The Barbados Triathlon and Aquathlon team is preparing to fly out this week to compete in the second annual CARIFTA Championships from 29-30 September in Tobago.
Team Barbados will take part in the two-day event at Turtle Beach, and have their sights set on bringing home top results in the Triathlon and Aquathlon events. This year, Barbados will be represented by 22 athletes spread across the 11-12 years, 13-15 years, and 16-19 years age group categories, as well as in the Mixed Relay Aquathlon, and will compete against teams like Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, Bahamas, USVI, Aruba, Grenada, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
Barbados CARIFTA Team Manager Shona Lashley said that this year the young team is striving for gold, after winning silver overall at last year’s inaugural CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships. “We’ve been working really hard to ensure our athletes are fully prepared to take on the challenge of this year’s fierce regional competition. Training in the lead up to CARIFTA this weekend has been scheduled with me, National Head Coach Oein Josiah, and other coaches between three to seven times a week, and our team is aiming for podium finishes in every category,” she said.
The 2018 CARIFTA Triathlon event distances range from 200m–750m swim, 5km-20km bicycle, and 1.25km-5km run, and the Aquathlon competition distances from 250m-1000m swim and 1.25km-5km run, depending on the age group category.
Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) President Darren Treasure said the Federation was pleased with the athletes’ training programme and preparation for this year’s CARIFTA, acknowledging the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), Barbados Olympic Association (BOA), National Sports Council (NSC), Arts and Sport Promotion Fund, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), the Bank of Montreal Reinsurance (BMO), Puressentials, Harridyal Sodha & Associates (LizaLaw), Sign Depot, Tile Gallery, Moorjani Caribbean (Barbados) Limited and Electric Villages Inc. for their support of triathlon in Barbados and in helping to get Team Barbados to CARIFTA.
The official Barbados CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon team has been named as follows:
| Triathlon (11-12 years) | Aquathlon (11-12 years) |
|---|---|
| Heidi Baker Monique Lashley Leah Tully-Cornic Isis Gaskin Daria Klufas Samuel Lamontagne Matthieu Clarke Daniel Lashley Fynn Armstrong |
Heidi Baker Monique Lashley Leah Tully-Cornic Isis Gaskin Noemie Lamontagne Samuel Lamontagne Matthieu Clarke Daniel Lashley Fynn Armstrong |
| Triathlon (13-15 years) | Aquathlon (13-15 years) |
| Kayla Renwick Amelie Baker Zahra Gaskin Danielle Treasure Emma Lashley McCallum Clarke Eric Lashley Niel Skinner Christopher Pollard Lucas Austin |
Kayla Renwick Amelie Baker Zahra Gaskin Danielle Treasure Chara Hinds McCallum Clarke Eric Lashley Niel Skinner Christopher Pollard Lucas Austin |
| Triathlon (16-19 years) | Aquathlon (16-19 years) |
| Ashley Weekes | Ashley Weekes |
It will continue to be a busy year for BFIT after CARIFTA, with the international 28th Annual Barbados National Triathlon on 14 October, as well as the Barbados Olympic Association’s BIIG Games in November. Local elite triathlete Matthew Wright also continues his qualifying journey into 2019 to represent Barbados at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
BFIT is the governing federation for triathlon and triathletes in Barbados, sanctioning and organising various multi-sport events related to the discipline. For more information, visit https://triathlonbarbados.com/, like the Facebook page @BarbadosTriathlon, or email triathlonbarbados@gmail.com .
Featured Image: The official Barbados 2018 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon team.