Anya Pilgrim
contributed
November 30, 2022 is forever etched in Anya Pilgrim's mind. It is one of the scariest days of her life and a day when all her fears and thoughts will always weigh heavily on her heart.
On that fateful day, Pilgrim, while preparing to represent University of Florida in Artistic Gymnastics, suffered a freak accident, which derailed her career progress, as she took her time to recover.
Now almost one year on, the American-born Pilgrim, who represents Barbados, has not only grown stronger, but is also one who takes her life and sport seriously, as her unwavering commitment to fulfilling a passion she always dreamed of, is clear for all to see.
"This past season had some ups and downs. At the beginning of the season after signing to the University of Florida, I had fell and landed on my neck and was out of the gym for about six weeks and had to recover from a concussion. It was not an easy road. I had to overcome my fears of injury to be able to even step back into the sport," Pilgrim told SportsMax.tv.
"Luckily I did, and only a week after I started training again, I decided to compete at my next competition where I achieved my personal best score of a 9.95 on the vault. So, these highs and lows have taught me that I am strong enough and more than capable of rise above any circumstances and come out successful," she added.
Pilgrim, who previously represented the United States national team in 2019, qualified to represent Barbados through her grandparents, who not only instilled life lessons to assist in her craft, but continues to inspire her path toward a fulfilling career.
"Both of my grandparents were athletes and represented Barbados in their respective sports, so I always looked up to them since they were high level athletes and wanted to follow in their footsteps, which I am now proudly doing," Pilgrim shared.
The 18-year-old, who earned a silver medal in the all-around competition at the United States National championships, along with a top five finish at the Nastia Liukin Cup, first donned the Barbados colours at PanAm championships in Colombia and from there, her appetite for more competition with the Caribbean Island became insatiable.
"It was also the first time Barbados was able to have a team at an event in gymnastics. I loved the experience and competing with my teammates. I was overall pleased with my performance, even though I had a mistake on one of the apparatuses, but considering I went to the competition right after Nationals, I did well, as the travelling resulted in missed training sessions," she said.
Pilgrim's performance at the PanAm Championships earned her an alternate for the World Gymnastics Championships in Budapest, and as fate would have, one of the qualified athletes has declined their spot and that opened the door for her to join Olivia "Storm" Kelly, as Barbados representatives in Antwerp.
The championship is scheduled to begin on September 30 and end on October 8.
Pilgrim knows all too well that this call up to fill the gap represents an opportunity to not only strut her stuff on one of gymnastics biggest stage, but also to possibly qualify for the Olympic Games, she is determined to make the most of it.
In fact, Pilgrim, having taken lessons from her PanAm performance, is hoping to polish up those errors to bring more success on this occasion.
"I am very grateful to have another opportunity to represent Barbados and am really looking forward to getting to share the experience with Olivia. We all had a great time at PanAm so I’m glad we will have another chance to not only compete together, but possibly create some history for Barbados," Pilgrim declared.
"Unlike PanAm, I am hoping to do much better with my routimes and just be present and enjoy every moment of the championships. When my mind is clear I perform at my best and I also added in a couple of different skills to help increase my scores. So, I'm really looking forward to it," she added from her base in Belgium.
While qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, remains her biggest goal and ambition, Pilgrim pointed out that just getting a chance to parade her skills at the World Championships, would suffice, if her dream doesn't come to fruition.
"Honestly, I would love to win a National Championship at the University of Florida, that is one of my biggest goals, along with being at the World Championships, which I am now. If I were to qualify for an Olympic Games, it would be icing on the cake of a fulfilling career," she ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Dom Rep secure Group C honours in League B; St Vincent and the Grenadines end on high with victory over Barbados
Dominican Republic defeated Bermuda 2-0 to not only end the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers on a high, but also cop Group C honours in League B, on Tuesday.
Following the top-of-the-table clash, Dominican Republic ended with 15 points and secured a playoff berth ahead of their Bermudan counterparts, who ended on 13 points. Meanwhile, St Vincent and the Grenadines register a consolation victory of the campaign against Barbados.
St Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Barbados
St Vincent and the Grenadines topped Barbados 4-2 in a lively contest at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Ashante Browne scored the first goal for the Lady Heat in the 12th when she pushed a pass over the top past goalkeeper Rhea Holder.
Shanice Stevenson equalized in the 74th when she pounced on a loose ball inside the box with a curling effort into the left netting.
St Vincent regained the lead through an 82nd-minute Samayaa Connell effort, as she rounded defenders and fired home from close range that left Holder flat-footed.
Jessicia Miller extended the advantage for the Lady Heat in the 84th when she connected with Asanteni Charles's weighted free kick.
Charles widened the gap with a goal of her own in the 89th by converting from the penalty spot.
Barbados eventually pulled another back courtesy of Altica Benn's own goal in the 90+3.
Dominican Republic vs. Bermuda
Dominican Republic proved too good for Bermuda on home soil at the Panamericano Stadium in San Cristobal.
Alyssa Oviedo broke free and opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a powerful shot that bounced off the left upright on its way in.
At the half-hour mark, Kathrynn Gonzalez had shot on frame, but her free kick attempt was denied by Bermuda's goalkeeper Zakhari Turner.
Lucia Marte was denied in the 44th, after she picked up the ball off a missed header and released a powerful attempt that was punched clear by Turner.
Mia Asenjo was also denied in the 47th, as Turner was alert for the save early in the second half.
But Asenjo broke through in the 86th with a powerful hit to the left netting to secure the three points.
Asenjo, Marte on the double as Dom Rep maul Barbados 7-1 in Group C of League B
The Dominican Republic took a step forward in its efforts to finish atop Group C in League B of the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup qualifiers, with a 7-1 victory over Barbados at the Wildey Astro Turf Stadium in Bridgetown on Friday.
With the win, Dominican Republic moved up to 12 points, one behind leaders Bermuda, who were awarded a 3-0 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines by the disciplinary committee. The top two are scheduled to meet on Tuesday's final matchday to decide group honours.
On Friday, Mia Asenjo opened the scoring in the 21st minute when she connected with a pass over the top to beat Barbados goalkeeper Rhea Holder.
Acacia Small pilled Barbados level in the 32nd after she dispossessed a defender and later finished a lobbed attempt from outside the 18-yard box.
However, their celebrations were short-lived, as Dominican Republic regained the advantage in a minute later through Asenjo, who connected with another ball over the top and expertly headed past Holder.
Lucia Marte added a third for the visitors in the 48th with a strike at the left post from a Kathrynn Gonzalez cross.
Alyssa Oviedo notched a fourth for Dominican Republic in the 68th with a right-footed shot inside the box.
Gonzalez then got on the board in the 77th on a free kick hit with enough force that gave Holder no chance at a save.
Winibian Peralta extended the gap in the 82nd when she applied the finishing touch to a tidy build-up orchestrated by Jazmin Jackson.
Marte completed her brace in the 87th with a curling free kick to add the exclamation point and keep the Dominican Republic in the race for first place.
Dominica abandon plan to host T20 World Cup matches
Dominica has made an about turn on its plans to hosts matches in next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup being staged in the Caribbean and USA, citing an inability to get infrastructure in place for the competition dates in June.
The Dominica Government, through its Sports Ministry, on Thursday pointed out that it is “in the best interest of all” that it withdraws as one of the hosts of the global event set for June 4-30.
“The implementation timelines submitted by the various contractors revealed that it would not be possible to complete these works within the stipulated timeframe before the commencement of the tournament,” A press release from Dominica’s Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development Administration explained.
“As a result, a decision was taken not to host any of the matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, as it would not be prudent for the Government of Dominica to commit to hosting these games," it added.
In September of this year, Dominica was listed among seven venues in the Caribbean selected to host matches. Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, are the others. Dominica’s Windsor Park Sports Stadium (WPSS) was shortlisted for one group stage match and two games in the Super 8 stage of the tournament, subject to the attainment of various obligations as set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
“Several tangible actions were taken both at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and at the Benjamin’s Park including the commencement of upgrading and enhancement of the practice and match venues, various assessments and the creation of additional pitches where necessary,” the release stated.
“In light of Dominica’s sterling reputation in hosting international cricket, this decision is considered to be in the best interest of all. The Government of Dominica thanks Cricket West Indies (CWI) for its partnership over the years and looks forward to continued collaboration in the future. The Government of Dominica extends best wishes to the organisers for a successful tournament in June 2024,” the Ministry’s release concluded.
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