SPORTS SECTION E
TENNIS
MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017
Federer, Page 5
Top swimmers make splash at Nationals JBLN By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE 46th edition of the Bahamas Aquatics’ 2017 RBC Swimming Nationals Championships concluded four days of keen competition last night at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre. The event featured standout performances from many of the top junior swimmers the country had an opportunity to witness earlier this year at CARIFTA, others who will swim next month at the Commonwealth Youth Games and the return of Olympians and elite athletes. It was the first competition for Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace since her participation in the Rio Olympics. She closed out the competition with a win in her signature event - 50m free - in 25.80 seconds
SWIMMERS in action at the 46th Bahamas Aquatics RBC National Swimming Championships at Betty Kelly Kenning swim complex over the weekend. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff
followed by the Texas Longhorns’ Joanna Evans, who was second in 27.16. Both are members of Swift Swimming. Perez Moss (Alpha Aquatics) won the boys’ 15-and-over event in 23.76 followed by Gershwin Greene (Barracudas) in 24.14. Other 50m free winners included Lamar Taylor in the boys’ 13-14 (Freeport Aquatics, 24.84); Jolise Newbold in the girls’ 13-14 (Orcas, 28.88); Ishan Roy in the boys’ 11-12 (Barracudas, 28.51); Rachel Lundy in the girls’ 11-12 (Barracudas, 28.93); Marvin Johnson in the boys’ 9-10 (Freeport Aquatics), Leylah Knowles in the girls 9-10 (Alpha Aquatics, 31.86), Maxwell Daniels in the boys’ under-8 (Dolphin Swim Club, 33.40) and Daniel Passion (Freeport Aquatics, 34.24) in the girls’ under-8.
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Gardiner retains 400m title, solidifies IAAF Worlds trip Devynne Charlton returns, Shaunae Miller-Uibo and TyNia Gaither have sizzling performances By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net FREEPORT, Grand Bahama — The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations saw four athletes attain the qualifying standards for the 2017 IAAF World Championships on a jammed pack final day of the Aliv Open National Track and Field Championships. As the two-day meet came to a close on Saturday night at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex, Steven Gardiner retained his men’s title in the 400 metres as he solidified his trip to London, England, in August. The national record holder was joined by the return of Devynne Charlton in the women’s 100m hurdles and two sizzling performances from national record holder Shaunae Miller-Uibo and TyNia Gaither in the women’s 200m. There was a little bit of drama on the field as Jamal Wilson and Donald Thomas went to a jump off at the end of the men’s high jump. Wilson cleared 2.30 metres or 7-feet, 6 ½-inches that matched the qualifying height for Worlds. But he was listed officially at clearing 2.25m (7-4 ½), the same height as Thomas, who got second. College bound Kyle Alcine was third with 7-0 ½. “It was good. It took a little while to get started, but it’s something that we have to get used to,” Wilson said. “You just have to keep focused and prepare for these moments.” Thomas said he was pleased with coming home and performing
STEVEN GARDINER races in the 400 metres at the Aliv Open National Track and Field Championships. before the crowd. But he admitted that it’s just a taste of what to expect from him at Worlds. Gardiner, pulling away from a field of mixture of youth and experience on the home stretch, posted his winning time of 44.66 seconds to dip under the Worlds qualifying time of 45.50. “It was a pretty good race with a lot of good guys out there in the
field,” Gardiner said. “I just wanted to go out there and execute my race the best way that I know how and I did that.” Michael Mathieu got second in 45.93 ahead of Ramon Miller, who is working his way back into form after a series of injuries, for third in 46.13. Kendrick Thompson got fourth in 46.22 and Ojay Ferguson was fifth in 46.49.
Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, winding down his long and illustrious career this year, faded into a distant sixth in 47.01 and will probably have to rely on a spot on the men’s 4 x 400m relay for his final World Championship appearance. “I was able to compete and compete healthy with these young gen-
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DOMINATES BASEBALL NATIONALS By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Baseball Federation’s 2017 Grand Bahama Port Authority National Baseball Championships concluded yesterday at the EMERA Baseball Stadium with the Junior Baseball League of Nassau taking four of the five titles back to New Providence. The only crown that stayed in Grand Bahama was the high school (16-18 years old) division that saw the Grand Bahama Little League emerge as the champions over JBLN. In the other divisions, JBLN won the Coaches Pitch, Minor and Major Coach Pitch 7-8 Championship The JBLN made sure that the title didn’t slip out of their grasp again. After losing to Freedom Farm last year, JBN secured this year’s title as they won 12-5 over Legacy. The MVP was first baseman Shamari McKinney. “It feels good. These guys are really determined,” said JBLN manager Felipe Sweeting. “Leading up to the tournament, we had some good practices. They were focused. They wanted it more than the coaches. “So they came out this morning, well rested. They played very well.” Sweeting said they had to keep their players motivated because they were anxious to get into the pool at the hotel. But he said playing the championship in the morning made all the difference in the world.” Sweeting said his only regret is that Freedom Farm isn’t here to defend their title. “They won last year, but they’re not here. That’s water under the bridge,” said Sweeting, who noted that they had something for their arch-rivals in Nassau. In their series of games, JBLN ended up 3-1, while Legacy Baseball League was 2-2 and the Grand Bahama Little League was 1-2. Scores posted from their games are as follows: JBLN def. Legacy Baseball 155; Grand Bahama Little League def. Legacy Baseball 9-6; JBLN def. Grand Bahama Little League 10-0; Legacy def. Grand Bahama Little League 11-7; Legacy def. JBLN 11-8 and JBLN def. Grand Bahama 14-6. Minor League 9-10 Championship JBLN clinched another title with their 8-7 nipping of Legacy in one of the most
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Gibson falls just shy of qualifying time in 400mH By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ON the day that the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations returned to Grand Bahama to host another version of its National Open Track and Field Championships, Jeffery Gibson picked up the biggest victory in a final. But while a change in the schedule had the preliminaries of all three marquee track events from the 100-400 metres taking place on the same day, some of the more prominent athletes didn’t advance as the changing of the guard took form with some of the younger athletes advancing. The night at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex was interrupted by the official opening ceremonies as BAAA president Rosamunde Carey welcomed the audience to
what is commonly referred to as “Track City” and this year’s nationals, sponsored and “powered” by Aliv. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard, the Member of Parliament for Marco City, gave the keynote address as he lauded the accomplishments of the many superstars in attendance, including Olympic 400m gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who is hoping to make history in London, England at the IAAF World Championships when she pursues the 200/400 double in August. Pintard also encouraged Chris’ Fireman’ Brown not to hang up his sprints just yet because he felt the “country needed him” and will continue to support him as he gave the government’s endorsement of his invitational that was called off this year because of a lack of financial support.
OLYMPIC champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo in action at the Nationals in Grand Bahama.
Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest, the MP for East Grand Bahama, officially opened the meet. Also present was Richard Stanton, the general manager of Aliv, who has pledged his company’s support of the sponsorship of the meet. Gibson, a native of Grand Bahama, took the parade of finals contested on day one as he fell just shy of the World Championships’ qualifying time of 49.35 metres in winning the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.42 seconds. He easily used his 6-foot 4-inch frame to run away from the field that included two collegians Andre Colebrook out of Southeast Lousiana in 51.32 and Xavier Coakley of Auburn in 53.03. “It was good to come back here and run before the home crowd, but I was just trying to see if I could pull some of the other athletes along and see if they can
also qualify,” said Gibson, who has already booked his ticket to London. “For me personally, it felt good. I was glad I was in lane seven by myself. I was able to just focus on myself and my hurdles. I was trying to find my groove, but this is just one of the few meets that I have before World Championships to better my time.” Bryant Lowe also delighted his Grand Bahama home fans as he stopped the clock in another final in the men’s 1,500m in 4:22.49 well ahead of second place finisher Kendron Adderley in 4:34.00. As indicated, the sprints produced lived up to their advanced billing as a lot of drama unfolded in the preliminary rounds. National record holder MillerUibo, the star on the women’s side, easily won her heat of the 200m in the fastest qualifying
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