Jones: "We will return with medals"

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GENERAL

Jones: “We will return with medals”

Dec 13, 2024

PARAMARIBO– “We will do everything in our power to return with medals,” says Gilmar Jones, head coach of the Surinamese Badminton Association, with conviction. Eight young badminton players are currently in Santiago, Chile, participating in the South American Youth Badminton Championships.

The eight talents are competing in both individual and team events in the U-11, U-13, and U-15 categories. “These players also participated in the Caribbean Championships in Aruba this past August. Back then, all eight returned with medals. That delegation consisted of 32 players, and our performances were impressive,” Jones emphasizes.

However, the South American Championships present a new challenge. “We’ll be competing against peers from South America, where the level of play is higher than in the Caribbean. This provides us with valuable insights into how our athletes measure up against the rest of the continent. Our goal is to win medals, but we are aware it will not be an easy task. For all eight athletes, this is their debut at the South American level, and they’ll also need to adapt to different weather conditions. We prepared them for this in Suriname, but now it’s up to them to perform.”

Jones had hoped to send a larger group to Chile, but financial constraints made this impossible. The participating players are: Jeremi Fraser, Joshua Fernandes, Damian Ramkissoon, Nathan Fernandes, Ruiz Lieuw A Joe, Zane Setrowidjojo, C’Ayra Kromosoeto, and Riana Wijngaarde.