When star javelin thrower Tatiana Sousa seeks sporting inspiration, the Carifta Games silver medallist doesn’t have to look far.
Since 2023, Ms Sousa has trained year-round with national team throwing coach Terry-Lynn Paynter, the former javelin thrower who won gold and silver at Carifta, silver at the Pan Am and CAC Games, and finished eighth at the world junior track and field championships, in the late 1980s.
Ms Sousa said: “Coach Paynter is my inspiration. She has believed in me and pushed me towards success from the beginning. I aspire to get the gold medal in javelin at Carifta, like she did.”
Ms Paynter said: “I appreciate that. I think Tatiana could definitely get that gold medal at Carifta.”
The sixth form (year 12) student at Warwick Academy made her Carifta debut as a 15-year-old in Guyana in 2024.
This year, she set a target of executing a 40-metre throw.
Competing just days after her 16th birthday, Ms Sousa delivered a personal best throw of 42.24 metres to earn silver in the under-17 girls’ javelin event at April’s competition in Trinidad and Tobago.
Ms Paynter said she wasn’t surprised at her protege’s progress.
“I kind of expected it because she had been throwing quite a bit, and coming very, very close. In training, we don’t measure throws, but I felt she had gone past her PB a couple of times. I expected her to do really well.”
The coach added: “She finally believes in herself now because she realises that she has the talent and can compete. Tatiana is not afraid of hard work. As long as she sticks with it, Tatiana can go far.
“She realises, after Carifta, ‘I can compete with the best in the Caribbean’. She is doing really, really well. I am just so proud of her.”
Bright future
To aid in Ms Sousa’s development, the Bermuda National Athletics Association was allocated $2,548 by the Bermuda Government for her to attend a throwing camp in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion in July.
Ms Sousa said she was “absolutely honoured and privileged” to have been selected for the national junior scholarship award, adding: “This financial support provides me with opportunities that I would not otherwise had access to. I am very grateful for the BNAA nomination.”
Once her studies at Warwick Academy are complete, Ms Sousa said she hopes to pursue more opportunities in sport, perhaps on a sport/academic scholarship to university.
She said: “Success for me will be continued improvement in my event, as well as eventually exceeding 45 metres. Additionally, I would like to continue to represent Bermuda at international competitions.”
That opportunity may come as soon as next April when the Carifta Games will be held in Grenada.
Should she qualify, Ms Sousa will graduate into the under-20 competition, where she will throw a 600-gram javelin, up from the 500-gram model used in under-17 competition.
Ms Paynter said: “Hopefully, she qualifies, and I think she will. If she puts in the work, she could win a medal next year, but definitely the year after.”
