Barbados enjoyed a silver-lined day at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in the Dominican Republic, with triathletes Matthew Wright and Finn Armstrong leading the way through outstanding individual and team performances.
Wright captured silver in the men’s individual triathlon, while his combined effort with Armstrong also earned Barbados a team silver.
The 34-year-old Wright crossed the line second in one hour, 46 minutes and 09 seconds, improving on the bronze medal he won in 2023.
Armstrong, competing at his first Games, finished 11th in one hour, 50 minutes and 12 seconds.
Speaking to Sun Sport, Wright said it felt special to return home with two silver medals around his neck.
“I am over the moon. I wanted to come to this race and definitely upgrade my bronze medal. Ideally, I wanted to win the race, but I’m really happy with silver.”
“The Mexican gold medallist, Aram Peñaflor, was just too strong on the run today for me but I’m really happy with my performance overall. I felt like I was in control throughout the whole race.”
Wright also praised Armstrong for helping Barbados secure the team silver with a combined time of three hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds.
“A bonus was also getting team silver with Finn Armstrong. He’s an athlete I did some coaching with when he was 10 years old. I feel like a proud father sharing the podium with him. Overall, I’m just really happy. I think the Team Barbados triathlon team did amazingly and I couldn’t ask for more today.”
In hockey at the Estadio de Hockey, the Bajan Cherries had their gold medal hopes ended after a tough 5-0 loss to Mexico in their semi-final.
Barbados will now face Venezuela in the bronze medal match after the south Americans were beaten 6-0 by Cuba. (SW)