Gabriella Arnold will be looking to add another glorious chapter to her proud Junior Caribbean Championships legacy this weekend.

This year marks the Marian University freshman’s final year of eligibility at this event, where she has already won a gold medal and three bronze. And, if all goes accordingly, Arnold hopes to sign off with a bang by adding to her impressive haul in Suriname this weekend.

Yet while she is optimistic of producing a good showing, the teenager, who has been appointed team captain, admits that she has her work cut out in a formidable field.

“There’s a lot of really strong girls coming in again this year, so I definitely have to keep an eye out and try and get a good result,” Arnold said.

Arnold and her team-mates arrived in Suriname in the early hours of yesterday and, after catching up on a bit of rest, took the opportunity to acclimatise to the local conditions.

“The course is pretty flat but the terrain is really nice,” she said. “It’s kind of unfortunate that it’s not really hilly because that’s one of my strengths.”

The 17-year-old, who impressed at last week’s United States Collegiate Track National Championships in Indianapolis, has been left to carry Bermuda’s hopes in the girls’ time-trial and road race after team-mate Tristan Narraway withdrew because of health reasons.

“It’s really unfortunate what happened to Tristan,” she said. “But she has three more years to come out here and she is definitely going to be a great asset for Bermuda.”

Also flying Bermuda’s banner are Justin Ferreira, Daniel Oatley, Shomari Steede, Tyler Smith and Christian Oatley.

Smith, Christian Oatley and Steede are competing in the juvenile category, while Daniel Oatley and Ferreira are in the junior division.

“This is really a great group of guys,” Arnold said. “It’s definitely a privilege to be the captain of the team and I’m looking forward to having an awesome weekend.”

Echoing his captain’s sentiments, Ferreira, who is making his second appearance at this event, added: “If we race well and race smart, then there’s no reason why we can’t get a good result this year.

“It’s definitely hot here while the course is extremely flat, which doesn’t necessarily suit us coming from Bermuda, where it’s hilly everywhere.”

Accompanying the team are coach Greg Hopkins and mechanic Dave Collins.

All competitors will see action in the time-trial over a 16-kilometre loop course.

Action continues tomorrow with the road race, in which the girls will ride 60km, the juvenile boys 68km and the junior boys 92km.