SPORTS SECTION E
MASTERS
Golf, Page 8
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018
Swimmers up first at Commonwealth Games By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — With no time to relax after carrying the flag for the Bahamas during the march pass in the opening ceremonies at the XXI Commonwealth Games on Wednesday night, Joanna Evans will be the first of two of the four-member swim team that will be in action on Thursday. At the Optus Aquatic Centre, Evans will compete in the first of her three events in the heats of the women’s 200 metre final just before N’Nhyn Fernander makes his splash in the pool in the preliminaries of the men’s 50m butterfly. “We’ve been to the aquatic centre for the last three days, so they are familiar with the pool. They like the facility. They like the outdoor pool,” said Sarah Knowles, one of the two coaches on the team. “They both have been responding very well in
practice so they are looking forward to competing.” Based on what she’s seen, Knowles said Evans has some fast times that should allow her to compete in one of the faster heats, increasing her chances of advancing to the finals. As for Fernander, he has checked out the competition and Knowles said he acknowledged that he knows what the competition is going to be like. The other two members of the team - Lilly Higgs and Izaak Bastian are coming from Jamaica where they helped the Bahamas repeat as the CARIFTA swim champions. But because of their youthful ages, both 17, Knowles said this should turn out to be a learning experience for them. “They leave Jamaica on the fourth and get here on April 6. Lilly swims the next day, so it’s more mental than physical,” Knowles pointed out. “But she said she’s ready. She’s been doing very well
SWIMMING officials Sarah Knowles and John Bradley. at CARIFTA, winning gold and silver medals. “Izaak doesn’t swim until April 8, so he will probably have a little edge than Lilly, but they are both incredibly determined. They wanted to come, they wanted to do both, so we are going to expect the best for them.” On the plus side for the sport here, Knowles said when Evans was informed by Chef de Mission Roy
Colebrooke that she would be the fag bearer for the Bahamas at the opening ceremonies on Wednesday, she was ecstatic to have been selected. “That put up a big smile on her face,” Knowles said. “That gives us some extra motivation, so she’s really excited about that.” John Bradley, the team manager, said from what he saw in the practices, the two swimmers are ready to
compete on day one of the competition at the games. “They have seen the psych sheets so they know where they stand,” he stated. Knowles, however, admitted that there’s going to be a lot of pressure as usual for competitors when they start competition. But, at this stage, she said the swimmers strive towards it because this has a focus on a number of meets that they want to compete in this year and the Commonwealth Games is just the beginning of that journey. After a day off on Thursday when the two CARIFTA standouts will arrive from Jamaica with coach Andy Loveitt, Higgs will open up here in the women’s 200m breast on Friday. And Bastian will open up in the 50m breast, while Higgs will be back for the 100m breast. Evans will follow up in the 100m free and Fernander will contest the 100m fly.
just have to do a whole lot of thinking and not just go out there and throw a lot
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By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — While one is hoping that his jet lag won’t hamper him physically, the other is more inspired by his will to endure whatever he’s faced with. One way or the other, Rashield Williams and Carl Hield Jr are both confident that the XXI Commonwealth Games is a grand opportunity for them to excel for Team Bahamas in the boxing ring.
BOXERS Rashield Williams and Carl Hield (far right), along with coach Valentino Knowles (centre) in the Games Village. Back to avenge his first round defeat at the 2014 games in Glasgow, Scotland, Williams said his main problem was trying
to get over the jet lag. “I’ve been continuing my training, trying to keep my weight up,” said Williams who will fight out
of the 64 kilogram class. “Mentally I’m ready, but I didn’t have that much time for conditioning, but I still feel as if I can pull it off. I
By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas can once again proudly claim the top junior swimming programme in the region. The 36-member team won back-to-back CARIFTA Swimming Championships and their fourth title in five years as the curtain closed on the competition at the National Aquatic Centre in Kingston, Jamaica, last night. The team completed the four-day meet with a total of 789 points. They finished 181 points ahead of second place finisher and 2016 champion Guadeloupe, who scored 608. Jamaica finished third with 607.5 points, Trinidad and Tobago scored 576 and the Cayman Islands rounded out the top five with 502.5 points. The Bahamas won a total of 56 medals – 23 gold, 22 silver and 11 bronze. The high-point scorer for Team Bahamas among girls was Lilly Higgs with 51 points in the 15-17 division while Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson posted 37 points in the 13-14 division. Among the boys, it was Lamar Taylor leading the way with 68 points in the 13-14, Nigel Forbes with 64 points in the 11-12 and Izaak Bastian with 45 points in the 15-17 division. On the final night of competition, the Bahamas added 13 medals to their final total. Lamar Taylor continued his dominance in the Boys 13-14 division with a gold medal in the 50m Free to begin the title run in the final session. He won in a time of 24.27 seconds and Roman Pinder would also take bronze in 25.55. Izaak Bastian added another gold medal in the Boys 15-17 race in 23.25. Bastian also returned to later win his second gold medal of the night in the 100m Breast in 1:03.12. In the 100m Breast, Nigel Forbes took gold in the Boys 11-12 race in 1:15.81. The team also secured a pair of medals in the Girls 13-14 with Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson’s silver in 1:20.04 and Jamilah Hepburn won bronze in 1:20.06. Erald Thompson III won bronze in the Boys 13-14 in 1:11.53.
Boxers eager to fight
They will begin competition on Thursday’s day one at the Oxenford Studios following the official opening ceremonies that was held on Wednesday night at the Carrara Stadium.
CARIFTA SWIM TEAM TO BRING HOME 56 MEDALS 23 GOLD
Medical staff all set and ready to assist Team Bahamas By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — Team Bahamas won’t have to worry if they sustain any injury at the XXI Commonwealth Games. The Bahamas Olympic Committee has assembled a medical staff that is equipped to handle any major problems.
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Just ask Doctor Rickey Davis. “Every year it seemed to be getting more and more sophisticated and more responsibilities,” said Davis, the team’s chief medical officer. “I haven’t heard of any complaints from any of the athletes, so I’m hoping that they will all come here and perform very well. If they encounter any injuries, we will be here to deal with it.” The “we” Davis was referring to were Grand Bahama’s Cottrice Robinson, who is back for another sting on the team as a member of the medical staff, and newcomer Corderro Bonamy, who is here in his first capacity as a physiotherapist. “I have a great medical team. I have great confidence in them,” said Davis, who has been on so many trips that he can’t remember how many. “I have no doubt that they are the best. I worked with the young guy at the Youth Commonwealth Games and he
MEDICAL staff members Cottrice Robinson, Dr Rickey Davis and Corderro Bonamy, who will assist Team Bahamas. did a great job then. I have all the confidence that he will do a great job here. He should be a good addition to our medical staff for the future.” Going back in time, it’s Robinson’s second Commonwealth Games team, although she had worked a number of other
international events for Team Bahamas. “We are involved with our athletes before competition, during competition and after competition,” she said. “We are involved in preventing injuries and dealing with injuries when they occur in competition or practice.”
Robinson said they have not met any challenge that they couldn’t face with the athletes in the Games Village, but she’s anticipating that things could change when the rest of the team arrives this weekend. And in his novice experience, Bonamy said he’s here to expand his craft and get the tutelage from Robinson and Dr Davis. “This has been a passion of mine after I worked with (high jumper) Jamal Wilson last year,” Bonamy said. “He said imagine if they take you to the Commonwealth Games and God had it so. Right now I’m just grateful for the opportunity. We have to get the athletes ready to perform their best. That’s what it’s all about.” During his journey here, Bonamy said he’s been networking with some of his former collegiates at the University of the West Indies. No matter what happens, the medical staff said they are up to the task.