The 202X Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games hosted in the Dominican Republic has delivered a milestone moment for Team Barbados, as tennis pairing Stephen Slocombe and Kaipo Marshall secured the nation’s first podium finish of the competition, taking home a silver medal in the men’s doubles event.
The young duo advanced through multiple rounds of competition to reach the gold medal match, where they ultimately fell in straight sets to the experienced El Salvadoran pair of Cesar Cruz and Diego Duran by a score of 6-1, 6-4. Despite falling short of the top spot, the pair earned widespread praise for their grit and composure throughout the match, which was played under brutal, energy-sapping heat that tested every athlete competing on the outdoor courts. Speaking exclusively from the CAC Games Village to local outlet Barbados TODAY, Barbados’ Chef de Mission Dr. Adrian Lorde commended the pair for their standout performance, emphasizing that they delivered high-level tennis even when facing overwhelming physical challenges from the extreme weather conditions.
The milestone silver medal is far from the only positive news for Team Barbados at this year’s Games. Pro surfer Chelsea Tuach has already booked her spot in the Women’s Short Board final, guaranteeing the nation at least one more medal to add to its tally heading into competition on Wednesday. Tuach pulled off a strong semi-final win against Venezuela’s Rosanny Alvarez, posting a winning score of 6.87 to advance to the championship round. She will now face Costa Rica’s Rachel Aguero in the gold medal match, with a chance to bring home the island’s first gold of the competition. Dr. Lorde noted that Tuach overcame unexpected adversity to reach the final, revealing the athlete had dealt with a minor medical issue on the morning of her semi-final but still pushed through to secure her spot in the title bout. “We are upbeat after our first medal and we are now on the medal board and we’re quite happy that those guys gave it their all. The heat was terrible but both sides had the heat to deal with. Chelsea had a little bit of a medical problem this morning, but she overcame that to get into the finals, and it shows her resilience and willingness to not give up,” Lorde said.
Alongside the positive medal news, the Games have brought mixed results for other Barbadian athletes competing across multiple disciplines. In Group B women’s hockey, the Barbadian national side suffered a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Cuba. Taekwondo athlete Chioke Holder was knocked out of the men’s 87kg competition in the quarterfinal round, dropping a 2-0 decision to his opponent. In the pool, Heidi Stoute placed fourth in the fourth heat of the Women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 26.60 seconds, while Amani Millar earned a second-place finish in the second heat of the men’s matching event, clocking in at 24.28 seconds. On the golf course, men’s individual competitor Xzavier Wiggins finished 13th out of 14 athletes after the conclusion of the final round of play.
Off the field of play, Team Barbados will pause competition on Wednesday to honor the legacy of one of the nation’s most iconic sporting figures: Sir Garfield Sobers. Dr. Lorde confirmed that the Barbados national flag will be flown at half mast across the team’s accommodation in the Games Village, and a short commemorative ceremony will be held Wednesday morning to mark Sobers’ passing. A minute’s silence will also be observed ahead of Wednesday’s women’s hockey match between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, to allow athletes and attendees to pay their respects to the legendary cricketer.