Bermuda Trio From Youth Olympics To Paris
[Written by Stephen Wright]
A decade ago, a wide-eyed team of seven Bermuda athletes travelled to Nanjing, China, to compete at the second Youth Olympic Games.
Fast-forward ten years, and four of the group are fully-fledged Olympians, three of which – Erica Hawley, Tyler Smith and Jah-Nhai Perinchief – are making their Olympic debuts in Paris.
The other athletes in Nanjing were sailor Cecilia Wollman, who enjoyed a meteoric rise, reaching the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro two years later in 2016, swimmer Jesse Washington and sprinter Kionje Somner.
The chef de mission in Nanjing was Katura Horton-Perinchief, whose development as a Bermuda Olympic Association [BOA] delegate has run parallel to the careers of Hawley, Smith and Perinchief.
She is also the Bermuda chef de mission in Paris, the first time the role has been performed by an Olympian.
“It’s 20 years since I competed at the Olympics [in Athens in 2004], so to witness three of the seven athletes from Nanjing realise their Olympic dream in Paris is very satisfying,” Horton-Perinchief said.
“Plus, the others went on to compete at high-calibre competitions too, including Ceci who made the Rio Olympics just two years later.”
It has been a privilege, Horton-Perinchief said, to have watched Hawley, Smith, and Perinchief travel on their unique paths from Nanjing to Paris.
“I remember watching baby Erica Hawley come off her bike in Nanjing in the rain, pop back up and finish her race,” Horton-Perinchief said.
“Ten years on, I’m watching her in the big girls’ triathlon at the Olympics and having a fantastic race. I feel like a proud momma!”
For as many as four of the seven Nanjing athletes to graduate from Youth Olympians to Olympians is tangible evidence that the hard work of the BOA and the National Sports Governing Bodies [NSGB] is paying off, according to the former diver.
“To have identified these talented athletes early and watched them grow into incredible competitors at this level is hugely encouraging,” the 41-year-old said.
“It just shows that our long-term athlete development programme does work. We’re watching a decade of investment here in Paris, not just financial, but emotional, and investment in our coaches.
“There’s also been an inordinate amount of work by the athletes and their support teams.”
Hawley, who came 41st in the women’s triathlon in Paris, has no doubt their experiences in Nanjing helped propel them to becoming Olympians.
“Nanjing feels like the start of our Olympic dream,” Hawley said.
“In 2014, I was still a teenager, at school, and the Olympics seemed so far away. I had that dream and made it a reality.
“It’s super cool that three of us qualified for the Paris Games and to have been on this path together. It’s super special.”
The 26-year-old said it seemed fitting for Horton-Perinchief to be the team’s chef de mission in Paris.
“It feels like everything’s gone full circle,” she said. “Katura has helped us so much over the past ten years.
“She’s so passionate and invested in the well-being of our athletes.
“She had our back in Nanjing and is still so supportive of us. And as for Tyler, we’ve raced together our whole lives and shared a lot of this journey.”
Smith, who came 48th in the men’s triathlon at the Olympics, stressed that the trio’s success has not been overnight and required plenty of support and assistance.
“To have three athletes from Nanjing at the Olympics ten years on, reflects the support we’ve received and shows the development pipeline in Bermuda works,” he said.
“You don’t just go from the Youth Olympics to the Olympics – there’s the Central American and Caribbean Games, the Pan American Games, the Commonwealth Games, and world championships.
“There’s a lot of stepping stones that have filled those gaps between Nanjing and Paris.”
Perinchief, a promising high jumper in Nanjing before injuries forced him to switch disciplines, has special memories of the Youth Olympics, having formed close bonds with Hawley and Smith in the subsequent years.
“We had fun times together at the Youth Olympics,” said Perinchief, who competes in the triple jump qualifiers tomorrow [August 7].
“It’s great to see we still have people from that team pushing on strong here in Paris.
“I hope we’re all at the next Olympics [in Los Angeles in 2028] and maybe even the one after that! Hopefully, we can keep building a legacy for Bermuda.”
Bernews will be providing comprehensive coverage of Bermuda’s athletes in the coming weeks.
- View the ‘Best Interview The Best’ series here
- View profiles of all ten athletes representing Bermuda here
- View our dedicated website Bermuda2024.com here
- View all our articles on the Bermuda 2024 Games here on Bernews
- View our ongoing live text/photo/video updates here
