Camerin Pickering is taking aim at a gold medal as he makes a historic debut at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador.

The 24-year-old is the first Bermudian archer to compete in the event and will carry the island’s sole medal hopes in the men’s recurve competition.

“This is the first time an athlete from Bermuda has gone to CAC Games in archery and I am definitely looking forward to it,” Pickering told The Royal Gazette.

“It’s a great opportunity for me and took a while for me to take it in, but once I get out there and compete it’s going to be a good time for sure and I am going to be looking to perform at the best.

“I am aiming for the gold, that is always the aim when it comes to these tournaments, but if I don’t come first then I would definitely like to finish within the top eight because it will allow me to qualify for the Pan Am Games later this year.”

Bermuda secured its spot at the CAC Games after competing at last year’s Puerto Rico Archer Cup.

“We are allocated an individual spot from the Puerto Rico Archer Cup, which we did last year, and based on performance my coach basically selected me to fill that spot to compete in CAC Games,” Pickering added.

“I am definitely looking forward to it and I’m training really hard at the moment, so it should be a good turnout.”

The athlete is in good form and in a positive frame of mind in the final build-up to the event which begins on Sunday at the Complejo Deportivo de Ciudad Merliot.

“At the moment I am shooting really good and just trying to shoot as much as I can before I go,” Pickering said. “That way I can stay consistent with my shots and I should definitely be able to qualify with a high score.”

Pickering departs for El Salvador on Wednesday and will be accompanied by coach Ross Roberts, who is looking forward to good things from his compatriot.

“This is our first time competing at CAC Games and I am expecting a good score from Camerin,” he said. “We should see a great result for him.”

Pickering is thrilled to realise a dream of representing Bermuda on the international stage which he has previously done on several occasions.

He made his debut for Bermuda at the Lancaster Archery Classic in Pennsylvania in 2016 and last year achieved his personal best score of 634 out of a total of 720 and his highest finish of eighth competing in a Pam American Games qualifier in Santiago, Chile.

“It’s definitely a dream for me. Starting in archery I’ve always wanted to get to the point where I would be competing at an international level, so it’s all just come in good time,” he said.

The CAC Games will be the second international competition Pickering has been involved in this year after finishing as Bermuda’s top performer at The Vegas Shoot in Las Vegas, Nevada, in February.

He is also scheduled to compete at the Hyundai World Cup Shoot Stage 4 in August along with promising juniors Jaydon Roberts and Robin Selley.

“This is a world ranking event as well as qualification for the finals in Hermosillo, Mexico, in September,” coach Roberts said.

Jaydon Roberts and Selley are also on the verge of making history as the first local archers to compete at the World Archery Youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland, next week.

“The World Archery Youth Championships is a first for Bermuda and we are pleased to have Jaydon and Robin participate in this event,” said coach Trina Roberts, who is accompanying the pair at the event.

“Jaydon and Robin have been competing in several senior events which has been a great development opportunity for them.”

Roberts and Selley are competing in the male and female recurve and will team up for the mixed team recurve event.

“We are expecting some really good scores from these two in their divisions individually and also in the mixed team event,” coach Trina Roberts added.

Bermuda’s contingent depart on Friday for the World Archery Youth Championships, which is held from July 3 to 9.