As the 2025 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games entered another day of competition at their host venue in the Dominican Republic on Friday, Barbadian athletes delivered a mix of breakthrough achievement and hard-fought defeats across three different sports.
The highlight of the day for the Caribbean nation came from its aquatics program, where a four-person mixed relay team etched their names into Barbadian sports history. Swimmers Amani Miller, Heidi Stoute, Danielle Treasure and Jake Chee-A-Tow took to the pool for the opening heat of the 4x100m mixed freestyle relay, delivering a coordinated, consistent performance that earned them a third-place finish in the heat. More importantly, the team clocked a final time of 3:44.42, smashing the previous national record of 3:38.16 that had stood for just three years, having first been set in August 2025.
Across other competition venues, Barbadian athletes faced tougher outcomes on the day. In men’s Group A hockey action, the national side fell to a 3-0 shutout defeat at the hands of Mexico, a top-ranked regional opponent that controlled possession and scoring chances for most of the match.
On the wrestling mat, two Barbadian competitors also navigated a mixed slate of matches in their weight classes. Eighty-six-kilogram wrestler Nathan Pond opened his day with a lopsided 10-0 loss to Mexico’s Kevin De Leon, but bounced back quickly to secure a 5-0 victory by forfeit over Ethan Ramos of Puerto Rico. Pond could not carry that momentum into his final match of the day, however, falling to home crowd favorite Christopher Foca of the Dominican Republic. In the 125kg division, Barbadian wrestler Emmerson Hurley also ended the day with a defeat, dropping a 4-0 decision to Mexico’s Leonard Guerrero.
The CAC Games continue through the coming week, with Barbadian athletes set to compete in dozens of additional events across the region’s premier multi-sport competition.