Support important, says grateful para archer
AS HE watched the rededication of the Cauldron Petal display at the Norman Manley International Airport on Monday, Jamaican para-athlete Acee Green said it was important for para-athletes to be recognised for their achievements.
The Cauldron Petal display is one of the original 164 petals that formed the cauldron for the Paralympic flame in London in 2012.
Green said the rededication ceremony was extremely important as it aligned with Paralympics Day and was one of the events organised by the Jamaica Paralympic Association (JPA) to recognise the country’s para-athletes.
“It is extremely i mportant,” he said. “I think it is extremely important because it being Paralympics Day, it has given me the knowledge of everything that has happened in the past, leading up to the other Paralympic athletes. On Sunday, we had an event held for the other Paralympians and they got their
awards for the different games that they went to and the different competitions they participated in, so it’s really inspiring.”
For Green, representing the country on the international stage has been special.
Green became Jamaica’s very first para archer and won the country’s first-ever international medal in the sporting discipline when he mined bronze in the beginner senior men’s 30-metre category at the Caribbean Development Championships in the Dominican Republic in 2022.
For Green, it was a special moment that he’ll always remember.
“I’ve been competing for a year and some months now. My very first game was in 2022, I believe, and that was in the Caribbean Developmental competition in the Dominican Republic, and in that event I came third.
“It has been humbling and it was a special moment. As I said, once I roll out on that field and I’m in the moment and realising where I am, and what I am doing, and what I’m doing it for, it is an honour. Coming up as a younger athlete, it’s important to stay focused. I know a lot of pressure can be built up around a certain event and stuff, but you just have to stay focused and remember the reason that you’re doing it in the first place and you’ll soar.”
Green praised the JPA for their work done in supporting para-athletes and feels the support is a driving force behind the success of para-athletics in Jamaica.
Green is looking forward to representing the country again on the international stage, and hopes it is a privilege other para-athletes get to experience as well.
“The support is important, and the support is there all the way. I’m really excited, and it’s something that I’ve really looked up to in the past games that I’ve competed in. It’s just the experience of it all and throwing yourself fully into the moment and realising that you’re doing much more than just partaking in a random event. You’re doing something to represent your country.”