Smith not deterred by squad number issue for CAC games
Published:Tuesday | June 27, 2023 | 12:30 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
While the contingent assembled for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games may not be as vast as he would have hoped for, team manager Bryan Smith is still optimistic about Jamaica being able to produce quality performances.
The members of the team are currently on their way to El Salvador to prepare for the athletics slate of the CAC Games which begins on July 2. The 19-member squad mostly consists of those who just completed their collegiate seasons.
Smith said that they wanted to have an expanded team heading to the games but were limited because of the change in ranking.
“We should’ve carried 40 but what had happened was the CAC rankings look like it is different from the World Athletics ranking. We have people on the World Athletics ranking which the CAC ranking does not have. So it makes life a little bit difficult,” Smith told The Gleaner. “We have two quarter-milers who are listed on the world athletics ranking and they could not be accommodated on the team because they are not on the CAC ranking. It is sort of confusing, its puts us in a little hole But my perspective is that we are going down there to give a good showing.”
Smith sees the goal of having a double-digit medal haul as believing in the talent that they have assembled. He, however, acknowledges the challenges that they will face with some of the countries electing to send their strongest teams.
“It is going to be a bit challenging because when you look at the list, other countries have sent some of their best athletes. For example World Championships 400m silver medallist Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic is going so I am expecting good things from her,” Smith said “We will be very competitive but if we could get 10-12 medals that would be good. But if we can exceed that, it would be even better.”
NCAA long jump bronze medallist Jordan Turner is among the 13 men slated to compete with hammer thrower Erica Belvit among the six women competing.
Even with the limitations on the squad, Smith says that he believes in the team’s chances of good performances, banking on the traditional and the standard of excellence that Jamaica continues to set in the sport.