Bermuda’s archers compete against more than 200 archers from 24 countries in the Dominican Republic
The largest ever edition of Copa Merengue has commenced in the Dominican Republic, with over 200 archers from across the Americas, including a contingent from Bermuda, arriving in Santo Domingo for the prestigious world ranking tournament.
A total of 216 athletes from 24 countries are registered for the 10th edition – a significant increase of more than 60 participants compared to last year’s event. This year’s Copa Merengue is running concurrently with a qualification event for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games, also set to be held in Santo Domingo.
Day one of the competition saw Bermuda’s archers take to the line in both the Recurve Men’s and Women’s Divisions. In the Men’s Recurve, Camerin Pickering delivered a strong performance, finishing 9th in the qualification round with a score of 648. Jaydon Roberts placed 28th with 604 points, while Robert O’Connor finished 59th with 449.
In the Recurve Women’s Division, Robin Ann Selley led the Bermudian women, securing 21st place in qualifications with a score of 578. Elektra Smith finished 39th with 438 points, and N’Dera Smith rounded out the Bermudian contingent in 44th with 321 points.
The increased participation at Copa Merengue highlights the growing strength of archery across the region. Immediately following the qualification rounds, the elimination stages began.
In the Men’s Recurve Division, Pickering showed his class by defeating Fernandez Cabero from Bolivia 6-0, and Jaydon Roberts secured a hard-fought victory, edging Heriberto Jimenez from the Dominican Republic 6-5. Both Bermudian archers successfully moved onto the Second Round. Unfortunately, Robert O’Connor’s tournament came to an end as he went down to Matias Grande from Mexico 6-0.
In the Recurve Women’s Division, Robin Ann Selley won her First Round match with a decisive 6-0 victory over her teammate N’Dera Smith. However, Elektra Smith’s competition concluded after she was defeated 6-0 by Camila Patricia Perez Vizcaino from the Dominican Republic. Bermuda’s archers will be looking to build on these initial results as the tournament progresses.
