Defending triple crown champion Yazmyn Eastmond ruled her dynasty once more by sweeping the Under-11 Girls competition and was among several impressive players that competed in the finals of the 2025 Joseph Gordon Junior Badminton Nationals played on Sunday at Barbados Community College.
The daughter of former senior national player Mariama Eastmond, six-year-old Eastmond, a multi-talented athlete, showed just why she is ranked number one in that division, winning the Under-11 Girls Singles 21-7, 21-8 against Jasmine Hope.
Eastmond and Hope formed a formidable duo when they teamed up to play the Under-11 Girls Doubles and won 21-11, 21-8 against Akira Forde and Zaria Mayers. Not yet done, Eastmond joined forces with Under-11 Boys top player Siraj Brathwaite, and they played an unstoppable 21-11, 21-11 while taking on Jeremi Wright and Mayers.
Going the full distance of three sets, the number two seed Brathwaite, named most outstanding male player, overcame a loss in the first set to cause an upset when he defeated number one ranked Wright 14-21, 21-18 and 21-18 in the Under-11 Boys singles.
Some of the matches in respective divisions took on a round robin format. The Under-13 Girls and Boys singles champions were Isabelle Wood and Liam Bruce, both played undefeated.
Wood delivered solid performances when she came up against Jordan Williams, Sarita Mottley and Jazique Gibbons in the girls’ singles. Wood then teamed up with Kai Blackman and they won the Mixed Doubles.
Similarly, Bruce won the Under-13 Boys singles against opponents Kai Blackman, who finished second, Anik Price-Soudatt placed third, and Kyode Jordan was fourth. In the Under-13 Boys Doubles, which also played in a round robin format, Lyam Clarke and Jeremi Wright emerged as champions while Blackman and Price-Soudatt captured the runners-up title.
The Under-15 girl champion was Isabelle Burgess while Roshauna Massiah was second overall. Burgess and teammate Rennisha Drakes-Leacock were outdone 21-18, 21-17 in a highly competitive doubles final against Sarita Mottley and Jordan Williams. Champions of the Under-15 Mixed Doubles were Drakes-Leacock and Robin Alleyne-Gibson.
Bryon Quarless, with strong attacking plays, won the Under-15 Boys singles 21-15, 21-17 when he met Micah Morris. Quarless also added the Boys’ Doubles title to his name when he and Connor Webster teamed up to dominate the round-robin format over Morris and Mason Hutchinson.
When the competition progressed into the higher divisions, namely Under-17 and 19, the battle intensified with bragging rights at stake. There were no surprises when Nathan King took the Under-19 Boys singles crown and Xavi Haynes ruled the Under-17 Boys age group.
These are players that continue to grow in the sport and remain unmatched in their respective divisions. Triple crown champion Haynes did well to regroup from a loss in the first set 21-12 to bounce back 22-20 and 21-15 to clinch the Under-17 Male Singles title.
Haynes, not yet done, went on to stamp his authority with Isaiah Hinds to take the Under-17 Boys Doubles title, as well as the Mixed Doubles trophy, which he won with most outstanding female player of the tournament, Kimmara Tull-Williams.
King took on finalist and number one seeded Shailon Johnson, and after the two attacked the shuttlecock confidently and traded several brilliant shots, it was King with a 22-20 and 21-13 performance that had every reason to celebrate.
King and Xian Trotman partnered to claim the Under-19 Mixed Doubles, with Shailon Johnson and Arianne Downes finishing second. Johnson did, however, walk away with the Under-19 Boys Doubles, which he won with teammate Alex Sattaur.
Trotman is the Under-19 badminton queen, smashing her way to the title 21-17, 21-17 against Kaila Walcott.
Meanwhile, Tull-Williams and Sahara Brathwaite dismissed challengers Walcott and Downes, earning runner-up in the Girls’ Doubles, also played as a round robin.
(AS)
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