The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SEVEN archers will be in action for The Bahamas at the 6th edition of the World Archery Americas Caribbean Development Championships (CDC) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

The bullseye is all set for  September 19-23. 

The tourney features both male and female archers and it is designed for the beginners and developmental level, also categorised as CARIFTA archery.

The Bahamas will be represented in three divisions – compound bow, barebow and recurve. 

Team members include Lincoln Knowles (compound beginners men), Bernard Almira (barebow developmental men), Jennifer Almira (barebow beginners women), Stephen Stubbs (barebow beginners men), Tanya Thompson (recurve beginners women), Rudoplh Thompson (compound beginners men U15) and Troy Laing (compound beginners men U21). 

Brooklyn Thompson will serve as the team official.

David Rahming, president of the Bahamas Archery Federation, expressed that the tournament is very important for the archers and he is expecting good performances.

“I’d like to really highlight coach Efran Alonso from Grand Bahama and his team of executives as well as the athletes of that club. He has done a really good job with them and for this particular version of the Caribbean Development Tournament all of the archers are from Grand Bahama.

“Coach Alonso has done a really good job and he has at least three under-21s who are like Leron [Rolle] and we are hoping that they develop next. There are other archers in the federation but those three are the ones I have my eye on as the administrator,” he said. 

The Bahamas has continuously made strides since picking up no medals at the first edition of the World Archery Americas Caribbean Development Championships in 2017. 

The country’s last appearance at the tourney was back in 2022 and the archers returned home with eight medals (four gold, three silver and one bronze).

Dario Higgs, who recently set a national record in Argentina, hauled away three out of the four gold medals at the tourney. B Almira claimed gold in the barebow division at that time.

According to Rahming, he is confident that the archers will not return home empty-handed.

“I am not sure we will be able to accomplish the same thing this year but I am confident that we should be able to win some medals. We will not come home empty-handed,” he said.

The tournament was initially scheduled to begin