Madhoo Returns to Winner’s Circle with Event #3 Triumph in Panama
Norman Madhoo ended his long wait for another Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour title on Sunday, defeating Dean Persad 6-1 in the Event #3 final in Panama City.
The Guyanese veteran, who made four consecutive finals to close out the 2025 CDLC season but came up short in all four, broke through in emphatic fashion to claim his first tour title since 2024.
Madhoo’s title run included a 6-1 quarterfinal win over Costa Rica’s Guillermo Soto before a statement 6-4 semifinal victory over Jesus Salate, ending the Argentine’s remarkable CDLC winning streak.
Salate had entered Event #3 seeking a third consecutive title in Panama and a fifth straight CDLC crown dating back to 2025. Instead, the top seed suffered his first CDLC defeat since Event #4 of the 2025 season, when he also fell in the semifinals — on that occasion to Rashad Sweeting.
The quarterfinals featured a rematch of Saturday’s Event #2 final, with Salate edging 2025 World Cup of Darts teammate Victor Guillin 6-4 to keep his weekend sweep bid alive. However, Madhoo halted the run one round later, holding off the Event #1 and Event #2 champion to reach another final.
Persad continued his own impressive rise, building on his first CDLC quarterfinal appearance in Event #2 by going two steps further on Sunday. The Trinidadian defeated Brazil’s Anderson Viera de Sousa 6-4 in the quarterfinals before seeing off fellow Trinidadian and Event #1 finalist, Joshua Balfour, 6-3 in the semifinals to reach his first CDLC final.
Balfour had earlier produced one of the day’s notable quarterfinal results, defeating second seed Rashad Sweeting 6-3. Sweeting still finished with the top average of the day at 77.47, while Salate led the 180 count with six maximums.
It was a stronger day overall for the seeded players, with five of the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals. The notable absence was Madhoo’s fellow Guyanese standout and former World Cup teammate Sudesh Fitzgerald, who fell in the Last 16 for the third straight event as his 2026 campaign endured a nightmare opening weekend.
For Madhoo, though, Event #3 delivered the long-awaited breakthrough that eluded him at the end of last season. After four straight runner-up finishes to close 2025, the Guyanese star returned to the winner’s circle in Panama and closed the opening weekend of the 2026 CDLC Tour with a statement victory.
Results
Quarterfinals
Jesus Salate (1) 6-4 Victor Guillin (8)
Norman Madhoo (4) 6-1 Guillermo Soto (5)
Rashad Sweeting (2) 3-6 Joshua Balfour
Dean Persad 6-4 Anderson Viera de Sousa
Semifinals
Jesus Salate 4-6 Norman Madhoo
Joshua Balfour 3-6 Dean Persad
Final
Norman Madhoo 6-1 Dean Persad