1 month ago
7
DYLAN AND Shea Martin aren’t just brothers, they are brothers making history.
The two are members of the first Jamaican men’s fencing team to ever compete at the Central American and Caribbean Senior Championship.
Dylan and Shea, along with their teammate Jonathan Matthew, finished 11th in the senior men’s sabre event. They also finished 10th in the senior men’s epee event, this time alongside teammate Dimario Steele.
Although their final placements were not enough to qualify for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, the brothers were proud of being part of history.
Dylan, the older of the two at age 18, said despite falling short, he is pleased with the experience they had gained throughout the tournament.
“I think the experience was great. As individuals, I think we all fell short in our own little ways but the main focus was on the team event. It was the first time we had ever competed as a team and I think the first time Jamaica has ever sent a men’s team to anything,” he said.
“We were figuring out a bunch of things, like how to work together as a team and just dealing with the pressure. We fell short due to pressure but once we kind of got our footing, we started to take down teams.”
Shea’s experience competing for the first Jamaican men’s fencing team was made all the better by having his brother along for the journey.
He explained having competed against and alongside his brother for years, he is well aware of his talent and they continue to bring the best out of each other.
“I think Dylan and I, in general, we’ve competed in various different sports growing up and we always enjoy competing against each other in a club setting where we can sort of be rivals who push each other to perform better and better,” Shea said.
“But as a team, it’s like having that trusted ally because I really know him as a person and I know how hard he’ll work and how much it means to him to be competing. So having someone like a brother as a teammate is really a peace of mind sort of a thing, because I can trust him to do what he needs to do when we need it.”
Shea harbours the lifelong ambition of representing Jamaica at the Olympic stage.
The 17-year-old fencer explained he is ready to work towards his dream despite the years of commitment it will take to achieve.
“My objective with fencing from since I started was honestly to take the Jamaican flag as high as I can possibly get it,” he said. “Aiming for the Pan American Games, aiming for the Olympics, those are the ultimate objective for me.”
“I understand that it’s a goal that will take years of commitment and putting myself in a position where I can access the right training and competition to develop the skills to perform at that level, but ultimately the objective is to go as high as possible.”
His brother Dylan holds the same dream, and believes their experience from this year’s failed attempt at qualifying for the CAC Games can prove pivotal to those goals.
“We took notes and I think we know can set our sights on qualifying for CAC Games next year or even shooting for the Pan American Games themselves because that serves as the qualifiers for the Olympics, so that’s the big one.”
Dylan also believes with more success and attention, the sport of fencing can become a staple in the Jamaican sporting community.
According to Dylan, the Jamaica Fencing Federation will be using the momentum from its recently earned international experience to expand its numbers.
“I think as a country, Jamaica is very well known for track and field and such. So when we show up for sports like fencing, which most country don’t even think we have here, it’s a huge deal,” Dylan said.
“There is a lot of room to grow here. It is a very interesting sport and it is not as expensive as people think it is. At the federation, we try to provide the ability for anyone to fence regardless of what background you come from. So we try to provide all the equipment to cut down the cost,” he continued.
“There is a lot of room to grow, a lot of competitions to go to and we are always looking for new members to compete. I think we just need the right attention to grow.”
English (US) ·