BARRANQUILLA, Colombia — Jamaica squash star Chris Binnie is encouraged by the growth of his game, as evidenced in particular by his performance in the ongoing Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games.

Binnie added the CAC Games bronze medal to his trophy cabinet in competition on Sunday at Cali.

“I think the most important takeaway, personally, is that my game continues to improve and I need to continue to put in the hard work with my coach to climb the rankings,” said Binnie.

“Again, it is another decent tournament result for my performance representing Jamaica, and this is very good for Jamaican squash,” he added.

The 29-year-old is the eight-time Caribbean champion and claimed the third-place medal after falling 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-6) to Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the semi-finals. Despite not making it to the championship game, the Jamaican was appreciative of his accomplishment.

“While I am disappointed I did not win the gold or silver, I am still very happy to be going home with a bronze medal,” admitted Binnie. “I played Miguel Rodriguez of Colombia in the semi-finals and thought I did fairly well. It was a close game, even though it was straight sets to him, playing him on his home courts under his favourable conditions was always going to be very difficult.

“He is ranked sixth in the world rankings, so I knew it would be difficult. but I was very eager to see where I stood with all the training I have been doing and I believe that I am making improvements,” he expressed.

Competition has a way of impacting development and Binnie is of the view that squash at CAC level has risen, taking along its players.

“The level of competition at the event is very good and improving in terms of world rankings. We have several players in the top 100 in the world rankings now, with Miguel being the highest at six in the world, and Cesar (Martinez Salazar) who won the silver medal, in the top 20,” he assessed.

“It’s good for the region that everyone’s level is increasing, but makes for stiffer competition. But that’s best for everyone.”

In similar vein, Binnie wants the local game to take off, listing exposure and investment as key catalysts and thanked the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) for their contribution in that regard. The 6ft, 3ins athlete also said he has a role to play in the movement.

“Continued exposure, investment and positive results at these types of regional and international events will help with raising the level in the country,” he said. “The JOA has been gracious in investing in squash in recent years, and I think they are starting to see some positive results from it.

“This would be the start of the bigger picture — winning medals at these regional games and then onto the bigger world stage. Hopefully I can continue to lead the way with this. My goals would be to continue to perform well regionally, but start breaking ground at these big international events.”

Olympics, goals aligned in that direction towards the Olympics?

The biggest of them all is the quadrennial showcase for athleticism, the Olympic Games, which tops the list on Binnie’s target.

“Olympics is definitely the goal and long-term vision for me,” he affirmed. “It looks very positive that squash will be in the 2024 Games and this will hopefully be the peak of my career. This is what I am aiming towards, aspiring to and working towards through until the Games.

“Continuing to climb the world ranking will help this goal and that is what I will continue to work on,” he added.

Binnie and other members of the Jamaica unit turned their attention to the competition and after two of three group matches, they had already secured a place in the quarter-finals.

“Time to focus on the team event now,” Binnie stated. “The event as a whole was a good one; I believe I am playing well and hopefully the team can get a podium finish also.”