach volleyball, boxing, and table tennis on Wednesday and Thursday.
All except one of the fighters that appeared in the first round of the boxing tournament on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals, and seven others are carded to appear in the ring on Friday at the Gerardo Barrios Plaza.
Jaden Eccleston of Jamaica landed a 5-0 points win against Jairo Luna of the host nation, but Desmond Amsterdam and Joel Williamson of Guyana, Jeremiah Thomas and Anthony Joseph of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), Charles Cox of Barbados and his compatriot Ju-Sean Shepherd, and Sanji Williams and Tevoy Barrett of Jamaica all lost on the men’s side.
So far, Eccleston and Emmanuel Pompey of Guyana are the only two English-speaking Caribbean boxers carded for the quarterfinals, which were due to be contested from late last night to Sunday.
Jamaican Eccleston faces Guatemalan Wyatt Trujillo in the men’s 80 kilogram category late today and Pompey takes to the ring on Sunday afternoon for his men’s 92kg bout against Carlos Rodriguez of Mexico.
On the women’s side, Tianna Guy of T&T and Cindy Claudio of the USVI stumbled to points defeats in their bouts.
In table tennis, none of the English-speaking Caribbean teams reached the semifinals, but Barbados and Guyana were the most successful, making it to the quarterfinals in the men’s team tournament.
The Barbadians fell when Cuba dismissed them 3-1, with their only success coming from Tyrese Knight with a 3-0 sweep (11-6, 11-9, 11-3) against Jorge Campos.
The Guyanese were swept when territorial neighbours Venezuela brushed them aside 3-0.
Several Caribbean players are carded to play in the men’s and women’s individual competitions.
The Games will get into full swing today after yesterday’s opening ceremony.