Bermuda’s young triathletes have shared their excitement after helping the country to top the points table for the for time at the Carifta Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships

The talented youth squad finished the two-day event in Trinidad & Tobago with 11 medals to win the team event for the first time since the event started in 2017.

Riana Robinson experienced the joy of winning a medal for the first time since she started representing Bermuda in 2022. The 13-year-old clinched bronze in the girls 13-15 triathlon before securing silver in the mixed team relay.

“This was my fourth time representing Bermuda in the Carifta triathlon and I’m really proud to finally win my first two medals,” Robinson told The Royal Gazette.

“It feels awesome to see all my hard work pay off, which makes it even more special. I’m super thankful to my coaches, team-mates and family for always supporting me.

“I was so excited when Bermuda was announced as the winner for the first time. As they called out the top two runner-up teams, our excitement kept growing. When we realised that we had won it, the whole team started chanting and celebrating together. It was such an amazing moment.”

Robinson, who also represented Bermuda at the Carifta Games in Trinidad in April, spoke of how sticking to her training regime assisted her in the two races.

“The individual race was really tough, especially coming out of the water in fourteenth position,” she said. “But I made up a lot of time on the bike and gave my final push during the run.

“I was nervous about starting the mixed team relay, but with some coaching I was able to push it and eventually got our team into second position before tagging my team-mate.

“I think what really helped me this time was sticking to my training and focusing on my race plan, no matter how I started.

“The swim is my least favourite part, but I trusted the training I did and listened to my coaches. This helped me stay confident throughout the entire race and finish strong.”

Dylan Eiselt also won medals for the first time after struggling in his maiden appearance in Barbados a year ago. The 15-year-old finished second to compatriot Rory Shepherd in the boys 13-15 division and got the same colour medal in the mixed team relay.

“I’ve been a part of the team since last year and these are my first Carifta medals,” Eiselt said.

“I feels special and amazing to be part of the team when we won it for the first time.

“This is the first race this year that Rory Shepherd has beaten me, but I had a mechanical issue with my bike and that set me back 30 seconds, so I wasn't able to close the gap in time to win.

“In the mixed team relay, I was up against the 16-19 age group and I dropped them all on the bike because I felt really strong.”

Naomi MacGuinness was Bermuda’s most decorated athlete with three medals. She led a clean sweep in the girls 11-12 triathlon, claimed a second gold in the aquathlon for the same age group and finished with silver in the mixed team relay.

“I am really happy with my performance in all the races in Tobago,” the 12-year-old said.

“Having competed last year, I felt more comfortable this year. I have been working hard on my swim, so it has been rewarding to see all the progress I have made so far.

“I am grateful for all the help and support I have received from all the amazing coaches that I am lucky enough to be able to work with. I really enjoyed Carifta and I’m looking forward to, hopefully, competing again next year.”

Shepherd secured double gold by winning the 13-15 boys triathlon and finishing first in the aquathlon. It was the second time the 14-year-year-old had won two races at Carifta after he did so in Bahamas two years ago.

“I was really happy to win my gold medals for Bermuda,” he said.

“I had been sick in the week before the event and I wasn’t sure how it would all go, so to win was amazing.

“I love racing for Bermuda and wearing our national team kit. It is a special feeling to cross the finish first and lift up the winning tape.

“After that I could relax and enjoy watching and cheering on all the others racing and winning medals. Our team got on really well together and one of the best bits about Carifta is being able to hang out together and support each other through the weekend.

“On Sunday, the coaches decided to rest me for the mixed team relay as we have so many strong athletes. My role was to try to win the aquathlon.

“I was much more relaxed before the race having won on Saturday and that gave me the confidence to do the best I could in the aquathlon.

“I felt great all the way through and I had to catch the Aruba athlete who was 30 seconds ahead after the swim, but I saw after the first lap of the run that I was closing the gap.

“Once I passed him, I felt confident to continue at the same pace I was running at and win the race. The team went mad and we had a big celebration. it was great fun and I felt very proud to have played my part to help the team win the competition.”