Belize Dominates in Junior Caribbean Cycling Championship  

Good evening, I am Paul Lopez with this week’s installment of Sports Monday, brought to you by the National Sports Council. Tonight we shine the spotlight on the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championship hosted by the Cycling Federation of Belize. The two-day event saw young riders from across the region converge in Belize for two days of racing. Day one saw these riders, both male and female, compete in juvenile and junior categories. Day one was all about the Individual Time Trial. So, who clocked the fastest times? In the male juvenile category, Belize’s Ahmaad “War Tank” Cherrington secured gold with a time of twenty minutes, forty-one seconds. That same category in the female race saw, Barbados’ Alexis Lashley secured the gold medal with a time of twenty-three minutes and thirty seconds. In the male junior category, Cayman Island’s Ryan Thompson rode away with gold, with a finishing time of twenty-six minutes and three seconds, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Ella-Marie Young won gold in the female category, with a time of twenty-six minutes and thirty-five seconds.

 

And from the individual time trial it was off to the races on day two for the road race. The juveniles in both the female and male categories raced in the morning along the Phillip Goldson Highway in Belize City. The roadblock created some inconvenience for motorists, but many were forewarned from early in the week. On the course, Belize’s Ahmaad “War Tank” Cherrington tore through the competition like knife through butter and confidently secured a dominant victory after one hour and fifty-six minutes of riding, earning him his second gold medal in the competition.

 

Ahmaad “War Tank” Cherrington, Juvenile Cyclist, Belize

“I have been dreaming to win this race from last year in Barbados and we came out here with a plan, because Bermuda was the strongest team in this sport and when I got a flat earlier in this race, I was kind of disappointed. I was like, my race is probably over right here. My teammates dropped back for me, got me back across the lead group and from there it was just Caribbean countries against Caribbean countries, and it turns out, Belize was the best.”

 

Barbados’ Alexis Lashley also secured her second gold medal of the tournament on the second day of competition. She clocked a time of two hours and eight minutes, making her team and country proud.

 

Alexis Lashley, Juvenile Cyclist, Barbados

“It was really hard, but my plan, I executed it perfectly. I just wanted to get away and I knew it was going to be hard to solo the whole thing, and it started to feel really long and about half way I said to myself, I don’t know if I can do this. But I just said to myself, I have it. All the time I was just speaking to myself and it was really hot, but I did it. Obviously, I had a little complication and I had to stop. I thought I was done and I was not. And I had to keep going and that was tough as well, but I am just really happy.”

 

Belize also dominated in the junior male category. Belize’s Devyn Major rode in first, with his teammate Keith Enwright following immediately behind in second place. Cayman Island’s Ryan Thompson secured the bronze, while Belize’s Jamaal Tablada finished fourth. The top four riders all clocked the same time, two hours, fifty minutes.

 

Devyn Major, Junior Cyclist, Belize

“First of all I need to thank team Belize, the four guys, Keith, Tablada, Josh and Stephan. I have to thank those guys. Me personally, I don’t think it would have played out how it played out if those guys did not stick to the plan and just listen in the race for the instruction. Secondly, I want to thank my coach, Perry Williams. He has me in the condition I am in and it’s only up from here.”

 

Trinidad’s Ella Marie also secured gold in the road race, her second of the tournament. Well folks that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday proudly brought to you by the National Sports Council. Catch you in the next one.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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