SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Still shocked and surprised by her bronze medal-winning performance at the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games, Jamaica’s female gymnast Tyesha Mattis said she is even hungrier for and more determined to achieve greater success on the international stage.

Mattis created history on Tuesday night when she surprised many of her fancied competitors to win Jamaica’s first-ever bronze medal in the event in the uneven bars competition with a combined score of 12.750.

The event was won by Mexico’s Paulino Campos who recorded a score of 13.400, while Panama’s Andrea Navas took home the silver medal with a score of 13.050.

Mattis told the Jamaica Observer that she had gone into the final not knowing what to expect, but in the end she was delighted that she was able to secure the country’s first-ever medal in the event at the championships.

“I am really happy with myself because I didn’t expect it; I am proud of how well I did and it just proves that I can come out here and do more because I have so much more to offer,” said Mattis.

“I just went out with my basic bar routine and I just kind of played it safe because I just wanted a clean competition and with the fact that I made the final and medalled, I just know that I have so much more to offer and just hopefully go for gold medal next time,” said the soft-spoken Mattis.

She added: “This is my first international medal representing Jamaica and no one has ever collected a bronze medal at the CAC Games for Jamaica in gymnastics and so I am really excited to make history,” she said.

Mattis also made it to the final of the balance beam, where she finished seventh in the event with a score of 10.350. The event was also won by Campos with a score of 12.650.

The 24-year-old shared that this bronze will significantly boost her confidence for upcoming events because her main focus right now is to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“Enormously it has improved my confidence because I just want to go home and train harder and to be able to come back out there with a better score and better routine and just show everyone that I can do better,” Mattis said.

“My main focus is to get to the Olympics for Jamaica, but I got some World Cups that I need to compete in first and so that I can qualify into the Olympics. Unfortunately, I didn’t’ qualify for the World Cup this year, which is a quicker route to qualify for the Olympics, but I have a World Cup coming up in September and so I am just looking forward to that,” she said.

“I have been working really hard for this because I just came back from Colombia, two weeks ago, from a tournament and I have been literally doing routines every week since the beginning of May. In February, I was in Jamaica doing the Jamaican Trials, in which I won five gold medals, and so I am just on the go and I just want to keep collecting more medals,” she said.

Mattis, who is based in London, also expressed her gratitude to her mother and coach Charmaine Clarke along with her other coach Lorraine Atkinson for the significant contribution that they have made in her success.

“My mom Charmaine Clarke is my coach and she is a big part of everything and she is very supportive, and my Coach Lorraine Atkinson, because those are the two big women in my life that support me loads on this journey and I am just grateful to have these two powerful women in my life to keep motivating me to do better,” Mattis said.