On the lovely island nation of Trinidad & Tobago this past weekend, 176 archers from eleven (11) nations converged at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Scarborough to compete in the 5th Caribbean Archery Development Championships. This event is staged annually by World Archery Americas, and each year it grows bigger and bigger.
The Archery Association of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, for the first time ever, fielded a Team of six (6) archers to take part in their inaugural international competition at this event. Every delegate of this Team made a commitment to put on the national colors and represent SVG proudly.
As a new Team on the block, all the odds were stacked against Team SVG. Even with this, the archery community present showed amazing love and support, as Team SVG battled the nerves of being on the largest stage in their short history. With a total of three (3) days of activities, Team SVG battled the stifling heat and kept their cool as they began the journey into international competition.
The Team was comprised of:
Ian Gibson – Recurve Senior Men Category
Richol Richards – Recurve Senior Women Category
Marese Burgin – Recurve Senior Women Category
Mariel Burgin – Recurve Senior Women Category
Jared Nichols – Recurve Under-21 Men Category
Divya Jiandani – Recurve Under-18 Women Category
Sanjay Jiandani – Team Manager & Head Coach
Qualification Round (72 Arrows) Results were as follows:
Jared Nichols – 577 (Ranked 1st)
Divya Jiandani – 481 (Ranked 1st)
Richol Richards – 533 (Ranked 2nd)
Mariel Burgin – 509 (Ranked 4th)
Ian Gibson – 476 (Ranked 4th)
Marese Burgin – 370 (Ranked 8th)
These qualifying scores were then used by World Archery Americas to determine the mixed Team category matchups. A new category being played at this event. This included a mix of archers from various countries.
For SVG, the following Teams were announced by World Archery and the CDC Officials:
Recurve Beginner Under 21&18 Mixed Teams – Jared Nichols & Divya Jiandani Recurve Beginner Senior Mixed Teams – Ian Gibson & Marese Burgin
Recurve Beginner Senior Mixed Teams – Mariel Burgin (SVG) & David Persaud (BVI)
With the stage set for the Elimination Round, the Team prepared themselves to battle the other competitors for the right to be called champion. And so, the final day kicked off with many exciting matches from various categories. All of Team SVG’s archers performed very well at the eliminations, giving their competitors a run for their money. Close contests kept everyone focused, and at the end of the day, the final results were in…
FINAL RESULTS FOR TEAM SVG:
GOLD MEDAL – JARED NICHOLS – Recurve Beginner Under 18/21 Combined Mixed Team GOLD MEDAL – DIVYA JIANDANI – Recurve Beginner Under 18/21 Combined Mixed Team SILVER MEDAL – JARED NICHOLS — Recurve Beginner Under-21 Men
SILVER MEDAL – DIVYA JIANDANI – Recurve Beginner Under 18 Women BRONZE MEDAL – MARIEL BURGIN – Recurve Beginner Senior Mixed Team
Team SVG has stamped their name in the history books, taking home a total of five (5) medals. The Team was met with congratulatory greetings from all the other countries archers, officials and even World Archery Americas themselves.
A job well done, and a vision for continued success in the sport of Archery here in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The Archery Association of SVG is proud of their Team, and looks forward to even higher levels of competition in 2024 and beyond.
