Barrows Father-Son Duo Strikes Gold

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

Veteran martial artist Arthur Barrows and son Justin Barrows of Campion College achieved a unique father-son milestone at last weekend's International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) Pan-American Championships in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.

ITF history was created when the Barrows both won gold in a power break. Arthur landed the adult division, whereas Justin took home the junior title at the June 15-17 tournament.

The Barrows' historic power break titles numbered among 21 medals, team and individual, which Jamaica returned home with last Monday night.

The 21-medal haul was the largest ever by a Jamaican team to the ITF Pan-Am Games. The contingent to the championships was led by head coach Claude Chin, assisted by Arthur Barrows. Joleen Masters travelled as an umpire.

Senior team members included Nicholas Dussard (captain), Adrian Moore, Oshane Murray, Ackeem Lawrence, Shamar Morgan and Arthur Barrows. Juniors included Justin Barrows, Trevon Richards, Jomo Godfrey, Janiel Lopez, Justin Reid and Jaeland Hamm.

Barrows admitted though he was not at his best, he was good enough to land the Over-35 sparring gold.

"I was really below my best, but still managed to win gold. Right now, I am in dialogue with my trainer and coach about the sparring event.

"I plan to re-enter the ring in 2013, if I am in good condition. I will be using the rest of the year to prepare myself. I will be competing in power breaking and patterns as part of my preparation, while doing some strength and flexibility training to correct technical stuff," he said.