Pan Am badminton: Head coach defends young team
Ranger: The ones I expect to medal are still in the competition
Published:Friday | April 28, 2023 | 1:13 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
COMPELLING action in the ongoing Yonex Pan American Individual Badminton Championships continued yesterday at the GC Foster College. On another tough day of competition, Jamaican players were ousted at the round-of-32 phase of the women’s doubles as the pair of Tahlia Richardson and Katherine Wynter suffered a close 14-21, 23-21, 21-18 defeat to the El Salvadorian pair of Fatima Fuentes and Daniela Hernandez.
Head coach of the national team, Howard Ranger, is unperturbed by the opening two days of action despite the many setbacks for local players.
“For the first two days of competition, I was expecting something similar because 90 per cent of the team is young, and the ones who I expected to have gone through for possible medals are ones that are still in the competition and are on track for that,” Ranger said.
Also missing out on a spot to the round of 16 for women’s doubles were Mikaelah Mustafaa and Rihanna Rust, who went down 21-10, 18-21, 21-13 to Venezuelans Mendoza Daibelis and Damaris Parada. In another women’s doubles encounter, Jamaica’s Alexandra Beckford and Breanna Bisnott were no match for Cuba’s Taymara Pupo and Yeily Rodriquez, who outgunned them 21-6, 21-5.
Mustafaa, who is representing Jamaica in the women’s singles, mixed doubles, and women’s doubles at the championships, said the level of competition was very high, and she hopes to use competitions such as these as a learning curve for future tournaments.
“I would rate the competitive level at an eight out of 10. It was intense, but it really gave us a lot of experience, especially as juniors coming up, so I’m looking forward to future competitions. I’m disappointed with my performance in the singles because I knew I could have performed at a higher level, but we’re playing against a lot more experience and mature players, so nerves tend to take over,” Mustafaa stated.
FAILED TO PROGRESS
In men’s doubles round-of-32 action, Jamaica also failed to progress as the duo of Zane Reid and Kemar Valentine lost 21-12, 21-11 to Argentina’s Anibal Marroquin and Jonathan Solis.
In men’s singles round-of -16 action, Jamaica’s hope for a gold medal was dashed as the high-flying Samuel Ricketts was brought back down to earth by America’s Howard Shu, who came from a set down to win the tie 21-12, 10-21, 15-21. Ricketts’ countryman, Bradley Evans, who booked a spot in the round of 16 due to an injury to Mexico’s Luis Garrido, was beaten 21-6, 21-5 by the six foot four inches Brazilian Jonathan Matias.
There was good news, however, for Jamaica in the men’s doubles as Bradley Evans and Samuel Ricketts advanced to the quarterfinal stage as they got by Colombia’s Frank Barrios and Barrios William 21-15, 20-22, 21-18. However, the pair of Joel Angus and Nathaniel Finzi wasn’t as fortunate as their run in the competition was cut short following a 22-20, 21-11 defeat by Colombia’s Joiser Calanche and Keiber Rivas.
In mixed doubles action, Jamaica’s Samuel Ricketts and Tahlia Richardson beat Mexicans Armando Gaitan and Haramara Gaitan 21-3, 21-14 to punch their ticket in the final eight of the competition.