Robin Selley capped off a remarkable performance at the final Junior Pan American Games qualifier in Argentina by winning the Bronze Medal in a nail-biting showdown against Guatemala's Sara Placios.
Just a day after securing her qualification for the 2025 Games, Selley entered the bronze medal match with a sense of relief, allowing her to focus on the task at hand. The contest against Placios proved to be a tense affair, culminating in a dramatic 6-5 victory for Selley.
The match ultimately came down to a single-arrow shoot-off, a moment of intense pressure for both archers. Both Selley and Placios shot sevens, but it was Selley's arrow that landed closest to the centre "X", securing her the bronze medal.
Speaking to www.islandstats.com, Selley described the tension of the shootout: "I was less nervous coming into today because I had already secured the spot for the Junior Pan Am spot, I was like, okay, I've done what I've come here to do and then placing was just the added bonus. Obviously. It's a really good bonus. In the shootout the announcer was kind of messing with you, he was sitting there with the microphone and making kind of a heart beating sound which does not help when you're sitting there waiting to shoot and then we went up and we both shot at seven. So we're both standing there cuz obviously you can't see that far and it was down to less than an inch maybe between us.”
Coach Ross Roberts expressed his pride in Selley's achievement: "It was in fact a proud moment for us as we have traveled a long way to get here, and now we will have two people at the Junior Pan Am Games, which for us is exciting.”
Selley's Bronze Medal victory is a testament to her skill, composure, and determination. Her performance throughout the qualifier, culminating in this dramatic shoot-off victory, has been exceptional. The achievement is a major success for Bermudian archery. Selley and her teammate’s qualification for the Junior Pan Am Games is a great feat for the small nation.
