The Bermuda Paralympian Association has called for greater recognition and support for its athletes on the back of a sensational Parapan Am Games performance.

Bermuda’s three-member team enjoyed overwhelming success at the Games in Santiago, Chile, picking up one gold and one silver medal.

Leading the way was Jessica Lewis, who successfully defended the T53 100 metres title she won in both Toronto in 2015 and Lima in 2019, smashing her own Games record by more than half a second.

There was also joy on the boccia court, where Yushae DeSilva-Andrade clinched silver, while compatriot Omar Hayward narrowly missed out the podium, finishing fourth.

“To win two medals at the Parapan Am Games is an amazing achievement by our athletes,” said Jennifer Southern, the Bermuda Paralympian Association secretary-general.

“To see Jessica win gold for a third successive time and also set another record is just incredible.

“It was also amazing for Yushae to win silver and Omar did incredibly well and was so unlucky to just miss out.

“For such a small country, up against the calibre of athletes they were facing, to do what they have is just fantastic.”

However, amid the jubilation, Southern spoke out about the island’s para-athletes deserving more acknowledgement for their achievements on the world stage.

“I feel there needs to be greater recognition for these athletes on island and certainly to be brought in line with what others have received before, because these are amazing achievements,” she added.

“They deserve all the accolades and arguably more so than other athletes because of the greater challenges they face.

“I don’t think people realise, but during the Covid-19 pandemic our athletes could barley train or compete. Yushae also had to change her classification and so she had to start over again.

“As an association, we’re just so incredibly proud of all three of them because all of their hard work is paying off.”

As well as a need for more recognition, concerns have also been raised in relation to a need for higher funding for para-athletes.

Through the Government’s Sport Investment Programme, the Bermuda Paralympic Association was given $25,000 in the 2023-24 cycle, down by $5,000 on the previous year.

Additionally, Lewis was awarded $8,500 and DeSilva-Andrade $6,000 from the Elite Athlete Sponsorship fund.

“The sponsorship goal is to assist high-performing Bermudian athletes who clearly show commitment, promise, and achievement in their respective sport,” said a spokesman from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

“Funding will go towards their continued development as a high-performing athlete representing Bermuda internationally.”

While acknowledging the welcome support of such grants, Southern highlighted the need for further assistance to help support with the higher costs associated with competing as a para-athlete.

“There is definitely a need for more funding,” she added. “There are so many competitions that our athletes need to go to and it can be extremely expensive to help support them.

“Obviously, our athletes need assistance and so they cannot travel to competitions alone. Jess is very independent, but by nature our athletes need more support and so they travel with some assistance.

“We do get some assistance from the ministry and from some companies, which is appreciated, but we are always looking for more funding if we can.

“We also hold a number of fundraisers to help raise money, but in truth it can be really hard to find enough funds each year.”

That need for increased financial support could become more crucial with all three athletes poised to qualify for the Paralympic Games, in Paris, France, next year.

“We have actually had athletes represent Bermuda at the Paralympics since 1996,” added Southern.

“It would be an amazing achievement to have all three qualify and have such a small country represented at the Games again.

“As an association, we will always do what we can to help our athletes as much as possible, but obviously we would welcome any companies who would like to help out as sponsors. That would be amazing.”