Shacoil Bird (left) and Malone Bird (right) are currently representing Jamaica at the Pan American U11 and U13 Table Tennis Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Jamaica’s team of brothers Malone and Shacoil Bird got as far as the Round of 16 stage of the Boys’ Under 11 Team category at the ongoing 2024 Pan American Under 11 and Under 13 Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The boys first advanced from Group 2 of the preliminary phase on Tuesday with a win 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic after suffering a 0-3 loss at the hands of the USA B.
They were then defeated 3-0 in the Round of 16 by Guatemala B on Wednesday.
Malone Bird and Gustavo Borrayo opened proceedings in the tie with a thrilling five-set battle which the Guatemalan eventually won.
Borrayo took the first set 11-8 before Bird won the second in a similar score line to tie the match at one-set all.
Borrayo then re-established a lead with a dominant 11-5 third set win before Bird rallied once again to win the fourth 11-6.
The deciding set was the least competitive as Borrayo ran away with an 11-3 win.
The second singles match between Shacoil Bird and Omar Ixcaragua was far less competitive with the latter winning in straight-sets (11-9, 11-6, 11-4).
The doubles encounter was next which the Guatemalans won in another five-set contest.
Borrayo and Ixcaragua took the first set 11-7 before Jamaica’s Bird brothers made it 1-1 with an 11-9 second set win.
Guatemala took the third in a similar score line as the first before the Jamaicans set up a decisive fifth set with an 11-3 fourth set win.
The deciding set was competitive with both pairs battling to an eventual 11-8 win by Guatemala.
Guatemala B got all the way to the semi-finals of the Boys’ U11 Team category where they lost 3-0 to USA B.
The category was won by USA A who beat USA B 3-2 in the final on Wednesday.
The Bird brothers will open their singles campaigns in the first phase on Thursday.
Malone Bird will take on Guatemala’s Omar Ixcaragua and Canada’s Daniel Liang in Group 3 while Shacoil Bird will face Brazil’s Joao Ribeiro and Ecuador’s Juan Gonzalez in Group 4.
They play Argentina’s Luca Marcial and Valentino Villegas in doubles on Friday.
Bradley Jacks is a budding journalist and an avid sports fan. His love of research and sports has led him to SportsMax.tv, a place where those passions work hand in hand to allow him to produce content.
Pan Am 2024 Athletes’ Forum kicks off in Dominican Republic
The third edition of the Panam Sports Athletes’ Forum begins today, November 21, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, bringing together representatives from 41 member countries of the Pan American Sports Organization. The event, which runs through November 23, will feature discussions on key topics affecting athletes across the Americas.
The Forum will address issues such as mental health, post-career opportunities, personal branding, artificial intelligence, safe sport, and many other pressing topics. This year’s gathering boasts a lineup of over 20 distinguished speakers, including some of the continent’s most celebrated athletes.
Among the notable participants are Félix Sánchez, a two-time Olympic champion from the Dominican Republic; Mariana Pajón, a three-time Olympic medalist from Colombia; and Alejandra Orozco, one of Mexico’s top diving champions. Additionally, sports and government authorities from the Dominican Republic and the full Executive Board of Panam Sports will also be in attendance.
“We are very happy and eager to open this III Panam Sports Athletes' Forum. A paradisiacal place, great speakers, and a spectacular response from all the Athletes' Commissions of the Olympic Committees that are members of our organization give us reasons to dream that this event will be a great success. We want the ‘Voice of the Athletes’ to continue to be heard loudly in the continent and around the world,” said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic, who is already in Punta Cana.
This year’s event marks the third time the Forum has been held, following successful editions in Miami and Cancun. The Panam Sports Athletes’ Forum is supported by Solidaridad Olímpica, emphasizing its commitment to advancing athlete welfare and development.
In addition to the star-studded lineup of speakers, the forum will focus on themes such as sustainability, financing and support for athletes’ commissions, anti-doping, and athletes’ career transitions, providing athletes with valuable tools and insights to navigate their careers and post-sporting lives effectively.
For those unable to attend, the entire Continental Athletes’ Forum will be broadcast live from Punta Cana via the Panam Sports Channel, ensuring that the discussions and insights reach a global audience.
As the Dominican Republic hosts this renowned gathering, it reinforces the importance of athlete representation, welfare, and empowerment, further cementing the legacy of the Panam Sports Athletes’ Forum as a critical platform for the voices of athletes to be heard.
JTTA National Junior and Senior Trials set for this weekend at National Arena
The Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) National Junior and Senior Table Tennis trials will take place on November 16 and 17 at the National Arena in Kingston.
This weekend will see players in the Senior Male and Female and Under-15 Boys and Girls categories vying for places on the nation’s team to the 2025 Caribbean Table Tennis Championships.
Action on Saturday’s first day will see play going on from 9:00am-5:00pm with a lunch break at 1:30pm while, on Sunday, play will commence at 9:00am and end at 3:00pm with a lunch break the same time as the day before.
JTTA President Ingrid Graham spoke on what she expects during the weekend’s events.
“I’m expecting some upsets in the senior trials but, overall, I expect some great games throughout,” she said.
Trials for both Under-19 categories will take place in early December.
The 2025 Caribbean Regional Championships are scheduled for March 31-April 7 in Bridgetown, Barbados while the Caribbean Regional Youth Championships are set for April 8-13 in the same place.
Sponsors for this weekend’s trials include Insports, Sports Development Foundation, Jamaica Olympic Association, Western Sports, Mother’s and Auto Channel among others.
Cavalier field seven players in Concacaf Caribbean Cup semis Best XI
Jamaican champions Cavalier FC had a number of standout performances in the recently-concluded Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-finals, and so it comes as no surprise that seven of their players are named in the organiser’s Best Eleven (XI) from those fixtures.
Cavalier, who are set to contest the two-leg finals against Dominican Republic counterparts Cibao FC on November 26 and December 3, will be hoping to continue their rich vein of form to cop the Caribbean Cup on this occasion. They lost last year’s final to Suriname’s Robinhood.
Among those that had standout performances for Cavalier are Suriname-born Shaquille Stein and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kaile Auvray, along with defenders Richard King and Jeovanni Laing.
The 2024 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Best XI for the semifinal fixtures is:
Goalkeeper
Miguel Lloyd, Cibao FC – With four saves in two games, Lloyd helped decide a tightly contested series against Haiti’s Real Hope to help Cibao reach the final. He had a clean sheet in the second leg to seal a 4-2 win on aggregate.
Defenders
Jimmy Guillaume, Real Hope FA – Guillaume was active along the defensive line for Real Hope in the series against Cibao. He was one of the most effective passers of the semifinals with an 88% accuracy.
Richard King, Cavalier FC – King contributed to two clean sheet performances in their contest against Dominican Republic outfit, Moca FC. He had two steals and five shots in 190 minutes to help Cavalier reach the final.
Jeovanni Laing, Cavalier FC – Laing had three steals and one shot in 180 minutes to help Cavalier keep consecutive clean sheets and advance to the final.
Christopher Ainsworth, Cavalier FC – Ainsworth scored a goal to help Cavalier to victory in the second leg. He also had one steal for a defensive line that did not concede in the semifinals.
Midfielders
Rivaldo Correa, Cibao FC – Correa added two goals to his tally in the semifinals, along with one steal, to help Cibao reach the final with a 4-2 aggregate.
Jean López, Cibao FC – Lopez struck the opening goal of the series against Real Hope and contributed one assist and two steals.
Juan Díaz, Cibao FC – Díaz scored a goal and added three steals to help Cibao advance to the final, overcoming Real Hope.
Dwayne Atkinson, Cavalier FC – Atkinson continued his offensive rhythm in the current campaign with one goal, 10 attempts and two assists.
Forwards
Shaquille Stein, Cavalier FC – Stein struck a hat-trick to help Cavalier advance to the final while also taking the lead in the Golden Boot race.
Kaile Auvray, Cavalier FC – Auvray scored a brace, including the series-winning goal, to help Cavalier return to another Caribbean Cup final.
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