Barbadian gymnasts Olivia "Storm" Kelly (left) and Anya Pilgrim share a photo opportunity ahead of a podium training session in Antwerp, Belgium.
The stage is set, and Olivia “Storm” Kelly is raring to go with hopes that she will produce something special, on this her second appearance at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
It is a moment the Barbadian gymnast has worked hard for all season, and as the September 30 to October 8 championships fast approaches, an Olympic Games berth which is among the spoils, is very much weighing on her mind.
Simply put, Kelly has her sight set on becoming the first gymnast to represent the Eastern Caribbean Island at the global multi-sport showpiece, and achieving such a feat would not only be a dream come true but would most certainly propel her budding career to higher heights.
While the expectations may be lofty, they are by no means impossible and given the experience gained from last year's championships, Kelly believes she is well positioned to prove more competitive on this occasion.
But for now, the 17-year-old is basking in the culture and scenery of Antwerp, a port city on Belgium's River Scheldt, almost like a calm before the proverbial storm.
"Belgium is so beautiful. So far, I’ve been able to walk around Antwerp a little to enjoy the scenery and there is just so much to do. The lifestyle here is very admirable and the food and people are incredible.
"I’ve adjusted pretty well to the six-hour time difference and have also been in training which has been going well since I arrived. So I am just making the most of the time before I jump into competition which I am really looking forward to," Kelly told SportsMax.tv from her base in Belgium.
One key component for the American-based Kelly is the fact that she will have compatriot Anya Pilgrim competing alongside her on this occasion, and that has not only added to her excitement, but more importantly, offers a slight boost in confidence.
The American-born Pilgrim, another talented gymnast, was a late call-up for the Championships after a qualified athlete opted not to take up their spot.
"Having Anya here has definitely made me more excited. It’s great to have another athlete/friend with me who is going through the exact same situation I am, as we are both seeking to be the first to gymnast to qualify and, by extension represent Barbados the Olympic Games," Kelly shared.
That said, Kelly pointed out that they have not only fed off each other’s energy building back up strength and endurance, while adding elements to increase their difficulty scores, but most importantly, ensuring they are both mentally and physically ready to rise to the occasion.
"Both of us are doing pretty well mentally and physically and are extremely excited to compete. Since it’s my second time at Worlds, I feel like I really know what I’m doing this time and I’m excited to explore this gorgeous place and compete for Barbados," she noted.
Beyond the excitement –which is understandable for any athlete returning on what is the biggest stage of her career at present –there is a serious side to Kelly, and she is focused on ensuring her performance quality and the details of her routine are on point.
"Making it to the Olympics would mean so much to me. Ever since I started competing in Gymnastics it’s been my long-term goal. For a while I gave up on that dream thinking it was impossible. But now, I’m just so grateful to have even made it this far and have the opportunity to live out my dream," the bubbly athlete ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
McCalla claims Men’s Physique title at Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados
Wayne McCalla is Jamaica’s newest IFBB Pro after capturing the men’s short class physique title at the Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados on May 11.
McCalla, who was named Jamaica’s male bodybuilder of the year at the RJR/Gleaner Sports Foundation’s National Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year awards in January, beat out competition from Barbados’s Kevon Carter and Suriname’s Raphael Kromokarijo for the crown.
Haiti’s Jean Jahnsen took the title in the medium category ahead of Jamaica’s Rayon Henry and Barbados’ Julian Belgrave.
Haiti also took top spot in the tall class through Marc Louis who won ahead of Barbados’ Bukkiah Providence and Jamaica’s Jevaughn Rosewell.
In men’s lightweight bodybuilding, Suriname’s Rudolph Getrow took top spot ahead of Barbados’ Curtis Kirby and Timon Howard.
At middleweight, the Dominican Republic’s Jeifry Richardson won gold ahead of Barbados’ Sanaj Lewis and Mexico’s Juan Galvan.
Guyana’s Nicholas Albert tool gold in the light heavyweight division ahead of Grenada’s Andrew Hyacinth and Suriname’s Anthony Nekrui while Barbados’ Nicholas Harris won the heavyweight crown ahead of Guyana’s Julio Sinclaire and Aruba’s Albert Kelly.
Antigua & Barbuda’s Shaquelle Thomas won both the men’s open classic bodybuilding and classic physique titles.
Jamaica’s Aldaine Taylor and Thomas’ countryman Jameel Knight were second and third in the bodybuilding section while Barbados’ Jurad Mason and Taylor rounded out the top three in the physique division.
Barbados’ Rashida Belgrave beat out Venezuela’s Lisset Campos for the short women’s body fitness category while Venezuela’s Anyer Camacho won the medium category ahead of Jamaica’s Ashane Gordon-Morrison and Barbados’ Allison Gotip.
Trinidad & Tobago’s Angela Campbell was the only competitor in the women’s open physique competition.
The women’s fit model open title was won by Barbados’ Shanequa Allamby ahead of Slovakia’s Ester Viznerova.
St. Kitts & Nevis’ Toni Nisbett won the women’s short bikini title ahead of Italy’s Eva Leone and Jamaica’s Jolene Miller while Barbados’ Shanequa Allamby won the medium category ahead of countrywoman Danielle Gill and Mexico’s Angelina Aleksandrovych.
The short women’s wellness title went to Guyana’s Hannah Rampersaud ahead of Antigua & Barbuda’s Jeredith John-Jules while the medium section went to Venezuela’s Gil Delgado ahead of the UK’s Shanda Carr and Suriname’s Vanessa Henry-Forster.
The overall titles were distributed as follows: Men’s Physique-Jean Jahnsen, Wellness-Gil Delgado, Body Fitness-Rashida Belgrave, Bikini Fitness-Toni Nisbett, Bodybuilding-Nicholas Albert.
Barbados to welcome Oman early for preparation camp ahead of T20 World Cup
As the much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup draws closer, Barbados will welcome West Asian team Oman to the island for their pre-tournament camp ahead of the global showpiece to be hosted jointly in the Caribbean and United States.
While in Barbados, Oman’s camp, scheduled for May 14-24, will also include three T20 matches – two against a Barbados Select XI, and one match against University of the West Indies –as they fine tune preparations for the June 1-29 World Cup.
The camp is being organised by former England batsman and West Indies Senior Men’s Selector Roland Butcher, who saw it fit to assist Oman in getting acclimatised to the Eastern Caribbean Island, which will host a number of games throughout the tournament, including the final.
“It is great that the Oman team will be coming out to Barbados early for their pre-tournament camp. They will use the period to get acclimatised to the conditions, as quick as possible. We are delighted to have them in Barbados – this country is the ideal place to start their preparations,” Butcher said.
“We believe the time spent here will be hugely beneficial towards them putting on a good showing in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” he added.
Duleep Mendis, the former Sri Lanka captain and Oman’s Head Coach expressed his team’s delight and anticipation ahead of their arrival in Barbados.
“It is one of the cricket locations which we all dream of visiting and we want to make the most of our time as we prepare. We have high ambitions in this tournament, and we want to focus on our plans from the moment we touch down in a country which is known for its cricket culture and heroes,” Mendis shared.
Oman recently named their World Cup squad, which will be led by all-rounder Aqib Ilyas, who takes the reins from Zeeshan Maqsood. This year’s World Cup will mark Oman’s third appearance in the last four editions of the tournament, which underlines their success and consistency in performing at the global level.
Oman enjoyed a dazzling 2023 campaign, as they copped the Gulf Cricket Cup, followed by an unbeaten run in the ICC T20 World Cup Asia qualifiers, which secured their spot in the upcoming tournament. They were also runners-up in this year’s ACC Premier Cup.
The West Asian team, drawn in Group B alongside Australia, England, Scotland, and Namibia, will open their T20 World Cup campaign against the latter, in Barbados, on June 2.
Jamaica, Barbados engage partnership to enhance athletics in the Eastern Caribbean Island
If things go according to plans, then Jamaica and Barbados will execute a partnership with aimed at enhancing athletics training and coaching quality in Barbados.
This was revealed by Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Charles Griffith, who pointed out that plans are currently in the pipeline for a collaborative effort between the two island nations, which will involve an exchange of coaching expertise to elevate the standard of sports training.
“There’s a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Jamaica and us to exchange coaches to be able to work with them in terms of how we develop,” Griffiths revealed, adding that plans for the bilateral initiative was birthed by a similar partnership between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
“I was in Washington at a conference and had a sit-down with Minister [Olivia] Grange, Minister of Sports in Jamaica. They have worked with Trinidad in terms of developing the coaches there,” he noted.
Griffith acknowledged that there are concerns about the current coaching standards in Barbados and, as such, emphasized the necessity of having highly skilled coaches to match the calibre of world-class athletes.
“I won’t push it at this meeting, but I’m concerned with the level of coaches. I think that if you’re going to have a world-class athlete, you must match that athlete with a world-class coach,” he declared.
That said, Griffiths pointed out that upcoming infrastructural developments are in place to complement ongoing sporting initiatives within the country.
“I’m looking to see how we can have that marriage where we can fuse resources together in terms of working with Jamaica to develop the athletes on island. Hopefully by next week or the week after, you will see work starting on the old netball stadium to turn that into a multi-discipline facility for netball, basketball, and volleyball,” he shared.
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