Trinidad and Tobago local badminton players returned to a hero's welcome after winning the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation Junior Championships in Barbados. The team broke a few landmarks on their way to capturing 35 medals and the Minister of Sport Phillip Watts reminded them of their good work at a media briefing on Friday.
00:00Trinidad and Tobago's badminton players returned a happy bunch from the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation Junior Championships in Barbados from August 15th to the 23rd.
00:10They captured a total of 35 medals in the individual events and secured the coveted team gold title.
00:17The sitting coach of the TNT team, Parth Meta, was satisfied with the outcome.
00:22It was lovely, it was stressful, but yeah, after all, like we won, it was nice.
00:28To be honest, initially I thought it would be tough because I was dealing with various age groups, but after a week, it was really comfortable.
00:42All the kids were really hardworking, everyone was keen, they wanted to learn, and then everyone adapted to everything.
00:50So yeah, that was really coachable, everyone was coachable.
00:54The other coach, seven-time badminton champion, Nikesha Blake, was pleased with the landmarks accomplished.
01:00Well yes, this is something that is historical for us.
01:05You know, in the past, we have never competed, you know, against Jamaica in the team event, and this time we were able to come out on top.
01:11And it's just something that is going on in the books for us that we are very proud of.
01:16It's also the first time in over 20 years that they've won the junior team event.
01:20I'm just very much inspired by these children. I mean, they went out there and they fought, they left their hearts on the court, and it just inspires me to become the best version of myself and achieve my greatest potential as head coach.
01:35Minister of Sport, Philip Watts, has high hopes for the team.
01:38In the next five years, I'm seeing a lot of gold medals coming in through you all, once you all continue to train hard.
01:46And you see, we gave you all a really nice facility here to train. You all have a fully air-conditioned arm.
01:54We at the Militia of Sport believe, to develop sport, we must give you, the athletes, proper facilities to train.
02:02As for the players?
02:03It was a very tough experience. I mean, this year it had Jamaica. Jamaica wasn't there last year.
02:09So it was really tough. We pulled through, thankfully, especially in the teams.
02:15This is actually my first time playing in a Kariwaka team event.
02:18It was a very competitive experience, but it was a fun and enjoyable experience.
02:23What did you take away from the competition?
02:25That I always have room to improve and to not be afraid to, like, reach out and ask people, even if they're not from your country, hey, how can I improve?
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