Against all odds, Barbados’ women’s squash team delivered a historic, come-from-behind victory at the 2024 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games hosted in the Dominican Republic, securing the island nation its second gold medal of the tournament and capping off a remarkable overall performance from its full squash delegation.
The path to the gold medal match was already a tense one for the Barbadian side: during their semifinal clash against Mexico earlier on matchday, key squad member Amanda Haywood suffered an unexpected leg injury that ruled her out of competition for the deciding final against Colombia. With Haywood forced to forfeit her opening singles match in the best-of-three final, Colombia jumped out to an immediate 1-0 lead, putting the Barbadians on the brink of a silver medal finish before their top two players even stepped onto the court.
But the team refused to let injury derail their title hopes. Margot Prow, who had already claimed individual gold in the women’s singles event earlier in the Games, stepped up first to level the series, delivering a confident, high-stakes win to tie the score at 1-1. It was then up to Meagan Best, the women’s singles silver medallist, to seal the historic win. Best held her nerve against her Colombian opponent, closing out the match to secure a dramatic 2-1 team victory and the gold medal.
The women’s iconic comeback added to an already solid result from Barbados’ men’s squash squad, which took home bronze after falling to Colombia in their own semifinal matchup. When the final scores were tallied across all squash events at the CAC Games, Barbados’ delegation left the Dominican Republic with an impressive four-medal haul: two golds, one silver, and one bronze. The result cements the nation’s growing reputation as a competitive force in regional squash, with the underdog comeback win already standing out as one of the most memorable moments of this year’s tournament.