Home|Sports|‘Lonnie’ Greene committed to sports academySports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 29, 2023 59 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Rolando “Lonnie” Greene, arguably the most established and most influential Bahamian athletics coach, has made a commitment to assist with the development of young Bahamian athletes, and young people in general, in helping them to achieve their goals.

Greene, who serves as the head athletics coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats program, was in Budapest, Hungary, attending the 19th World Athletics Championships, as the personal coach for Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton and as a coach for other athletes as well.

Greene helped lead Charlton to a fourth place finish in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles, clocking 12.52 seconds in the final. Charlton had her best collection of races in that event on the global stage at the world championships, running a new national record of 12.44 seconds in the heats, 12.49 seconds in the semis, and 12.52 in the final.

She is now the fourth-best female short hurdler in the world and is aspiring for even greater heights in 2024. Greene was pleased with what Charlton did in Budapest and is optimistic that she will be on the medal podium at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.

“She ran well. She’s in an event where the window for error is probably greater than in any other track and field event for you to experience success,” said Greene. “I thought she could be on the podium. She ran 12.44 in the heats and then a 12.49 in the semis. I just wish the 12.44 would have showed up in the final. Delay is never denial. She is ready to run and we will be ready for Paris. That’s the objective – that’s our goal.”

Charlton is one of the fastest starters in that event in the world, and she proved that during the world championships, consistently being the first out of the blocks in her races and building a lead in the early 

portion of her races. The same took place in the final, but after hitting the first hurdle, that might have thrown her stride off a bit. Still, she recovered to finish fourth in the final in one of the fastest times in her career.

Indoors, Charlton won a silver medal in the 60m hurdles on the global stage, finishing second at the world indoor championships at Štark Arena, in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2022. Now, she wants to duplicate the medal success outdoors. Greene feels that she is in the right track.

“Indoors, we believe that she will make a run at the world record in the indoor 60, and then from there, it’s getting ready for Paris,” he said. “She’s got to get physically stronger. Sprinting is about power and distribution. Sprinting is about applying force and you get better at that with getting physically stronger. Mentally, she has broken through. She is one of the best hurdlers in the world. She is the fourth-best hurdler on Earth, but people don’t look at it like that. With more physical strength, you will see more power and then you will see more speed.”

Greene has guided Charlton for much of her athletic career, serving as her college coach at Purdue University and now continuing to coach her as an elite professional athlete. Charlton followed him to Lexington, Kentucky, and in addition to training, she serves as a volunteer coach at the university under Greene.

Greene is entering what will be his 37th year as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate coach. He is one of the coaches who has been mentioned to assist with the introduction of a national sports academy in The Bahamas, and pledged his commitment, saying he will do whatever he can to help young people.

“I’ve always said, whatever I could do to help young people, young individuals in The Bahamas, if it’s within my power, I’m available,” he said. “I would always hold them to the greatest standard of accomplishment of comportment, of academics and then lastly, athletics. I’m in the business of young people. At the end of the day, if I could give back, and help that academy that Dr. Danny Johnson talked about, I am all for that.

“There will come a time when I’m done, but in the meantime, I want to make an impact and I want to give back and mentor young Bahamians and young people in general. That’s the call that’s on my life. The reality is there has to be standards, there has to be a commitment not just from the government and not just from the academy but a commitment from the young people as well and their parents. Whatever connections are available to me are available to The Bahamas.”

Former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson spoke about the establishment of a national sports academy during the ministry’s team reception and luncheon in Budapest. Johnson said the idea behind the academy is to bring in college coaches to work with Bahamian athletes in assisting with their development, and coaches like Greene would go a long way toward bringing the program into existence.

The Bahamas finished in a five-way tie for 44th in the placing table with eight points at the world championships. The country is looking for a far greater showing at nest year’s world relays and the Olympic Games – the next two global outdoor meets on the athletics calendar in which The Bahamas participates.

The World Relays Bahamas 2024 is set for May 4-5, 2024, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence, The Bahamas, and the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, in Paris, France.

 Home|Sports|Lucius advances to the next roundSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 29, 2023 18 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian Jonathon Lucius experienced his first action in the International Esports Federation’s World Championship in Iasi, Romania, on Saturday. He was able to battle his way out of the first round of Tekken 7.

It is a huge improvement for the 25-year-old after being knocked out of the first round of last year’s world championship. He is being accompanied by Tyler Gordon, vice president of tournaments and events for the Bahamas Esports Federation (BESF).

“I feel really good that I made it to the next round. There were a few close calls, but I was confident in making it through. This year, I focused on playing more defensive instead due to a lot of the aggressive players in the tournament,” Lucius said.

The Bahamian went up against players from Norway, Iraq, Vietnam and Greece in best-of-three first round matches. Lucius opened the round with a 2-1 victory over the player from Norway before easily taking care of the player from Iraq 2-0. He was looking forward to playing against the player from Vietnam, and in the end he lost 2-1. His final match on Saturday was against the player from Greece, and it did not end in his favor as he lost 2-1.

In the end, he scored six points and finished in the number three spot to move on to the next round, the first round of playoffs, which is set for September 1.

“My most challenging match thus far was against Greece,” Lucius said. “It was a close back and forth, but at the end, he came victorious beating me 2-1 in the group, snagging first. I enjoyed the match with Iraq because it was a matchup I normally lose. Thankfully, I won the match 2-0 with a bizarre finish with a double KO which concluded with me winning the match.”

Lucius used yesterday as a rest day. His next opponent is not known as yet, but he has an idea who it will be and he is prepared for that match.

“From my predictions I believe I may face Madagascar, but as of right now, it’s up in the air until the playoff bracket is fully finalized. I will look to just practice and train over the next few days. My next opponent is a strong player who shocked the tournament with his performance,” Lucius said.

The tournament got underway on Thursday, August 24 and will wrap up on September 4. The opening ceremony was on Saturday.

 Home|Uncategorized|Sands committed to assisting with proposed programUncategorized

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 29, 2023 25 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – In order for the proposed national sports academy to take flight and come to fruition, all hands must be on deck.

Another Bahamian coach who was at the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and who has pledged his support is ‘Superman’ Leevan Sands.

Sands, an assistant coach at Florida State University (FSU) with responsibility for jumps, is the personal coach for Bahamian female triple jumper Charisma Taylor, who finished 29th at the world championships with a jump of 13.51 meters (m) – 44’ 4”. Her personal best outdoors is 13.99m (45’ 10-3/4”).

Sands said he had a great time in Budapest coaching Taylor, and is looking forward to the opportunity to help other Bahamian athletes through the proposed national sports academy.

“Budapest is lovely – this is an amazing place. What I loved the most was the support from the people. They came out and supported the event and were really engaged in what was going on,” he said. “With Charisma, I’ve watched her jump over her time in college and I’ve always been there to give advice. I’ve always seen her potential. She is a very determined young lady and I’m so happy to be able to work with her. I feel she is one of the best we have coming up in The Bahamas. She reminds me so much of myself by how determined she is and how she wants to win. I know she’s going to go back to the drawing board and she already told me she is not going to miss another final. At this point, we’re still learning each other. Once we go through the fall training together, and into next year, she will have a much better season.”

The duo has only been working out together for about a month, so really didn’t have much time to prepare for the Budapest World Championships. However, Sands said he is drawn to Taylor because of her work ethic and dedication to get better among other attributes.

“She definitely has the right mindset and talent to be one of the greatest jumpers that we have ever produced in The Bahamas,” said Sands.

That’s certainly high praise considering the source. Sands is arguably the greatest performer of the hop, skip and jump routine that The Bahamas has ever produced. He has experienced success at just about every level, and is the holder of the Bahamian national record outdoors – a leap of 17.59m (57’ 8-1/2”) for the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Sands said he knows there is an abundance of talent in athletics in The Bahamas and is prepared to work in the program at the proposed national sports academy to help nurture that talent.

“Anything to help the youngsters in the community and find those diamonds in the rough, I would definitely be on board with something like that. I’ve always been an advocate for something like that,” he said.

Former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson spoke about the establishment of the national sports academy during the ministry’s team reception and luncheon in Budapest. Johnson said the idea behind the academy is to bring in college coaches to work with Bahamian athletes in assisting with their development.

Sands is entering his third season as an assistant coach for the FSU track and field program. Prior to his time at FSU in Tallahassee, Florida, Sands served as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado, for two years.

He is looking forward to the opportunity to come home to The Bahamas and assist with the national sports program.

The Bahamas finished in a five-way tie for 44th in the placing table with eight points at the world championships.

New York tightens up race for top seed in the WNBA playoffs

New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, left, of The Bahamas, guards Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game on August 15 in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

As of Tuesday, August 29, 2023

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#By DOUG FEINBERG

#AP Basketball Writer

#NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 25 points and Breanna Stewart added 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to help the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 94-85 last night in the final regular-season meeting between the teams.

#Grand Bahamian Jonquel Jones contributed four points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes on the floor.

#The Liberty cut the Aces’ lead in the race for the top overall seed in the playoffs to 1 1/2 games, with only a handful left to play.

#The teams potentially wouldn’t meet again until the WNBA Finals. They split their four regular-season games.

#New York (28-7) has won four straight since losing in Las Vegas on August 17.

#Las Vegas (30-6) got off to a hot start and led 16-7 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter before New York took over behind Ionescu.

#The Liberty outscored the Aces 31-10 over the next 11 minutes to go up 38-26 with 3:10 left in the half.

#New York led 47-35 at the half as Ionescu had 17 points, much to the delight of the sellout crowd of 11,615 that showed up for the rare Monday night game.

#A’ja Wilson scored 15 of her 23 points in the first half for Las Vegas. Jackie Young had 24 to lead the Aces.

#The Aces never really threatened in the second half as the lead didn’t dip to single digits until Young hit a 3-pointer with 1:23 left that made it 90-82.

#The game did have a few chippy moments in the second half, with words being exchanged between a few players after a hard foul.

#Jonquel Jones also got charged with a flagrant one foul after a review for getting entangled with Cayla George.

#Stewart and Wilson are two of the favourites to win the league’s MVP award, along with Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas.

#New York had a custom pizza truck at the arena hyping up Stewart’s MVP credentials, as well as a few other award candidates.

#The Aces were finishing off a tiring road trip that saw them play four games in seven days. That also included a stop at the White House to celebrate their 2022 WNBA championship.

#Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said before the game that she considered resting her starters either against Washington or against New York, but the players vetoed the idea.

Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., centre, poses for photos with teammates Josh Bell, left, and Jake Burger at the launch party for the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, Monday, in Miami.

As of Tuesday, August 29, 2023

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Jazz Chisholm Jr, centre, chats with Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, right, and Marlins president of business operations Caroline O’Connor, left.

Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., centre, shares a laugh as he poses for photos with teammate Jonathan Davis, left, and Marlins manager Skip Schumaker.

#MAIN PHOTO: Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr., centre, poses for photos with teammates Josh Bell, left, and Jake Burger at the launch party for the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, Monday, in Miami.

#The foundation will support the development of The Jazz Chisholm Foundation Little League in Nassau, Bahamas, as well as community goodwill programs in Miami.

#(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Devynne Charlton and Anthonique Strachan at the World Athletics Championships. (AP photos)

As of Monday, August 28, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Two finalists, one sparked by a national record-breaking performance, along with a pair of injuries highlighted the Bahamas team’s appearance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

#The nine days of intense competition, which saw the Bahamas fail to win a medal and didn’t have any team entered in the relays competition, came to a close yesterday.

#Devynne Charlton, improving on her sixth place finish at last year’s championships in Eugene, Oregon, came so close, but was fourth in her quest to get on the podium in the women’s 100 metres hurdles.

#She advanced to her second straight final, fuelled by lowering her new national record time to 12.44 in the first round. The Commonwealth Games silver medallist from last year did 12.49 in the semifinal, but her time of 12.59 kept her out of contention for her first global medal.

#The other finalist was Anthonique Strachan, who breezed through the first round of the women’s 200m in a victory in 22.31. She did 22.30 for third in her heat and the eighth and final spot to get into the final.

#The double sprint World Junior Championship from 2012, in making her first global final as a senior athlete, celebrated her 30th birthday with a sixth place finish in 22.29.

#Tito Moss, the assistant team leader and track coach for the team, summed up the Bahamas’ performance overall as a mixed bag of results.

#“Obviously, the two best performances were by Devynne Charlton in reaching the women’s final in the 100m hurdles and finishing fourth, followed by Anthonique Strachan making her first major world championship final by placing sixth,” Moss said.

#“These were the highlight performances for the Bahamas, but we also had some injuries to LaQuan Nairn in the men’s long jump and Steven Gardiner in the men’s 400m.”

#Notwithstanding what transpired with those athletes, Moss said the Bahamas can also be proud of the efforts by Charisma Taylor in the women’s triple jump, Rhema Otabor in the women’s javelin and Shakeem Hall-Smith in the men’s 400m hurdles, who made their debut on the global stage.

#He also noted the tremendous effort by Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who competed in the women’s 400m by virtue of getting a bye as the defending champion. But four months after delivering her baby boy, Maicel Uibo, she didn’t advance out of the first round.

#Alonzo Russell also failed to advance out of the first round of the men’s 400m. “We had some very great performances and we had some heartbreaking injuries and then we had some athletes who got their feet wet.”

#Moss said the management team was hoping to get at least a medal or two, but they settled for the national record by Charlton and it showed that there’s a ray of hope going into the Olympic Games in Paris, France, in 2024.

#The Bahamas also had a chance to compete in the women’s 4 x 100m relay, but the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations opted not to take a team because they felt there were not sufficient women to make up the team. As a member of the BAAA executive board, Moss said he would have loved to have seen the women’s team, and even the men’s team, compete at the championships, if they had gotten the opportunity.

#“The competition was keen, but I think this would have been a good building block to get us ready for the World Relays in 2024 in Nassau,” said Moss about the event.

#The World Relays returns for the sixth edition after the first three were held in 2014, 2015 and 2017 before moving to Yokohama, Japan, in 2019 and staged last in 2021 in Chorzow, Poland.

#Next month, Moss said the BAAA, headed by president Drumeco Archer, will hold their conclave when they will lay their foundation in regards to getting their pools ready for the World Relays, which serves as a qualifier for World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. “We will also identify some competition early for the potential Team Bahamas to participate in to be as sharp as possible for the World Relays,” Moss said.

#“We believe that the 4 x 1 men, the 4 x 1 women as well as the mixed 4 x 4 relay team will give us the highest chance of qualifying for the Olympics. But that does not mean that we won’t contest the 4 x 4 for both men and women.”

#Moss said they will also be communicating with the collegiate coaches to ensure that they have access to their athletes who have the potential to compete on these relay teams next year.

#Once they host their conclave, Moss said they hope to solidify their plans going forward as they reflect on the past performances from the World Championships.

The 2023 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon wraps up with Barbados claiming first place, Bermuda finishing second, and The Bahamas ending the two-day competition in third. Photos: Tenajh Sweeting

As of Monday, August 28, 2023

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Team Bahamas celebrates after placing third at the 2023 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon this past weekend. Photos: Tenajh Sweeting

Team Barbados celebrates after placing first overall at the 2023 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE host country finished third at the 2023 CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships this past weekend at Goodman’s Bay.

#The Bahamas accomplished a much better showing at home following last year’s fifth place finish in Bermuda. Barbados repeated as champions once again, earning a first place finish at the event.

#Second place went to last year’s host country Bermuda. Trinidad and Tobago ended the two-day championships in fourth for the second straight year, meanwhile, Aruba dropped down to fifth overall.

#Day one – Triathlon

#On Saturday, the Menzies brothers both brought home the first set of medals for Team Bahamas. Lauchlan Menzies captured a gold medal finish in the male 11-12 division. The 12-year-old competed in a trio of events, including a 200m swim, 5 kilometre (km) biking, and 1.5k run. The younger brother finished the events with an overall time of 21:15. In the swimming portion of the event, he had the third best time with 5:42.

#Although he appeared winded after competing in multiple events, L Menzies was excited about the win at home.

#“It feels amazing because I have never done that. The last CARIFTA I did, I came 13th…my favourite part was the bike because that’s the part where I dropped people the most. For the swim, I came out of the water third which was one of my strongest parts and then the run someone hunted me down but I outran him at the end,” Menzies said.

#Malcolm Menzies, his older brother, placed second for the second consecutive year in the 13-15 division of the male’s triathlon.

#Bermuda’s Jackson Langley completed the trio of events, including a 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5k run with a time of 32:56.

#Menzies stopped the clock at 33:28 ahead of Bermuda’s Ollie Hayward who placed third. The silver medallist finished first in the swimming portion of the event, emerging from the water first in 6:25. He also turned in a good showing for the 10km biking which he completed second in 16:00. He talked about how it felt to earn the silver medal for The Bahamas once again.

#“It was good to come out with a silver medal in front of all my family and friends. The swim put me in a great position but Langley is insane at running so I could not take him, but overall it felt great,” he said.

#Ralph Wood was one of two competitors in the men’s 21 and under triathlon. He finished the event behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Liam McLaughlin. Wood ended the 750m swim, 20km bike and 5k run with a time of 1:19:09.

#Erin Pritchard, who finished second in the 13-15 division last year, secured a bronze medal in the women’s 16-19 division of the triathlon. She wrapped up her 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5k run in 1:14:39.

#Day two – Aquathlon

#Yesterday, Team Bahamas added more medals to their total to earn the third place position at the championships.

#Grace Farrington earned a bronze medal in the 16-19 division of the women’s aquathlon. Farrington finished her 1,000m swim and 5k run with a time of 40:51. She finished behind Isis Gaskin from Barbados and Nina James of Grenada. The newest bronze medallist got out of the water first after clocking 17:05 to complete the swimming portion of the aquathlon. She completed her run with the fourth best time of 23:25.

#She was overwhelmed as she talked about the bronze medal finish.

#“It feels really good, this was my first ever CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships so I just wanted to go out and do my best. I am a past CARIFTA swimmer so I just wanted to push myself and knew that I could do well,” Farrington said.

#On day two of the championships, Wood came second in the 21 and under aquathlon. He completed the event with a time of 45:00. Wood got the best of McLaughlin in the swimming part of the event but his opponent pulled away in the 5k run to earn the win.

#The two-day event ended this past Sunday at Goodman’s Bay.

CHAMPIONS UNITE: Winners of the 29th AID Clay Court Tennis Championships hoist their championship hardware following two weeks of competition at the Gym Tennis Club in Winton Meadows.

As of Monday, August 28, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE 29th edition of the Automotive and Industrial Distributors (AID) Limited Clay Court Championships culminated after two weeks of competition at the Gym Tennis Club in Winton Meadows.

#The tournament took place from August 12-26 featuring tennis action in the men and women’s singles and doubles matchups. The categories included the men and ladies open singles and doubles, men’s junior veteran singles and doubles, and the mixed doubles.

#Caila Bowe claimed the championship honours in the women’s open singles. In her first ever appearance at the Clay Court Championships, she got to work early.

#Bowe first eliminated the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Esther Newton 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals to take on Sh’Ron Saunders. The latter would not be an easy opponent for the younger competitor as she previously won the mixed doubles in 2022.

#Bowe ultimately came out on top in the initial set of the final round, winning 6-2. She remained focused in the final set, wrapping up the match 6-1 to win her first match at the AID Clay Court Championships.

#“It feels pretty good, it was hard to win at first but I got through. It was a good match but a pretty tough opponent but I ended up coming out on top which I am really happy for,” Bowe said.

#She added that her first time experience at the 29th edition of the championships was pretty good and she is looking forward to joining more tournaments.

#Cory Francis earned the singles win in the men’s category. Francis got on the tennis court against Harrington Saunders. His opponent had earned wins against Andrae Nairn and Anthony Munnings in two sets apiece to solidify a spot in the finals.

#Francis and Saunders went down to the wire in the first set which favoured the newest champion 7-6 (7). In the final remaining set, Francis capitalised after a gruelling opening set and dropped his opponent 6-1 to claim the title.

#The men’s single winner also capitalised on another victory alongside partner Kenwood Kerr in the men’s junior veteran doubles. The team was ranked number one in the category and dropped John Fong and Franklyn Williams 6-2, 6-1 to hoist the championship trophy.

#Marvin Rolle and last year’s men’s 35-and-over doubles champion Wayne Thompson teamed up to close out their opponents in the men’s open doubles category. The duo defeated the doubles team of Bobby Chen and Fong 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinals. Ultimately, the team cruised to a championship win following a victory against Patrick Fernander and Larry Rolle in two sets 6-3, 6-1.

#Thompson talked about how it felt to compete at the Clay Court Championships for another consecutive year.

#“It was fantastic because when you plan towards something and you are able to target and achieve the goal it is great…we want to encourage all Bahamians, especially those 35 and over, to know some exercise along with camaraderie builds healthy relationships, helps your blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels,” he said.

#Tom McDermott and Saunders repeated as champions for the second straight year in the mixed doubles event.

#The mixed team emerged victorious in their semifinals match against president of the BLTA Perry Newton and his wife. They lost the first set 7-6 (5). However, the duo won set two 6-4 and ultimately won the tiebreaker 10-3. In the finals, the team wrapped up Fernander and Della Pinder in the first set 6-2. They lost the following set 7-6 (5) but came out on top 11-9 in the tiebreaker to get the win.

#The two were very excited to talk about their second consecutive win.

#“We have competed in this for two years, we won last year and we have regained our title this year. It was different this year because there was more competition, both matches were very close and went to tiebreakers,” McDermott said.

#Saunders said the competition was very fierce this time around and as the years go by, she believes it is going to be harder to defend the title.

#Shaun Mahelis left the Clay Court Championships with the men’s junior veteran singles title. He upsetted the fourth-seeded Alejandro Mesples in two sets 6-1, 6-2.

#After the ending of two weeks of tennis play at the AID title sponsored Clay Court Championships, Janelle Watson-Davis from the company’s board of directors had some final words.

#“AID is a company that really prides itself on community. One of the reasons why the company sponsors the tournament is because the chairman is an avid tennis player and loves the sport,” Davis said.

#She added that overall the aim of the company is to keep the sport going in The Bahamas, and to provide opportunities that introduce new persons to it.

#The competition ended after two weeks at the Gym Tennis Club this past Saturday.

 Home|Sports|The Bahamas ends in a five-way tie for 44thSports

The United States dominates the medal and points standings; Archer optimistic about 2024

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 28, 2023 25 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – More than 2,000 athletes from more than 200 countries took part in the 19th World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, over the past nine days, and despite finishing with no medals for the first time in 10 years, The Bahamas had a respectable showing.

At last tally, The Bahamas ended in a five-way tie for 44th with eight points – five from Devynne Charlton for her fourth place finish in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles and three from Anthonique Strachan for her sixth place finish in the women’s 200m.

Just the top eight finishers in each event scored points.

The United States dominated both the medal and points standings. They won 29 total medals – 12 gold, eight silver and nine bronze. Their neighbors to the north, Canada, was second in the medal standings with six total medals – four gold and two silver. Spain finished third with five medals – four gold and a silver. Jamaica was the top Caribbean country in the medal standings, finishing fourth overall, with 12 total medals – three gold, five silver and four bronze.

The order of finish in the medal standings is based on quality of medals – total number of gold first, then total number of silver and finally total number of bronze. 

In the points standings, The United States came out on top with 277 points. Jamaica was second with 139 points, and Kenya rounded out the top three with 112 points.

“We came out empty, but I believe that the Bahamian people ought to give an assessment of the quality of the performances,” said Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA). “There were some great performances, given the circumstances, and then there were some disappointments. We also had a number of major injuries. Some of our athletes weren’t able to come to these world championships. TyNia Gaither was plagued with injuries for the entire season, and a number of our other athletes were out, which prevented us from fielding a formidable women’s 4x100m relay team.”

The women’s 4×100 meters was the only relay in which The Bahamas qualified for the world championships. However, due to a conflicting schedule between one of the lead runners and her individual event, injuries to others, and simply a lack of legs, The Bahamas was unable to field a team. It’s not a good sign going into the World Relays Bahamas 2024, but Archer is optimistic that they could get teams together and that they could have a good representation at home.

“The world relays is a seminal event for The Bahamas. It’s more than just  competition for us. It’s a way of showcasing the country as a threat on the world stage again,” aid Archer. “We have an opportunity to show the world that we are the champions that we claim to be. This is the precursor to the Olympic Games in so far that this is the only real qualifying event for the relays. Out of the 16 countries who will be competing at the Olympic Games, 14 of those countries would be determined from the world relays, so this is an important opportunity for us. I believe that the athletes are ready to go and there will be an opportunity for Team Bahamas to get in the medal count, both at the world relays and at the Olympics next year.”

The top 14 teams in the men and women’s 4x100m relay, the men and women’s 4x400m relay, and the mixed 4x400m relay, from the world relays, will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. It’s a huge opportunity for The Bahamas to get a number of relay teams qualified.

The 2023 season is nearing a close. The Bahamas might not have gotten on the medal stand at the world championships but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The country’s two biggest stars, Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, are expected to be near top form going into the Paris Olympic Games. Devynne Charlton and Anthonique Strachan are in their prime years and are steadily improving. TyNia Gaither, a two-time finalist at the world championships in the women’s 200m, should be back from injury, and young stars like Charisma Taylor, Rhema Otabor and Terrence Jones, who all competed at the Budapest World Championships, are up and coming and are expected to benefit from their experience from a global meet on the senior side.

Archer likes what he sees from the track and field stars of The Bahamas.

“In as much that we might not have gotten all that we would have set our eyes to achieve at these world championships, I think that we need to put things into perspective. I’m excited about bringing this season to a close,” he said. “We’ve had some wonderful memories in track and field this year, and at the end of the day, the outlook for 2024 is promising.”

Going into 2024, The Bahamas is hoping to build off its performance at the world championships and have strong showings at both the World Relays Bahamas 2024 and the Pars Olympic Games.

The world relays is set for May 4-5, 2024, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence, The Bahamas, and the Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, in Paris, France.

 Home|Sports|Strachan finishes sixth in the women’s 200mSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 28, 2023 23 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Anthonique Strachan is sixth in the world – her highest ever finish at the world championships – and she did it in her second-fastest time ever.

The 19th World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Stadium in Budapest, Hungary, climaxed on Friday with a sixth-place finish for The Bahamas in the women’s 200 meters (m) final, and given the caliber of runners who were in action, sixth is not bad at all.

Strachan clocked 22.29 seconds – her second-fastest time ever – and said afterwards that she was satisfied with how the race went and content with the final result, knowing that she was running in her first global final, on the senior side, and knowing that she laid it all out on the track.

Running out of lane three, Strachan found herself trailing the front runners coming off the curve but powered her way down the home stretch, like she always does, blowing past former world champion Dina Asher-Smith, of Great Britain, and securing the sixth-place finish. The others were too far gone, but Strachan’s resilience and determination on the home stretch enabled her to finish strong and clock 22.29 seconds.

“This is my first world championships where I did not leave hurt, first time making a global final, so I’m taking the positive out of it,” said Strachan. “At the end of the year, I’m still going to be top eight in the 200 meters regardless and my season isn’t done yet, so there is still time for improvement.

“This just goes to show that the sacrifices I made this season are paying off, which means that next season, going into an Olympic year, I’m going to sacrifice even more, just go 10-fold. I know now that I am top tier. I didn’t lose what I had as a junior. I still have it and I just have to go from there.”

Shericka Jackson, of Jamaica, successfully defended her world title, winning the gold medal in a new championship record of 22.41 seconds, solidifying herself as the second-fastest woman ever, over that distance, behind the late Florence Griffith-Joyner. ‘Flo Jo’, as she was known as, is still listed as the world record holder with a time of 21.34 seconds – a time that has come under dispute many times as being illegitimate, with pundits citing the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Be that as it may, Jackson was in a league by herself Friday night. Running out of lanes eight and nine, Americans Gabrielle Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson were second and third in times of 21.81 and 21.92 seconds, respectively. Richardson’s time was a personal best for her.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I double sprint champion Julien Alfred, of St. Lucia, finished fourth in 22.05 seconds. Daryll Neita, of Great Britain, was fifth in a personal best time of 22.16 seconds, and Strachan finished ahead of Asher-Smith and Marie-Josée Ta Lou, of the Ivory Coast, to take the sixth spot. Asher-Smith finished seventh and Ta Lou was eighth.

Strachan powered past Asher-Smith on the straight away. The back half of her 200 is always her stronger portion of the race, and it was no different on Friday night.

“I know that I have a lot of strength and endurance. I just kept telling myself to start it like a 100m race. I tried to do that – I don’t think I did it 100 percent but it was definitely better than what I did in the semis. It will all come together sooner or later. It has to,” she said.

Strachan said she will attempt to qualify for the Diamond League Final and finish the year strong before taking a break and then beginning preparation for an Olympic year in 2024. The 2024 Summer Olympics is set for July 26 to August 11, 2024, in Paris, France.

“I’m going to do some 100s to build more speed for the 200. I probably will regret saying this, but do some decent 400s as well,” said Strachan. “I will be ready for next year. I just want to say thank you to the Bahamian people so much. I see all the love and support that you guys sent over the past three days with me competing here at worlds. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks to the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture. He reached out to me and congratulated me on making my first final. Hopefully, this will reflect into something nice,” she added.

For her efforts, Strachan will pocket $7,000 prize money from World Athletics. The total purse is about eight and half million dollars. For her fourth-place finish in the women’s 100m hurdles, Devynne Charlton will pocket $16,000 from World Athletics. At this time, it’s unsure if they will be compensated by the government of The Bahamas, and if so, how much. The figures and incentives in the government’s remuneration program for the world championships have fluctuated, not being consistent, over the years.

Also, it’s not certain how being a global finalist would affect Strachan’s salary in the government’s subvention program.

Like Charlton, Strachan produced her best collection of races, in any one event, at the world outdoor championships this year. She ran times of 22.31, 22.30 and 22.29 seconds in the women’s 200m, improving by one, one hundredth of a second in each round. It’s three of the four fastest times in her career, trailing just the personal best run of 22.15 seconds she ran at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athletisme de Rabat in Rabat, Morocco, earlier this year.

At 30, she’s had the best year of her life in athletics, running personal best times in both the 100 and 200m, and climaxing the year with a sixth-place finish in the latter at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Strachan appears to be getting better with age and that could be a good sign for her going into next year’s Olympics in Paris, France. She knows that it will take a mammoth effort to get on the medal podium at the Olympics and she’s ready and prepared for the challenge.

Strachan’s race was the final event for a Bahamian athlete at the world championships this year. The Bahamas ended the meet with two finalists – Charlton in the women’s 100m hurdles and Strachan in the women’s 200m, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively.

This is the first world championships since 2013 in which The Bahamas will not finish with a medal.