August
11 2019 – Lima, Peru – The XVIII Pan American Games Lima
2019 has drawn to a close, as thousands of athletes and spectators
witnessed a magical night of pure ‘Peruvianness’.

Held
at Lima’s National Stadium, the
two-hour-long ceremony called “Dance of Diversity” took the crowd
on a trip along Peru’s coast, over its mountains and deep into the
dense forests and jungles of the Amazon.

As
the closing ceremony got underway, Peru was already basking in the
success of hosting over 6,000 athletes from 41 nations in the 17-day
multi-sport event.

All
remaining athletes, including Cayman Islands delegation Lauren Hew,
Swimmer; John Bodden, Swimmer; Bailey Weathers, Swimming Technical
Director; Susan Weathers, Swimming Manager; Jesse Jackson, Sailor;
Kemar Hyman, Athletics; Eilidh Bridgeman, Chef de Mission; and Jade
Webster, Press Attaché, marched into the stadium headed by the
Peruvian delegation proudly wearing their medals. At the same time,
all the flags of the 41 nations of America were presented. Lauren Hew
was named the Cayman Islands flag-bearer for the evening ceremony.

“Lauren
is a fantastic role model for all athletes in the Cayman Islands,
especially young female athletes. Lauren’s mindset throughout these
Games has been incredibly positive, even when she came down with the
cold - this is why we decided to name her the flag-bearer for the Pan
American Games closing ceremony,” says Bridgeman, Cayman Islands
Chef de Mission.

Although
no medals were won for the Cayman Islands at the 2019 Pan American
Games, the athletes achieved remarkable goals during the multiple
week long. Bodden earned a personal best time in all of his events,
200-metre butterfly, 400-metre freestyle and the 1500-metre
freestyle. Fraser, who has made a return to competitive swimming
after a break of more than four years, earned an Olympic selection
B-standard time in the men’s 100m freestyle.

“For
most of our young athletes, competing at the Pan American Games is a
feat in itself”, says Bridgeman. “It has been such an incredible
experience watching all of our athletes compete at these Games,
especially since I have been involved in their athletic journey’s
for the past three years.”

At
the end of Sunday’s ceremony, the Lima 2019 flame was extinguished
with two dancers performing a modern interpretation of La Marinera, a
Peruvian dance that symbolises romance. The flame will reignite in
2023 when the Games will be hosted in the Chilean capital of
Santiago.

The
remaining Cayman Islands delegation says goodbye to Lima in the
upcoming days. Lauren Hew and John Bodden will be flying back to the
Cayman Islands, while Kemar Hyman and Brett Fraser will fly to
Florida and New York, respectively. Jesse Jackson will be travelling
to Canada to compete in the 2019 Olympic Classes Regatta. Raegan
Rutty returned to the Cayman Islands shortly after her competition
ended.

Group Photo Details:

(L-R); Kemar Hyman, John Bodden, Jesse Jackson, Jade Webster, Eilidh Bridgeman, Bailey Weathers and Susan Weathers. 

About:

The
CIOC selects, organizes and sends national teams to represent the
Cayman Islands to all multi-sport Games; assists the member
associations in sports development; and promotes Olympism across the
Cayman Islands.

The
Cayman Islands Olympic Committee was founded in 1973 and was
recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1976. From the
beginning as a fledging association, undertaking but a few tasks, it
has now developed to a body representative of 22 member-sports, with
significant undertakings at home and abroad.