Black Immigrant Daily News

Charlene Goddard will represent Barbados in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games [CAC] following her recent performance at the Copa Merengue CAC qualifier world ranking event.

The competition, which was hosted at Pabell?n de Arquer?a, Parque del Este in Santo Domingo, took place from September 6 to September 11, 2022.

Speaking to Loop Sports, 28-year-old Goddard said that she was feeling conflicted about her performance.

“I have mixed emotions about my performance,” she explained. “I struggled a bit to settle down in the qualification round and it resulted in me not shooting a score I would have liked, but I picked myself back up in eliminations and felt better about my performance during then.”

The Medical Laboratory Technologist who works at Bayview Laboratory in Belleville, St Michael revealed that she not only placed second in the CAC qualifier, but also ninth in a world ranking event against over 100 competitors.

“I competed in two competitions while I was there. One being the CAC qualifier which I placed second overall and opened a Senior Compound female slot for Barbados. The second was a world ranking event in which I placed ninth overall.”

Goddard, who is an experienced archer having been shooting for over 15 years, disclosed that this was not her first time competing abroad, however, the weather conditions in the Dominican Republic were something she had never experienced before.

“I have been competing overseas for quite some time. My last competition would have been a world ranking shoot in Medellin Colombia last year May, which I would have finished fourth overall. There hasn’t been much difference with competing at different competitions. The only thing I can think about is the weather. Some countries I have competed in have been freezing while others, for example Dominican Republic, was extremely hot, I have never experienced heat like that in my life.”

Currently, Goddard is focusing on training for the CAC games with her eyes set on the 2023 Pan American Qualifier as well.

“I would like to attend the Pan American Qualifier next year. I am unsure of dates but for now, I am mainly focusing on my training for the CAC games.”

Looking ahead with determination, she took a moment to thank her family and friends who play an important role in her archery career. “My coach, family, husband and friends, each one of them play an important role in my archery career.” She added, “They are always proud of me no matter the outcome.”

NewsAmericasNow.com