SPORTS SECTION E
TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2026
FIBA TEAM - PAGE 12
Xavion strikes gold !"#!$%&'#(')!!( *+,-.#(/0123#%4,201 !"#$!!"%#&'!$()*)+',-()#
JUDOKAN Xavion Johnson showed that he’s ready for both the Central American and Caribbean and Commonwealth Games by winning the Tahiti Oceania Open 2026 in the men's -73 kilogram class. The performance by Johnson over the weekend in French Polynesia, Tahiti, put the Bahamas in fifth place on the medal chart that was led by French Polynesia. More importantly, it has now placed Johnson in the top 10 in the region, number 22 on the world junior ranking and 150 in the world in the senior rankings. It was an achievement that he is confident will only propel him as he goes through the rest of the season. "It was a pretty decent performance. I was able to improvise on people's mistakes and worked on my ground techniques that I have been working on in practice," Johnson said.
It was not exactly where Johnson wanted to be, but he said he's taking it step by step. "It was such a day for me," Johnson reflected. "I was able to take out my opponent in the first round and in the final, I got by my opponent rather easily, taking him down twice." After the performance, Johnson said he will head back to Montreal, Canada, where he will take the next month off just to train and to get ready for the CAC and Commonwealth Games. "I just want to continue to get better and better each day," Johnson said. "I just want to continue to develop more in the category, even though it's just been six months since I moved up to the senior level." As he prepares for the CAC Games, scheduled for July 24 to August 8 in San Salvador, El Salvador, and the Commonwealth Games from July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland, Johnson said it would be good
for him to face some of the competitors whom he lost to in the past, just to prove his improvement in the international competition. "I really want to put The Bahamas on the map in judo by winning the gold at the games," Johnson said. "I feel I am ready to win it. "Now that I've won the gold here, this gives me a good advantage to go to the CAC Games and win there. It also gives me some points so that I can qualify for the Senior Worlds later this year." Johnson says he's seen a lot of progress in his performances in recent times, but it only gives him the incentive to go after a world title or a grand slam medallist in the next year or so. He thanked his mother, Ordain Moss, Bahamasair and his coaches Nick Tritton, Sasa Mehmedovic and Joshua White, who have been pushing him to get to the next level of competition. He said he feels he's on the right track to succeed as a Bahamian judukan.
JUDOKAN Xavion Johnson won gold in the men’s -73 kilogram class at the Tahiti Oceania Open.
Junior national golf team named
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THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations is scheduled to hold its Junior and Senior National Track and Field Championships this weekend at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The championship will begin on Friday and continue on Saturday and Sunday. Each day, the competition will start at 3pm. See the schedule above.
THE TRIBUNE
Tuesday, June 16, 2026, PAGE 11
Cape Verde holds Spain to surprising 0-0 draw in country’s World Cup debut !"#5$6(*#'7!*7%# $-#*/8840#)03140 ATLANTA (AP) — So much for a supersized World Cup diluting the quality of soccer’s biggest tournament. Tiny Cape Verde, making its debut at the World Cup, pulled off a stunner, holding heavily favoured Spain scoreless in a 0-0 draw yesterday. “This means everything for our country," Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito said. “We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our team and we have shown organisation and braveness and this is proof of what our country is about — resilience and to try to overcome hardships.” European champion Spain is one of the favourites to win the tournament and was -1200 to beat Cape Verde. But it could not find a way past a 40-year-old goalkeeper and a stubborn defence that had an answer to everything Spain’s superstars threw at them. Not even sensational teenager Lamine Yamal, who came in off the bench
in the second half, could turn a game that ended with wild and emotional celebrations inside the stadium. “A dream" was how Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira described it. Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha broke down in tears after the final whistle following his impressive performance to keep Spain at bay. He was the player of the match, pulling off a string of saves at the end of the first half to deny Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte. The closest Spain came to finding a breakthrough was when Torres struck the bar shortly before halftime. “We should have won today’s match with everything that happened, with all the favourable situations we created, but we lacked freshness and a clinical edge," said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who had warned before the match that Cape Verde could be one of the surprise teams of the World Cup. Spain could have been the victim of an even bigger upset when Diney Borges had a late chance to score, but saw his header saved by Spain keeper Unai Simon.
!"#$% &'()'% *+,-'(.% /'+'0(,1'% -'.1'(),-% ,21'(% 13'% 45(+)% !6*% 7(56*% 8% .5//'(% 9,1/3% ,:,;<.1%=*,;<%;<%"1+,<1,>% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%?"#%#3515@(039#*#:42240A Add Cape Verde to Cameroon, Senegal and Saudi Arabia on the list of teams that have pulled off shocking results against soccer's giants in the World Cup. Cameroon beat defending champion Argentina in 1990 and Senegal beat defending champion France in 2002. Four years ago, Saudi Arabia triumphed
against Lionel Messi's Argentina, which went on to win the tournament in Qatar. Cape Verde didn't win, but its performance rebuked some of the criticisms that the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 would weaken the tournament. The group of islands off Africa's West
coast have about 4,000 square metres (about 2.5 miles) of landmass and approximately half a million inhabitants, making Cape Verde the third-smallest nation by population to qualify for the World Cup. And even against a loaded Spain roster, Cape Verde proved its worth on soccer's biggest stage.
Despite the majority of the 67,640 crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium appearing to be Spain fans, it was the Cape Verde supporters who cheered loudest. They continued their celebrations after the final whistle, singing and dancing in the concourses. “All of us, we are happy because we work a lot to be here. We deserve to be here," Vozinha said. The 2010 champion Spain is aiming to win the World Cup for a second time and is coming into the tournament after winning the Euros in 2024. But a disappointing start echoes its performances in recent World Cups. Spain has failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in each of the last three editions. “What doubts do you think my team is going to have? Zero doubts," De la Fuente said. “We know how difficult this competition is. The idea we need to follow is what took us here and what made us European champions.” Spain plays Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Cape Verde faces Uruguay.
Belgium settles for 1-1 draw with Egypt despite numerous chances for Lukaku, De Bruyne !"#$%&'()#&(*+,%# $-#*./012#)03140 SEATTLE (AP) — Romelu Lukaku’s entrance as a second-half substitute drew a standing ovation from the smattering of Belgium supporters. It took only 23 seconds to turn those hopeful cheers into raptures of euphoria. Lukaku's presence sparked an immediate attack that led to Belgium’s lone goal against Egypt yesterday, helping to earn a 1-1 draw in the team's opening World Cup match. “He’s a target man,” Belgium captain Youri Tielemans said. “He needs to build up his fitness, which is understandable after being out for the season. But, he helps us in this way.” Lukaku, a Napoli striker who leads his nation in
goals scored, withdrew from Belgium’s friendlies in the United States in the spring to get fitter as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. That injury didn't look too bothersome in the 66th minute when he ran down the middle of the field moments after entering the game and lurched to tap a cross from the right into the net. Egypt defender Mohamed Hany got there first, however, and scored an own-goal to even the score. With 66,775 spectators watching, the Egyptians took the lead early in the Group G match. Emam Ashour scored his first international goal in the 19th minute. If not for Lukaku's impact in the second half, Belgium easily could have dug itself into quite a hole
Uruguay’s Maxi Araújo scores equaliser in 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia !"#$:$%,*#+;$6(*# $-#*./012#)03140 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Abdulelah Al-Amri scored on a rebound in the 41st minute for Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay's Maxi Araújo responded with an equaliser in the 80th as the teams played to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener yesterday. Uruguay controlled most of the second half but didn't break through until Araújo fired a rebound past goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais from close range. La Celeste dominated possession and had 28 attempts on goal to Saudi Arabia's seven but trailed until late in the second half. It was the fourth international goal for Araújo and second at Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Al-Amri, who had a shot denied by Uruguay's Fernando Muslera earlier in the first half, put his squad ahead with a quick tap-in after Muslera palmed away a header.
Al-Amri fell to his knees after the goal and placed his head down on the pitch as he was showered with cheers from Saudi Arabia fans, who were greatly outnumbered in South Florida but loud enough to make up the difference. Four years ago, they watched their team deliver one of the most memorable moments of the 2022 World Cup, coming back to stun Lionel Messi and eventual champion Argentina 2-1 in Saudi Arabia's opening match. Monday's result was much less dramatic, but Saudi Arabia — behind a mostly solid performance by Al-Owais — was able to shut out Uruguay, a twotime World Cup champion, until late. La Celeste had plenty of chances. Al-Owais denied a point-blank header from Federico Vinas in the first half, then got his fingertips on an attempt by Manuel Ugarte in the 61st. He also denied Federico Valverde's attempt a couple of minutes into stoppage time.
in a group it is heavily favoured to win, much as it did when failing to advance past the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Despite out-possessing Egypt, the Red Devils struggled to score all afternoon. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne came the closest for Belgium, pushing a shot wide left in the seventh minute before clanking another off the left post in the 53rd. Lukaku could have put Belgium in front late, too, but his header sailed far above the goal. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said because only 20% of his team’s shots
were on target, netting one goal was a fair representation of their efforts. Still, Garcia would have preferred a faster start. “We weren’t really in the groove,” Garcia said in French. “Technically, we left a lot to be desired.” Egypt, meanwhile, were the more aggressive side in the first 45 minutes. Ashour, a midfielder who was playing in his 30th game for his country, took advantage of a defensive breakdown to give his team only its second lead in a World Cup match. The Egyptians, who are playing in their fourth World Cup, have still
never won a game at the tournament. “The match shows we were closer to earning the win,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said in Arabic. Belgium demonstrated it is still quite reliant on national team stalwarts like De Bruyne, Lukaku and goalkeeper Thibault Courtois, each of whom is playing in their fourth World Cup. Winger Jérémy Doku, 24, kept his squad competitive in the first half, but the Red Devils were fortunate to only trail by one entering halftime. “Our biggest challenge was about us. We lost too
many balls, we weren’t quick enough in transition, and when we had the ball, we didn’t find the solutions,” Tielemans said. “We were too static, especially in the first half. In the second half, we created some chances, which — we could have won the game, but they had some chances as well.” In Garcia’s opinion, Egypt and Belgium are the two best teams in Group G, which also features New Zealand and Iran. “We have to win against Iran,” Garcia said of his team's next match on Sunday. “There’s no two ways around it.”
PAGE 12, Tuesday, June 16, 2026
THE TRIBUNE
Knicks’ Charles Allen joins BBF coaching staff ahead of FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers third window !"#$%&'()'&# !*++%,(./0123#-45.67#+345.63. jburrows@ tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Basketball Federation is heading into the third window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers with a coaching staff that includes an NBA champion. Assistant coach Charles Allen, who also serves as an assistant coach and player development coach with the New York Knicks, was congratulated by the federation after helping the Knicks capture the NBA championship this season. Allen is part of a national team coaching staff led by head coach Mikhail McLean and associate head coach Lourawls Nairn. The staff also includes assistant coaches Mychel Thompson and Nashad Mackey, along with video coordinator Willis Mackey. Allen’s championship adds another notable accomplishment to a coaching group preparing for one of the biggest stretches in the country’s recent basketball history. Allen joined the Knicks coaching staff after building a reputation as one of
the league’s rising player development coaches. Before arriving in New York, he spent several seasons with the Sacramento Kings organisation, where he worked in video coordination and player development while helping the franchise return to playoff contention. Allen transitioned into coaching and steadily climbed the professional ranks. His work has centred heavily on player development, film analysis and individual skill improvement, areas that have become increasingly important across the NBA. The Knicks’ championship run marked one of the most significant seasons in franchise history. New York ended a title drought that stretched back more than five decades and re-established itself among the league’s elite teams. The organisation relied on a combination of veteran leadership, player development and defensive intensity throughout its championship campaign. While much of Allen’s work takes place behind the scenes, player development coaches often spend countless hours
working with athletes individually, helping improve shooting, ball-handling, decision-making and overall preparation. Now, that experience returns to The Bahamas’
national team programme. Allen’s presence gives Team Bahamas a coach who has worked inside one of the NBA’s most successful organisations this season. And one who arrives with
Mako Aquatics wins Oak Tree Medical/Mako Invite !"#$%&'()'&# !*++%,(./0123#-45.67#+345.63. !"#$$%&'( )$*"#+,-,.*/0+,) MAKO Aquatics Club finished first in the team standings at the sixth annual Oak Tree Medical and Mako Invite, held over the weekend at the Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre. MAKO accumulated 1,870.5 points through 47 events, finishing ahead of Blue Waves Swim Club with 1,239 points and Barracuda Swim Club with 651. Black Marlins Swim Club
was fourth with 395 points, followed by Lyford Swim Club with 341.5. Mako also led the medal table with 160 medals, including 74 gold, 43 silver and 43 bronze. Blue Waves finished with 94 medals, while Barracuda collected 51. Several swimmers posted strong individual performances across the age divisions. Saleste Gibson of Mako led the 15-and-over girls’ division with 61 points. Teammates Madison Gilbert and D.F. McKenzie followed with 47 and 46 points respectively.
Blue Waves swimmer Dijon Simmons won the 15-and-over boys’ division with 42 points. Mako’s Michael Fox was second with 40 points and unattached swimmer Jaden Mills was third with 38. Christon Joseph of Blue Waves topped the 13-14 boys’ standings with 54 points. Mako swimmers Kai Bastian and Benicio Robinson were next with 44 and 43 points. In the 13-14 girls’ division, Mako swimmers Tiah Seymour and Gillian Albury finished first and second with 56 and 53 points respectively.
Barracuda’s Reniyah Rolle was third with 44 points. Mako’s Breon Stuart won the 11-12 boys’ division with 56 points, while Isabella Munroe led the 11-12 girls’ standings with 59 points. Mason Hanna of Mako scored 59 points to win the 9-10 boys’ division. Barracuda’s Shiloh Ferguson led the 9-10 girls’ division with 53 points. In the youngest divisions, Nya Ferguson of Mako won the 8-and-under girls’ title with 58 points, while Lyford swimmer Mason Sadowski topped the 8-and-under boys’ standings with 54 points.
championship experience as the country continues its push in World Cup-qualifying competition. The federation announced the staff on social media as preparations
continue for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games. Team Bahamas is looking to build on its recent progress on the international stage.
Local Sports Calendar TRACK BAAA NATIONALS THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations is scheduled to hold its Junior and Senior National Track and Field Championships this weekend at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The championship will begin on Friday and continue on Saturday and Sunday. Each day, the competition will start at 3pm. BASEBALL BBA NATIONALS THE Bahamas Baseball Association is scheduled to hold its Andre Rodgers National Baseball Championships this weekend at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium and the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. The championships, scheduled for June 18-21, will be staged in the 6-and-under (T-ball), 8-and-under (Coach Pitch), 10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under, 16-and-under and 20-and-under divisions. SWIMMING NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS BAHAMAS Aquatics is scheduled to hold its National Swimming Championships June 25-28 at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. The 54th edition of the championships will once again be sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada. Mako Aquatics is the perennial defending champion. BASKETBALL CHARLIE ROBINS CAMP THE 49th annual Charlie 'Softly' Robins Basketball Camp in Grand Bahama will be held from 9am to 2pm at the Charlie 'Softly' Robins Park, formerly the Columbus Park, at the Susan J Wallace Center June 15-26.
The camp is geared for boys and girls between the ages of seven and 16 and is free of charge. Interested persons are urged to call 559-0696 or email softly@ coralwave.com BASEBALL JOSH WILKINSON’S CAMP THE Josh Wilkinson's Baseball Camp will be held at the Bayfront Park in Bimini from June 15-19. Each registered camper will get a free t-shirt and refreshments will be given daily. The camp will close out with the awards ceremony at 4pm on Friday, June 19. SPORTS SUMMER SPORTS CAMP THE Randimae Tigers Sporting Club is scheduled to hold its Summer Sports Camp at the AF Adderley Junior High School from 9am to 1pm June 29 to July 21. The camp, featuring basketball, soccer and volleyball, is designed to inspire active minds and healthy bodies all summer long. The camp is free of charge. Interested persons can contact Kevon Spence, Randy Cunningham and Deandra Cunningham. TENNIS EAGLE PERFORMANCE ACADEMY THE Eagle Performance Academy is scheduled to hold its Summer Tennis Camp from June 22 to July 24 at the Meridian School. The camp is designed to build confidence, improve athleticism, develop leadership and to train, compete and grow. For more information, persons can contact Larikah Russell at 727-8296
CORRECTION IN a story published on June 15, 2026, about the Baha Mar Resort Foundation Golf Invitational, The Tribune Sports inadvertently identified the speaker of several quotes as Sydney Stubbs. The quotes were made by Robert “Sandy” Sands, senior vice president of Baha Mar. The Tribune regrets and apologises for the error.