Home|Sports|Medals for Eastwood Judo ClubSports

Team returned with three gold medals and a bronze

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 12, 2022 165 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Eastwood Judo Club was in action at the 33rd Annual U.S. Open Judo Championships and Golden Score competition that was held at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from July 29-31. The team members returned with three gold medals and a bronze medal.

Keilesha Saunders and twins Alexander and Daniel Strachan were in action on the tatami and came away with medals.

In the competition, countries from the Caribbean, Central America and South America competed, along with a host team from the United States of America (USA). Over 1,500 judo athletes took part in the competition.

Saunders had a tough battle against Reema Alreyani in the girls intermediate medium category. In the end, Saunders came away with a gold medal, winning the best-of-three series against Alreyani. She also secured the gold medal in the girls intermediate category (52 kilogram class) as she went against Dayla Lima and Isabel Roman and prevailed. Saunders came away with the most points in that category.

Alexander Strachan won gold in the International Judo Federation’s (IJF) Juniors 100 kilogram (kg) category. He went up against Rodrigo Jimenez Moya, and won a best-of-three series.

Daniel Strachan had to settle for the bronze medal. He lost to Pablo Arias in the IJF Juniors 90 kg class. Strachan lost in the first round and came out with a third place finish.

Also participating from the Eastwood Judo Club were Noah Sweeting, Terrell Barrett, Keith Saunders, Kevinique Sterling, Kevin Sterling and Kemuel Sterling.

Eastwood Judo Club’s Sensei Mickey Munnings said he was proud of the athletes’ accomplishments. He expressed thanks to the sponsors and supporters inclusive of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Bahamas Judo Federation (BJF), Mitre Court Group of Companies, Apex Pavers, Summit Insurance, and the parents.

Eastwood Judo Club produced its first judo championships on June 26. At this event, a host of athletes, whose ages ranged from five to 20 years old, competed in weight categories that tipped the scales from under 23 kg/under 50 lbs to under 100 kg/under 220 lbs. They exhibited skills and techniques that they learnt in training.

The club will participate in the 55th Annual Dallas Judo Championships to be held at the Irving Convention Centre in Irving, Texas, on November 20. It will conclude the 2022 judo competition season for the club.

https://thenassauguardian.com/medals-for-eastwood-judo-club/

MEDAL GLORY: Devynne Charlton, left, and LaQuan Nairn show off their silver (100 metre hurdles) and gold (long jump) medals respectively won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. After 11 days of intense competition in seven disciplines, Team Bahamas will return from the Commonwealth Games with the two medals and tied in the 23rd spot on the medal chart with Grenada. Members of the team, including executives and athletes, left the games with varied experiences to cherish.

As of Tuesday, August 9, 2022

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HEAD coach Bernard Rolle, Oria Wood, Denisha Cartwright, coach Ravanno Ferguson and Kendrick Thompson.

BOXING team manager Vincent Strachan.

CYCLIST Lorin Sawyer and his wife Diane.

TRACK athletes, from left to right, Shaun Miller Jr, Jahmaal Wilson and Denisha Cartwright.

COACH Peter Pratt and triple jumper Kaiwan Culmer, right.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England — After 11 days of intense competition in seven disciplines, Team Bahamas will return from the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a gold and silver medal and tied for the 23rd spot on the medal chart with Grenada.

#Members of the team, including executives and athletes, left the games with varied experiences to cherish, including experiencing the jammed-packed stadiums in both the morning and evening sessions every day.

#While the triathlete and swimmers left last week, the wrestling, boxing, cycling and track and field teams departed yesterday with gold medallist LaQuan Nairn in the men’s long jump, silver medallist Devynne Charlton in the women’s 100 metre hurdles, joining high jumper Donald Thomas and boxers Carl Hield and Rashield Williams, who all headed to the United States.

#The other team members headed to the Bahamas, while sprinter Tynia Gaither stayed in Europe to continue to compete on the circuit. The judo team and the remaining officials are due back in town today.

#Boxing team manager Vincent Strachan, who is also the president of the Bahamas Amateur Boxing Federation, said both Hield and Williams performed as best as they could, despite getting knocked out in the first and long on points in the third round respectively.

#Williams, the 32-year-old professional boxer who was allowed to compete with the amateurs, actually competed in a lower class and had to shed some 11 pounds in three days to make the weight limit.

#“I think the team’s performance was as best as it could. There were challenges and as a result of those challenges, it might have mitigated the degree of performances from the boxers,” Strachan said. “Again, we go back to the fact that the boxers are not being able to compete on a regular basis.

#“You can train for three to six months, but if you don’t have competition in that time, you won’t be sharp and ready as you should be. But I congratulate the boxers on what they did. They represented the Bahamas to the best of their abilities.”

#Strachan, however, said the federation needs funding to be able to assist the boxers so that they can be able to go to events like this and be able to compete on par with their peers whenever the opportunities arise.

#Kendrick Thompson, who had to withdraw from the men’s decathlon with a left ankle injury he sustained during the pole vault competition on the final of the two days of the gruelling 10-event competition, said he’s now committed to getting ready for the next major event next year.

#“It was a great experience competing against some of the best decathletes in the world,” said the 24-year-old University of the Bahamas standout. “The injury is coming along. I hope to get some therapy on it.

#“I will rest up and get ready for next year. I want to be in this same position to compete in any decathlon meet on the schedule as long as I’m healthy.”

#Petite rookie sprinter Denisha Cartwright, who was always in a jovial mood, said she had a wonderful time, although she didn’t advance in both the women’s 100 with her 32nd placing and 25th in the 200m.

#“My experience was wonderful this year. It just makes me want to work harder so I can compete next year,” said the 22-year-old Cartwright, who also had a sensational collegiate season for the Minnesota State Mavericks.

#Although he also performed very well making it to the NCAA Championships this year for Ohio State, 21-year-old Shaun Miller Jr said he was disappointed that he didn’t come to Birmingham and perform as well as expected for the Bahamas in his debut at the games.

#“It was a very good meet, but I felt I let the Bahamian people down, so I just have to go to the next meet at the Senior NACAC Championships and do better,” said Miller Jr, who was 10th in the field that saw national champion Donald Thomas fall short of getting a medal with fourth place.

#“I didn’t jump as well as I am capable of jumping so I think I let the country down. But I will redeem myself.”

#Also competing or the first time at a major international meet, 21-year-old Jahmaal Wilson chalked it up to a learning experience, especially considering the fact that he was disqualified from the heats of the men’s 110m hurdles.

#“For me personally, it was a learning curve,” said the West Texas A&M standout. “It was an introduction to the big leagues for me,” he said. “I just have to do more training and work on my clearances over the hurdles and I will be okay.”

#Ravanno Ferguson, one of the coaches for the track team, said they had a good mixture of youth and experience on the team, which bodes well for the future.

#“I think it was a great experience for our athletes,” said Ferguson, who also serves as the first vice president of the BAAA. “We had six finalists from 10 athletes, so we can’t ask for anything more than that.

#“Our finalists did a really good job with two of them winning medals. So to me, it’s been a very successful showing from such a small team. I think we have something to work on as we look ahead to the future.”

#Track and field head coach Bernard Rolle said the athletes lived up to their expectations.

#“We had some good performances from the athletes as they went though the rounds,” he said. “We got the two medals from LaQuan Nairn and Devynne Charlton, but I think all of the athletes should be commended for how well they performed.

#“This was a very good young and experienced team to work with. I think they all have a bright future ahead of them. They just need to stick with it. We are looking for more performances like we have from our medallists in the next international event.”

#And veteran coach Peter Pratt, who worked directly with Nairn in the long jump and Kaiwan Culmer in the men’s triple jump, said he was glad that he got the opportunity to make the trip here to another games.

#“The experience here was tremendous,” he stated.

#“The athletes all did what they had to do. We expected to get a few more medals, but we’re happy with what we got. I think the athletes performed very well and they should be commended.”

#This was the second time around for Rashji Mackey in wrestling. While he had another team-mate this year making his debut in 32-year-old Thorn Demeritte, Mackey, 36, said he was glad that they both got to make their presence felt even though they were both stopped 10-0 in points by their opponents.

#“The whole experience for free style wrestling was exciting,” Mackey said. “Although we both lost, I think we got some experiences that should help to prepare us for the next competition. I know for me it was a challenge fighting out my weight class, but I did my best in the 85 kilo class.”

#Oria Wood, one of the Bahamas Olympic Committee’s vice presidents who assisted chef de mission Roy Colebrooke and team manager Rudolph Ferguson in Birmingham, said if there was one regret, it was the fact that the team was split up in the three different Games Villages.

#“We didn’t get to bond as a team because we were separated and so we didn’t get to see each other,” she said.

#“Everything went well for us at the University of Birmingham, except for the selection of food sometimes. I don’t know about the other locations.

#“Other than that, we had two more athletes getting on the medal stand in LaQuan Nairn and Devynne Charlton. So instead of us just looking at Shaunae (Miller-Uibo) and Stevie (Gardiner), we have some other athletes to look at because I know they will medal again at the next competition.”

#Colebrooke, a vice president of the BOC who also serves as the president of the Bahamas Cycling Federation, said the team on a whole performed very well.

#“Anytime you can come out with a medal or two and have athletes in the finals, I think you had a very successful games,” Colebrooke said.

#“I wished the cyclists had performed better, but they had their share of challenges and were not allowed to continue to compete. They will learn from it.

#“But on the whole, I think all of the athletes performed very well. We were glad to see Devynne add to our medal count in the hurdles.

#“But LaQuan was just outstanding in the long jump. Their performances helped to make the trip so successful. I want to thank all of the athletes who represented Team Bahamas.”

#There were a few spouses and a number of parents who came along to support their children and Colebrooke said wherever possible, the BOC made every effort to accommodate them so that they could be in the stands at the various sporting venues cheering on Team Bahamas.

#While the other disciplines, except boxing and cycling, will shut down their season, the majority of the track athletes will be heading to Grand Bahama for the NACAC Championships, scheduled for August 18-21 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex.

#Also during that weekend, Sawyer and Neely are expected to compete in a race in Grand Bahama August 20-21 before they head to Guyana for the Caribbean Cycling Championships in September and Williams will be preparing for his next pro show in Florida at the end of August.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/09/bringing-home-gold-silver-team-bahamas-makes-natio/?news

As of Wednesday, August 10, 2022

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Gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo during the World Athletics Championships medal ceremony. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Devynne Charlton, left, and LaQuan Nairn show off their silver (100 metre hurdles) and gold (long jump) medals respectively won at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#COMING on the heels of the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon three weeks ago and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, the focus now switches to the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships in the Bahamas.

#The event, to be hosted here for the first time, will be staged from August 18-21 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Grand Bahama and is expected to attract over 400 athletes from within the region.

#NACAC president Mike Sands said the event is gearing up to be one of the most competitive track and field meets ever to be held in the Bahamas, although all roads will lead into Grand Bahama.

#“We’re looking forward to the event in the next 10 days in Freeport, Grand Bahamas,” Sands said.

#“We have a preliminary list of about 420-450 athletes, but once the final submissions are in, we expect the numbers to remain pretty close to that.

#“We have some pretty interesting marquee names who will be attending, so we will do a full release on that in a short while. But we expect a very competitive event. Everyone is talking about it, the athletes, coaches and officials, who will be attending the event.”

#With so much anticipation for the event, Sands said there have also been some inquiries from persons attending, who just want to take a few days to relax and enjoy themselves in the Bahamas once the event is completed.

#“There are a couple of things that have sparked the interest of so many athletes,” according to Sands. “The winners in the vast majority of events and I say vast majority because there are several events like the marathon, distance running and the walk races, which does not apply, but the winners automatically qualify for the World Championships next year.”

#The 2023 World Championships is scheduled for Budapest, Hungary, and Sands said the winners in the majority of events contested in Grand Bahama would book their tickets as NACAC representatives and will only have to concentrate on their training.

#Additionally, NACAC will be offering a prize for all, including for the top three finishers. They will include $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.

#The relay teams, which will also get to qualify for the World Championships, will also collect prize money.

#“World Athletics is now moving to a ranking system as a part of their major qualifying system, so they will receive Diamond League type points awarded to athletes, based on their placing here,” Sands said.

#“As this meet has all of the makings of a real success in terms of the competition, the meet director was in Grand Bahama making sure that all of the nuts and bolts are tight and he’s working with the operational people in Grand Bahama.

#“The organisational delegate, who is also the general secretary, will be landing on Grand Bahama tomorrow, so the guys are working in tandem to make sure that all of the events are in place.”

#Bahamasair, Sands revealed, will be the official airline carrier and will take extra flights out of Miami, Florida into Grand Bahama for persons coming in from the region, including the Cuban delegation.

#“This is a very busy period, but everything is in order,” Sands disclosed.

#Sands, however, said he would prefer not to release the names of the marque athletes coming in, especially from Jamaica, which has submitted a list of more than 20 athletes, but they haven’t crystalised it yet.

#A number of athletes, including two-time Olympic and current world champion Shaunae Miller- Uibo, world indoor and Commonwealth Games silver 100m hurdler Devynne Charlton, sprinters Tynia Gaither and Terrance Jones, quarter-miler Alonzo Russell, high jumper Donald Thomas, triple jumpers Kaiwan Culmer and Tamara Myers and Commonwealth Games’ long jump gold medallist LaQuan Nairn are all expected to represent the Bahamas.

#Sands said while a budget has been compiled in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Finance, he was not at liberty to disclose the full amount. He, however, thanked the Bahamas Government, through the two ministries, for their assistance in making the event happen.

#“We always talk about the expenses, but we also have to look at the economic impact,” Sands said. “The fact that we are talking about sports tourism or Sports in Paradise, this is an event where we hope to have at least 450 persons on the island of Grand Bahama.

#“So it was a deliberate decision to host this event on Grand Bahama and I want to thank the support given to help stimulate the economy in Grand Bahama.

#“We have rooms all over Grand Bahama and so that means that the monies will be spread around.”

#The technical officials are expected to stay at Club Fortuna, the senior officials, including the council members and dignitaries, will be at the Lighthouse Pointe and the Athletes’ Village will be at the Breakers Cay.

#“When you look at the economic impact, the transportation, the meals, the accommodation that the visitors will spend, we take into consideration the temporary employment that will be needed to pull this event off,” Sands said.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/10/nacac-champs-grand-bahama-attract-over-400-athlete/

WORLD ATHLETICS CONTINENTAL TOUR

Tynia Gaither and Donald Thomas.

As of Thursday, August 11, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Sprinter Tynia Gaither and high jumper Donald Thomas, competing on the World Athletics Continental Tour 2022, got fifth and sixth place in their respective events as they continued to compete in Europe on Monday.

#Competing at the 12th Gyulia Istvan Memorial in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Gaither sped to a fifth place in the women’s 200 metres in 22.63 seconds as Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson took the victory in 22.02.

#Mujinga Kambundji, of Switzerland, was the runner-up in 22.45, while Americans Kayla White was third in 22.46 and Tamara Clark was fourth in 22.56. It was Gaither’s second straight meet since she left the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, where she placed seventh in the final of the women’s 100m behind Jamaican gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah.

#Gaither, the 29-year-old national 100m champion, just competed in the Slesia Wanda Diamond League on Saturday when she ran 22.70 for fourth place in a race that saw two-time Olympic and current world 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo place second in 22.35. Jackson won in 21.84.

#National champion Thomas, competing in his specialty in the men’s high jump at the meet in Hungary, was tied for sixth place with Péter Bakosi after they both cleared 7-feet, 0 1/4-inches or 2.14 metres.

#Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won the event with 7-4 ¼ (2.24m), the same height of Tobias Potye of Germany. Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko was third, Edgar Rivera of Mexico fourth and Péter Bakosi fifth, all with the same height of 7-1 ¾ (2.18m).

#It was Thomas’ first meet since Birmingham where he fell short of getting on the podium with fourth place in the men’s high jump at the Commonwealth Games.

#Today in the next meet in the Monaco Wanda Diamond League, Thomas and Miller-Uibo are expected to take to the track.

#Thomas, 38, is entered in the men’s high jump where he will be facing Qatar’s world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Americans JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen as well as Django Lovett of Canada. With some unfinished business in the 400m, 28-year-old Miller- Uibo will return to the 400m where she will contend with Barbados’ Sada Williams, who is coming off her Commonwealth Games record-setting performance in the women’s 400m in 49.90.

#Gaither, Thomas and Miller-Uibo are then expected to return home to compete in the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships.

#The latter event (see sidebar), is scheduled for August 18-21 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/10/gaither-5th-thomas-6th-hungary-meet/?news

FRANK RUTHERFORD, far left, is now in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, where he has conducted a number of basketball camps. He says he has found some raw talent in track and field that he hopes will not only be able to compete at CARIFTA, but become international stars in the future.

As of Thursday, August 11, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH the hosting of the 50th anniversary of the CARIFTA Games during the 50th Independence celebrations of the Bahamas, legendary Frank Rutherford and a few athletes are giving their assistance in seeking out the talent in the Family Islands and will make some recommendations on how the country can be successful at home against Jamaica.

#Rutherford, the first Bahamian to win an Olympic Games track and field medal and now an assistant coach at the University of Houston, will be joined by Rolando Greene, head coach at the University of Kentucky, Norbert Elliott at Purdue University and Fritz Spence at Penn State, just to name a few, have been approached by former coach Neville Wisdom to assist in a talent search programme.

#Now in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, where he’s conducted a number of basketball camps and has been able to recruit both Lashan Higgs and Winslow Barry Jr in the past, Rutherford said he’s found some raw talent in track and field that he hopes will not only be able to compete at CARIFTA, but become international stars in the future.

#“We have been embarrassed and totally outclassed by the Jamaicans over the past years and we can’t allow them to come here and do the same thing to us again in our backyard,” Rutherford said. “We have countless, huge amount of athletes in these Family Islands.

#“So over the next 10 years of my life, I’m going to dedicate myself to building a foundation because I’ve talked to so many of these winter home owners in Eleuthera and Harbour Island, who want proper facilities for basketball, track and field, baseball and softball that they are used to seeing in the United States.”

#In forming his foundation, Rutherford said he was assured by the winter owners that they would gladly make their contributions to assist in the development of the facilities through his series of meetings with them over the past few days. He noted that they would also like to see the development of health facilities as well.

#“One of the things I’m going to dedicate myself with over the next 10 years is that we have at least five to 10 track and field facilities built on these Family Islands as well as the baseball fields and basketball facilities and medical facilities where people can go and have the proper medical care on these islands.

#“We have too many billionaires, persons who have the money, but want to see the facilities built on the islands. They need some leadership. So that is what I’m doing here, while I’m looking at the talent that is available on the island.”

#Rutherford said he’s seen a number of athletes on Eleuthera, whom he feels can make a valuable contribution to the success of the CARIFTA team, but they just need to have their skills harnessed and given the opportunity to display their skills.

#“We obviously need a national sports programme, but I’m one who is sick and tired of us just leaning on the government to do everything,” he said. “I am going along with others to try and put together a sports development and civic foundation where billionaires will donate to this fund over years to make these facilities possible.”

#Rutherford is also recommending that the government seek and find the coaches who are willing to be paid to go to the Family Islands and work with the talent there.

#“It’s not going to start this year, obviously. It can start next year where we can pay these coaches so that they can go to these Family Islands and work with the athletes,” he said. “We need to take this thing away from the government and have a self-sustained programme to get these athletes to the next level.”

#Unlike what he’s done with football and basketball, Rutherford said it’s a lot more difficult to get the track athletes off to the United States but, through the government, they can develop a sustainable programme to get the coaches into the Family Islands to enhance the work being done there by the physical education teachers in the schools.

#“We need at least 10 national track and field coaches to make this work,” Rutherford said. “We have to set them up on these islands and the communities will assist them because they want to see their athletes get to the next level in representing the country.”

#“The programme can be set up similar to what coach Anthony Williams is doing in Abaco where he was able to produce Stevie Gardiner. We just need to look at more of these potential athletes that we have on the islands. They want the betterment for their kids, but we need a driving force right away.”

#Before Gardiner, Rutherford said there have been a number of outstanding athletes who came from the Family Islands like Chris Brown, the late Vernetta Rolle, Sevatheda Fynes, Troy McIntosh and Carl Oliver, just to name a few.

#Rutherford said it’s obvious that the Bahamas could do better in their quest to compete against Jamaica at CARIFTA, but every effort must be made to add the talent that is available in the Family Islands to those that are typically looked at in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/11/frank-rutherford-finds-some-raw-talent/?news

As of Thursday, August 11, 2022

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AARON Levarity

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#AARON Levarity will be headed to France’s Nationale Masculine 1 League for the third season of his professional career.

#Levarity has signed with CTC LYONSO Basket Territoire for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

#The Grand Bahama native spent his last two seasons with the Svendborg Rabbits of the Basketligaen, the highest level of basketball in Denmark.

#Last season he averaged 14.9 points and 11 rebounds per game in 36 contests. He also averaged 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

#In his first season with the Rabbits, Levarity averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game with the club. “LYONSO is happy to announce the arrival of Aaron Levarity within the club. This powerful and scoring 4-5 position comes from Svendborg Rabbits, a Danish first division club, and reinforces Maxence Broyer’s squad,” the organisation said in a press release. “The whole Team LYONSO welcomes Aaron and can’t wait to see him in action on the Canopée floor.”

#Levarity played collegiately at Milligan College in the NAIA where he became the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in his final two seasons under head coach Bill Robinson.

#The Bishop Michael Eldon graduate, who later attended the University of the Bahamas, became the Appalachian Athletic Conference leading scorer with 19.1 points per game, top rebounder with 12.5 rebounds per game and top shot blocker with 1.47 blocks per game in his senior season.

#His field goal percentage ranked seventh in NAIA Division II. He also ranked within the top 10 in four other categories, including both defensive and offensive rebounds per game.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/11/pro-basketball-player-aaron-levarity-signs-france/?news

As of Thursday, August 11, 2022

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Photo Gallery

Bahamian teams in action

GOOD EFFORT TEAM BAHAMAS: Both Bahamian teams were eliminated in the International Bracket quarterfinals at the Babe Ruth League’s Cal Ripken Baseball Major/70 World Series at the Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri, yesterday. The event featured 28 of the top teams representing various regions across the United States and countries around the world. The Caribbean Region champions suffered a 7-0 loss to Taiwan and Freedom Farm lost 1-0 to Aruba. Photos: Rotary Club of East Nassau, Rotary After Dark

#BRANSON, Missouri — Both Bahamian teams were eliminated in the International Bracket quarterfinals at the Babe Ruth League’s Cal Ripken Baseball Major/70 World Series.

#The Caribbean Region champions suffered a 7-0 loss to Taiwan and Freedom Farm lost 1-0 to Aruba yesterday at the Ballparks of America in Branson, Missouri.

#The event featured 28 of the top teams representing various regions across the United States and countries around the world.

#Aruba and Puerto Rico will face off in one half of the International Bracket while Taiwan and Mexico will meet in the other half.

#The Caribbean Region teams were the gold medallists from July’s Babe Ruth Regional Championships and the Freedom Farm team had an automatic bid into this year’s field.

#Freedom Farm opened with a 4-2 win over Australia followed by losses to Mexico (10-0), Puerto Rico (5-0) and Taiwan (10-2) in pool play.

#The Caribbean Region champions suffered losses to Aruba (5-1), Taiwan (10-0), and Mexico (10-0) before concluding pool play with an 11-2 win over Canada.

#Major/70 is a level of baseball beyond Little League but before professional baseball that allows players to play on 70-foot base paths with a 50-foot pitching distance. It also allows runners to take leads and steal for the first time, playing mainly by official baseball rules.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/11/cal-ripken-baseball-major70-world-series-bahamas-t/?news

 Home|Sports|Three Bahamians awarded FIDE titles as Chess Olympiad concludesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 11, 2022 209 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ Chess Olympiad Team completed competition at the 44th FIDE (International Chess Federation) Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India; and after an uphill battle at the start of the event, three Bahamians received conditional FIDE titles and the team scored the highest points by a Bahamian team in Chess Olympiad history.

Competition for the Bahamian team concluded on Tuesday with the completion of the 11th round. They were in action from July 29. The open team finished with eight points from 11 matches to rank 159th out of 188 participating nations. The female team scored seven points from 11 matches to finish 141st out of 162 nations. The two teams combined for 15 match points. Two points were awarded for a match win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss in the team competition.

Nelissa Thomas, Trinity Pinder and Noah Albury are the three players who received conditional FIDE titles. Thomas earned a conditional Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) title after she won five games and drew one to finish with 5.5 points from nine games. Pinder also earns a conditional WCM title as she won three games and drew one game to come away with 3.5 points in eight games. Albury played on the open team and earned a conditional Candidate Master (CM) title as he won four games and drew one game to finish with 4.5 points in seven matches.

In the final round, the open team faced Mali. In that round, Albury was the only player for The Bahamas to secure a victory as he took down Nadiaye Amadou who has a 1,968 FIDE rating. Albury has a rating of 1,324. FIDE Master Cecil Moncur and WCM Karelina Polina drew their matches in the final round. CM Kendrick Knowles lost his match in that round.

Moncur finished the competition with two wins and three draws to finish with 3.5 points in 11 matches. Knowles came away with four wins and a draw to score 4.5 points in 10 matches. He was able to secure back-to-back wins in the eighth and ninth rounds. Polina had two wins and two draws to come away with three points in nine matches. Dr. Kenville Lockhart finished with two wins to score two points in seven matches for The Bahamas’ open team.

The female team won three games in the final round against Timor-Leste. Winning their games in the final round were Thomas, WCM Daijah Johnson and Jayla Cargill. Chika Pride did not win her match in the final round.

In total, Johnson was impressive as she won four of her nine matches to score four points for her country. Cargill had three wins and a draw to finish with 3.5 points after playing nine matches. Pride, the youngest competitor, came away with two victories to score two points after nine matches.

It was a good showing by The Bahamas as the team members defeated or drew against players who were rated higher than them.

https://thenassauguardian.com/three-bahamians-awarded-fide-titles-as-chess-olympiad-concludes/

 Home|Sports|Will TyNia run at NACAC?Sports

Bahamian sprinter says she doubts she will compete at area championships in Freeport

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 10, 2022 344 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

From Eugene, Oregon, to Birmingham, England, to Chorzów, Poland, and finally to Székesfehérvár, Hungary, it’s been a busy three weeks for Bahamian sprinter TyNia Gaither, and now it appears that she can finally get some rest before heading home.

The Bahamian speedster has been named to Team Bahamas for the 4th North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Track and Field Championships, set for next weekend at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama, but the question is, will she run? Gaither has already said she doubts she will compete because of a compacted schedule.

Gaither, 29, hails from Freeport, Grand Bahama, and is regarded as the best female sprinter to come from the nation’s second city. So, one would naturally expect that she would want to run at home in Freeport in the first ever area championships to be held in The Bahamas. Additionally, a victory would give her a wildcard entry into next year’s World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Gaither is listed to run the 100 and 200 meters (m) in Freeport, as well as the women’s 4x100m relay. She is a part of a 30-member team that will represent The Bahamas here at home. However, it remains to be seen if Gaither will compete. Following NACAC, there are still a few more meets on the schedule in Europe before the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich, Switzerland, from September 7-8.

At her last event, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meet, dubbed the Gyulai István Memorial – Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix Meet, in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, on Monday, Gaither finished fifth in the women’s 200m in 22.63 seconds. Jamaican Shericka Jackson, the second-fastest woman ever in that event, won in 22.02 seconds, Mujinga Kambundji, of Switzerland, finished second in 22.45 seconds, and American Kayla White rounded out the top three in 22.46 seconds. Another American, Tamara Clark, also finished ahead of Gaither, shopping the clock in fourth in 22.56 seconds.

This has been a phenomenal year for Gaither, coming close to her personal best time (PB) in the 100m and setting a new PB in the 200m. The latter has always been her preferred event – she is a two-time World Athletics Championships finalist in the 200m, just missing a third straight finals appearance in Eugene, Oregon, this year. Still, she was able to run PB of 22.41 seconds in the women’s 200m semifinals in Eugene.

In the 100m, Gaither’s personal best time is 11.02 seconds – just outside the 11-second barrier. She is number eight all-time among Bahamians in the women’s 100m and number seven all-time among Bahamians in the women’s 200m.

Just one other Bahamian was in action at the Bregyó Athletic Center in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, on Monday.

Donald Thomas, now 15 years removed from that world title in Osaka, Japan, finished tied for sixth in the men’s high jump, clearing 2.14m (7’ 0-1/4”). Gianmarco Tamberi, of Italy, won that event, clearing 2.24m (7’ 4-1/4”). Tobias Potye, of Germany, finished second. He also cleared 2.24m but lost to Tamberi based on number of knockdowns. Andriy Protsenko, of the Ukraine, finished third with a clearance of 2.18m (7’ 1-3/4”).

Meanwhile, Gaither apparently has her sights set on finishing the season strong by qualifying for the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich. Just the top eight athletes in each discipline will qualify for the final. Gaither is currently in a four-way tie for fifth place in the women’s 200m standings with 10 points – five from a fourth place finish in Stockholm, Sweden, at the end of June, and five from a fourth place finish in Chorzów, Poland, on Saturday past.

If Gaither stays in the top eight, she will earn a chance to compete in the final in Zurich, where she will have an opportunity to be crowned Wanda Diamond League Champion.

In the last three weeks, Gaither has run eight races – four rounds of the 100m and another four rounds of the 200m. Be that as it may, she continues to progress nicely through what has been one of her better seasons in athletics.

https://thenassauguardian.com/will-tynia-run-at-nacac/

 Home|Sports|Jones heats up as Sun scorches SparksSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 11, 2022 129 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Playing in the ‘City of Angels’, Bahamian women’s professional basketball player Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones showed why she is the reigning Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Most Valuable Player (MVP). She had a big outing, particularly in the first half when she scored 18 of her 21 points. The Connecticut Sun blew past the Los Angeles Sparks, 97-71, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday.

The Sun were coming off a heartbreaking 94-91 loss to Chicago Sky on Sunday, but showed why they are a contender for the title this year with their bounce-back victory on Tuesday night.

Not only did the Grand Bahamian drop in 21 points, but she had her fourth straight double-double and 11th of the season as she added 10 rebounds. Jones went 8-for-12 from the field, shooting a blistering 66.7 percent on the night. Her long bombs were clicking as she went 3-for-4 from distance. Jones also made both of her shots from the charity stripe and added two assists.

Jones did all of that in just under 26 minutes on the floor. The Sun have won seven of their last nine games and sport a 23-11 win/loss record on the season. They are the third seed in the league, two games behind the Sky who have a 25-9 record.

Although it was a blowout win for the Sun, the game did not start the way the final score indicated. The Sparks started the game on a 10-2 run. Jones then made a jump shot and a layup to cut the Sparks’ lead to 10-6 with 7:34 left in the first quarter.

The Sun eventually took the lead when Natisha Hiedeman made a layup to put them up 11-10 with 5:56 left in the first quarter. Those points came amidst a 16-0 run by the Sun that saw them take an 18-10 with 3:57 left in the opening period. Jones had six of those 16 points.

At the end of the first quarter, the Sun led 27-17, and held the momentum going into the second period.

After scoring six points in the first quarter, the Grand Bahama native made it the ‘Jonquel Jones Show’ in the second quarter as she dropped in 12 points to give her team a 26-15 advantage. Jones made all four of her shot attempts and added two free throws in the second quarter. Jones’ final made shot of the first half was from deep. That shot with 38.9 seconds left in the first half put her team up 53-32. The score remained unchanged at the intermission.

It was still a dominant second half by the Sun as they never lost a quarter in this game. Jones made her final field goal of the game when she made a shot from the top of the three-point key to put her team up 84-60 with 6:31 left in the game. She was subbed out the game for good at the 5:27 mark. The Sun did not need her back on the court as they held on to win.

Coming into this game, Jones had 17 points and 10 rebounds, 14 points and 10 rebounds, and 10 points and 10 rebounds, in her last three games. It was also her fight straight game scoring in double digits. She averages 14.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in 31 games this season. She leads her team in points and rebounds. Jones is shooting 50.5 percent from the field this season, and has made 37 percent of her shots from deep.

Jones’ 8.7 rebounds per game ranks at number three in the league in that category.

The Sun have two more games left in the season and one of those is a rematch against the Sparks at the same venue. That game will be played tonight, and gets underway at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). They have already clinched the number three spot in the playoffs.

https://thenassauguardian.com/jones-heats-up-as-sun-scorches-sparks/