Bermuda's archers were back in the thick of the action today at the Copa Merengue in the Dominican Republic, a significant world ranking tournament that also serves as a qualification event for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games. Individual elimination rounds saw mixed fortunes for the Bermudian contingent, while team events proved challenging.
In the Men’s Recurve Division, Camerin Pickering continued his impressive run. He secured his place in the Third Round with a decisive 6-2 victory over Luka Arnez from Slovenia. However, his teammate Jaydon Roberts bowed out of the competition in the Second Round, falling 6-0 to Mexico's Francisco Padilla.
Pickering then faced a tough challenge in his Third Round match-up against Kelvin Ortiz from Puerto Rico. Demonstrating strong form, Pickering advanced to the Quarter-Finals with a convincing 6-0 win. His journey, however, concluded in the Quarter-Finals, where he went down 6-2 to Argentina's Thomas Flossbach.
In the Women’s Recurve Division, Robin Selley began her individual elimination campaign in the Second Round. She advanced to the Third Round after a 7-2 victory over Yareni Miranda Chab Quintal from Mexico. Unfortunately, Selley's run ended in the Third Round, as she was defeated 6-4 by Ana Palomares from El Salvador in a close contest.
Later in the day in the Recurve Mix Team event, the Bermudian pair of Camerin Pickering and Robin Selley finished 9th out of 12 teams. They were defeated 6-2 by the Slovenian duo of Ziva Lavrinc and Luka Arnez, marking the end of their mixed team participation.
Despite some tough losses in the elimination stages, the Bermudian archers gained invaluable experience competing against top talent from across the Americas, a crucial step in their development towards future international competitions.
The results confirm Bermuda has successfully secured an individual qualification spot in the Men’s Recurve Division for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.
This news is a major boost for Bermuda's archery programme and provides a clear target for the island's male recurve archers as they prepare for the 2026 Games, which are also set to be held in Santo Domingo. The secured spot ensures Bermudian representation at one of the region's most important multi-sport events
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