As of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE National Sports Awards is less than two weeks away and the names of the top nominees have started to roll in.

#The sports presentation is scheduled to take place on the front lawn of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium at 6:30pm on Saturday, November 4.

#Three out of the 26 categories to be awarded have been revealed and more of the names will be unveiled as the week progresses.

#With the sporting year winding down for the majority of the disciplines, it is now the time for athletes and sporting organisations to receive their flowers.

#The nominations for the Prime Minister’s Cup award are in. The category considers athletes who put the country first and display elements of national pride in their athletic abilities.

#The individual not only figuratively wears the national flag in their hearts, but also encourages teammates and fellow Bahamians to follow suit.

#Hurdler Devynne Charlton was nominated from the Athletics sporting discipline.

#Other candidates include tennis players Justin Roberts and Marvin Rolle, Miami Marlins star Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, Indiana Pacers shooting guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield, former WNBA MVP Jonquel “JJ” Jones, equestrian Anna Camille Vlasov and bodybuilder Terrion Kemp.

#The next category up for grabs will be the National Team of the Year Award.

#The national teams had strong showings across the various sporting disciplines all year.

#The award will go to the team that had the most outstanding performances and achievements during the 2022-2023 sporting season.

#Nominees will feature the CARIFTA swim team, CARIFTA track and field team, men’s national basketball team, men’s national beach soccer team, and the Bahamas Special Olympics team.

#The Community Sports award will be presented to a programme that uses sports to make an impact in the community by helping to develop athletes or bringing citizens together. This year’s nominees are the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, Island Luck Cares Foundation, Peace on Da Streets Organization, One Eleuthera Foundation, and the Buddy Hield Foundation.

#Other awards to be presented are junior and senior high school student athlete (male and female), Family Island student athlete, collegiate athlete of the year, national secondary athletic school of the year (junior and senior), community sports award, Family Island Sports Council of the Year, youth national team of the year, national coach of the year, federation of the year, tourism impact award, Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) award, Leevan Sands Courage, athlete of the year with disability (male and female), national sportsmanship, and the Minister of Sports- for excellence.

#Federations provided a pool of nominees for the above listed awards.

#The nominations for the remaining categories are expected to be released in the upcoming days from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture.

ORGANISERS, including Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting, centre, discuss the hosting of the sixth edition of the Best-of-the-Best Regatta in Montagu Bay November 30 to December 3.

As of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE sixth edition of the Best-of-the-Best Regatta returns to Montagu Bay from November 30 to December 3.

#Officials of the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs and stakeholders made the announcement of the four-day event at a press conference yesterday.

#More than 200 sailors are expected to make waves in four different classes – A, B, C, and D. Additionally, junior sailors will showcase their abilities and compete at the sporting event.

#Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting has high expectations for this year’s event.

#“April of this year, sailing was named our national sport much to the delight of people across The Bahamas. For the first Best of the Best Regatta since the national sport designation, our expectations are very high, we hope to bring more than 200 Bahamian sailors from varying generations for the largest regatta purses in Bahamian sloop sailing history,” Sweeting said.

#The four classes will have representatives from the Family Islands inclusive of Long Island, Exuma, Acklins, Ragged Island, Cat Island and Mayaguana.

#The preliminaries begin on Thursday, November 30 and the final events kick off on Sunday.

#With sailing now named the national sport, the minister said that sailors are excited to start the competition.

#“I think that the excitement is around sailing being named, prior to that we have been able to help create an excitement along with the skippers and boat builders within sailing…we try to be a part of what they do.”

#“We continue trying to invest and help to develop the sport in different ways. Youth sailing is one avenue we have been able to do that and it started to become very popular.

#“We are very happy that the sailors continue to support us,” Minister Sweeting said.

#The event will be livestreamed once again and large televisions are expected to be on the site.

#The event organisers want to give the public on the Family Islands and around the world, who are unable to commute to the event, a chance to watch the talented sailors.

#The public is encouraged to come out to view live entertainment on the waters and on land.

#Bahamian artists will perform and there will also be games played and giveaways.

#Last year’s Best of the Best Regatta was hosted December 1-4. Eight boats were in competition in Class A and B. Meanwhile, Class C had 32 boats on the waters.

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He lowered his own national record by more than a tenth of a second at Pan Am Games

• Simba French
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Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor lowered his own national record in the men’s 50 meters (m) freestyle on Tuesday, and powered his way to win a bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, in the process.

Taylor touched the wall in the pool at the Centro Acuático in Santiago, in 22.13 seconds, swimming out of lane one. That time crushed his previous personal best time of 22.26 seconds that was set back in July of this year at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Taylor, who is looking to swim at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games, missed out on attaining the Olympic Consideration Time of 22.07 seconds.https://9be9ee3263a4a627d55286cf5000082b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Taylor, 20, secured The Bahamas’ first medal at the games, wrapping up his competition. In the morning session, he swam a time of 22.48 seconds, finishing with the seventh fastest time out of the preliminaries. He is known to keep a little in the tank for the final, and true to form, he did just that.

Victoria Russell was also in the pool on Tuesday, competing in the women’s 50m freestyle. She swam out of lane three in the second heat and was able to touch the wall in 27.54 seconds. Russell placed sixth in that heat. Winning that heat was Chile’s Ines Marin who touched the wall in 26.57 seconds.

The women’s 50m free gold medal was secured by Canada’s Maggie MacNeil with a time of 24.84 seconds.

The two swimmers were the only Bahamian athletes to compete yesterday.

Starting the Bahamian contingent in competition today will be Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson in the women’s 200m individual medley (IM). Also competing in the pool in the 200m IM today will be Emmanuel Gadson on the men’s side. The women’s 4x100m medley relay team of Thompson, Russell, Katelyn Cabral and Ariel Weech will compete in that event, swimming out of heat one.

Bahamian tennis players Sydney Clarke and Justin Roberts return to action on the court today after an off day yesterday. The duo will play in mixed doubles against Paraguay’s Leyla Britez and Martin Vergara on Court Two at Centro Deportivo de Tenis in Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile.https://9be9ee3263a4a627d55286cf5000082b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The Bahamas has 20 athletes who are competing at the games. The country will be represented in six disciplines – tennis, sailing, swimming, athletics, golf and wrestling. There are nine swimmers, five athletes in athletics, three tennis players, one sailor, one golfer and one wrestler.

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After getting his feet wet at the world level in 2023, Bahamian hurdler Shakeem Hall-Smith is prepared to take it a step further this season, making it through the rounds and possibly winning a medal at the Olympics.

The top long hurdler had a breakout year in 2023, running the four fastest times of his career in the 400 meters (m) hurdles, capped by a personal best run of 49.25 seconds for the top spot at the Harry Jerome Track Classic at McLeod Athletic Park Stadium, in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, in mid July.

“I felt like I could have done so much better last season, but overall, I’m happy with the results. I started my Fall training late last year, but went at it hard, getting ready for indoors. I kept training, got race sharp and my times eventually dropped,” he said. “My mind is set on breaking the national record and I will continue to hold myself to a high standard. It’s not going to be easy but I’m prepared to put in the hard work. I’m a strong believer in if you dedicate yourself to the process, anything is possible. I have a strong trust in my coach and in my training group. We’re all working hard, we’re all world-class athletes and anything is possible. I have no doubt that I will be successful.”

Gibson’s national record is 48.17 seconds and the automatic qualifying time for the Olympics is 48.70 seconds. Hall-Smith has three major global meets in his sights for 2024 – the world indoors in Glasgow, Scotland in March, the world relays in Nassau, The Bahamas, in May, and the Olympics in Paris, France, at the end of July and the beginning of August.

Hall-Smith said it wasn’t easy getting to the point where he is now. In fact, he said he contemplated walking away from the sport before coming in contact with current coach Mickaël Hanany of France. Hall-Smith is a part of a professional group of about 15 athletes training under Hanany, a former high jumper, in El Paso, Texas.

“He’s very knowledgeable and very experienced. He made it work in a short period of time and I really appreciate him,” said Hall-Smith. “He encouraged me to give it a shot after I thought about giving up. My teammates and my coach push me every single day in practice. I just have to continue working hard trust his (Coach Hanany) training. Practice is extremely hard. It takes a lot of dedication and focus but I’m fully prepared mentally and spiritually. I have about four months of hard training and then I’ll just try and have some fun next year and qualify early.”https://8fca684f61352ef9c4252bc83070b157.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Back in El Paso, Hall-Smith started training for the new season about two weeks ago. He said the high elevation in El Paso helps to intensify his training and helps with breathing techniques. Also, Hall-Smith wants to get faster over the flat 400m as he feels that will help with his speed and execution in the 400m hurdles. He intends to use the sprints and sprint hurdles to help with speed for the 400m hurdles.

“I’m eager on being a new face. I’m looking forward to putting The Bahamas on the map and putting my name on the map. I want to do something big next year,” said Hall-Smith. “I started to chase points for the world championships as soon as outdoor season started. I wanted to get the automatic qualifying time, but I didn’t get it. This season, the goal is to get the mark early, make it through the rounds at the Olympics, through the semis and final and get on the podium. I just have to continue to train hard and push hard to get to the next level.”

Hall-Smith said he wants to get down to about 45.8/45.9 in the open 400m and run the event indoors and outdoors in 2024. He’s looking to qualify for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the men’s 400m and the Olympics in his specialty, the 400m hurdles. He also wants to run some Diamond Leagues events in 2024 in an attempt to market himself more and gain world rankings points.

“I know I will be strong enough to qualify for the Olympics early in the season in the 400m hurdles,” said Hall-Smith. “I’ve never really challenged myself to run a 44 in the 400m – I just stuck with the training for the 400m hurdles, but I’m open and optimistic. The 400m is one of the more tougher events on the track. Quarter-mile training is no joke. It’s extremely painful, but once you have that strength, it never goes away. You could always rely on that. The hurdles is more of a rhythm event.”https://8fca684f61352ef9c4252bc83070b157.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

At 26, Hall-Smith is one of the rising stars for The Bahamas in athletics. He said he’s appreciative for the support, the words of encouragement, and the prayers from the Bahamian people and will continue to take it one step at a time in his progression.

“Breaking the national record is a goal of mine. I’ve dreamt about it from high school,” he said. “I keep getting closer and closer to running 48 seconds – it’s like it’s right there. I just have to trust my training, continue to push and keep going at it.”

Hall-Smith said he’s good friends with national record holder Gibson, with whom he had a conversation with recently.

“I told him that I want to break the record, and he’s pushing me to do it. I wish he was running while I am running so we could push each other. I’ve broken records in college, but nothing compares to breaking your country’s national record. It would mean the world to me,” said Hall-Smith.

Gibson is The Bahamas’ most prolific 400m hurdler ever, setting the national record at 48.17 seconds and turning in more than 50 runs under 50 seconds. He is the only Bahamian to ever run under 49 seconds in the men’s 400m hurdles. Hall-Smith said he’s determined to get to that next level.

“I’m determined to keep going,” he said. “I just want to send out a big shout out to everyone who believes in me. I’m back and I’m better than before and looking forward to the new season.”

Hall-Smith had one of his best years in athletics last season and is looking for continued progression in 2024.

Judoka Cynthia Rahming, on the podium far right, gets her bronze medal at the Pan American Open 2019 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

As of Tuesday, October 24, 2023

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FORMER judo national champion Cynthia Rahming has officially retired from judo.

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#CYNTHIA Rahming, former judo national champion, had a choice between ballet and judo in 2007. She chose the latter and now 14 years removed from her career debut in 2009, the former judoka has officially retired.

#Her tenure in the gruelling sport had many highs and lows on and off the mat over the years but overall she is thankful for having a fruitful journey to become one of the most successful Bahamian women to ever compete in the sport.

#Rahming will now trade in her judogi for paint supplies to fulfil her newest passion – art.

#The room was filled with her peers and loved ones last week Thursday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture (MOYSC) while she delivered a heartfelt speech showing her appreciation for those that supported her during the time spent in judo.

#“I have had 14 fruitful years of professional judo which really tested the tenacity of my character as a person, my relationships with my family and friends and involved institutions like the MOYSC, the International Judo Federation, the Bahamas Olympic Committee and Bahamas Judo Federation,” Rahming said.

#Last week marked the end of Rahming’s journey which started officially in 2009 at the Senior World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

#At the Olympic qualifying competition, she faced her first uphill battle in the sport.

#The 29-year-old had already competed at the US Open and regional competitions abroad but a venue like the Rotterdam Ahoy indoor arena was new for her at the time.

#The nerves and fear got the best of her and her match lasted less than 20 seconds which she described as a low point.

#One her biggest personal goals in the sport was to qualify for the Olympic Games which she struggled with for two consecutive years. She was sidelined after tearing her ACL in 2016.

#While rehabbing the injury, she served as one of the coaches training cadet athletes which translated to their success at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games held at home.

#Between 2015 to 2017, she considered retiring but in 2018 she started to experience success at the regional Olympic Qualifiers in Peru and the Dominican Republic.

#The former national champion experienced a glorious moment in 2019 at the PanAmerican Open in Santo Domingo. Despite the anxiety she was facing 10 years after her lowest point, Rahming was more than ready which led to her earning a bronze medal in the competition after defeating Clara Barinas Benitez.

#Four years later, the bronze medallist said that is really what makes being an athlete worth it.

#“I think that is really the addicting part about being an athlete, or somebody who has a clear goal you’ve prepared so hard for…all along your journey you’re dedicated to the early morning workouts, the late night practices, breaking up your body trying to make it better, and the trade off is maybe that five-minute feeling of achieving your goal, and it really becomes worth it,” she said.

#Over the years, Rahming has competed in 36 matches and her final match was in August 2022 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

#She has represented the country at 16 Continental Open competitions, six World Championships, five Grand Prix, four Continental Championships and Grand Slams and one Commonwealth Games.

#After an extensive time in sport, she is now ready to fully embark on her journey as an artist.

#“I really am going for being an artist. I have already started one of my first series that I am doing. I have had pieces in the National Art Gallery, Central Bank of The Bahamas but I want to take it international and highlight my experiences as a Bahamian and put that in the world,” she said.

#Not only has her prowess in judo been an inspiration for girls but she has also provided significant help to US Open champion Xavion ‘Warrior’ Johnson.

#Ordain Moss, Johnson’s mother, was present among the many that supported Rahming, not only as a fighter but as a coach to cadet athletes.

#“She not only paved the way for females but she paved the way for my son. Both Xavion and I look up to you tremendously. You have stepped in and provided coaching for him…he would not be able to make it as far as he has made it and is going to make it if not for you.

#“I am just so grateful for you and I hope that you do not underestimate how great you are in judo,” Moss said.

#Minister Bowleg was glad to offer congratulations to the 29-year-old as she transitions to a new endeavour.

#“Congratulations on your journey, for me you have paved the way, hopefully for more females to come, to compete and hopefully surpass you but at this very moment, you have opened the door in a small, mighty and powerful nation,” the minister said.

#The retired judoka is grateful for the impact judo had on her life mentally, physically and spiritually.

#She was thankful for the support of the many local and international federations on her journey. She will now open the door to her new chapter of success as an artist/painter.

ONE OF MANY: The National Football League Flag Bahamas football team narrowly won their first exhibition game, 21-20, against the NFL Flag Miami Dolphins at the Roscow A L Davies soccer field on Saturday. Photos: Warren Grant

As of Tuesday, October 24, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamas won its first exhibition game 21-20 against the National Football League (NFL) Flag Miami Dolphins adult tournament team at the Roscow A L Davies soccer field on Saturday.

#The scrimmage took place at the NFL Flag Bahamas Family Fun Day and talent showcase.

#The one-day event also saw the coaches and women compete at the family-friendly affair.

#Tito Bethel, head coach of the home team, said the win felt pretty good against the Dolphins.

#“It was a pretty good win. Most important for us was holding our composure and trying to show the world that we can compete at a high level,” Bethel said.

#He added that the win was major in proving to NFL Flag that they can go on the world stage and compete with the best on another level.

#Mckell Bethel, who plays wide receiver, scored the first touchdown for the home team to help The Bahamas get on the scoreboard.

#The team was unable to follow it up with an extra two points.

#The Dolphins quickly tied the score six apiece following a touchdown. The visiting team was then successful on the one-point conversion and led the game by one (7-6). They maintained the one-point advantage going into the halftime break.

#The Miami team looked poised to take over the game after they executed a touchdown and secured the extra point to add seven points to their total to start the second half. The score favoured the visiting squad 14-6.

#Following the play, the Dolphins were beginning to run away with the game.

#However, the Bahamas’ NFL Flag team showed their resilience and prowess, scoring a timely touchdown to pair with two points to even the score (14-14).

#Both the Dolphins and The Bahamas scored on consecutive plays as time winded down in the nail-biter flag football exhibition game.

#However, the difference maker was the home team was successful on their one-point conversion making the score 21-20.

#With 10 seconds remaining on the game clock, the Dolphins tried to make a last minute attempt at scoring but were unable to.

#Brandon Peña, wide receiver for the Dolphins, was happy about the competition between the teams despite the one-point loss.

#“It was a good experience.

#“We came out here and saw some of the talent, we did not come out with the outcome that we wanted, which was to win but overall it was a great experience and we got to meet some great people in The Bahamas,” Peña said.

#The wide receiver spoke highly of his competitors and said the future is bright for the sport in The Bahamas.

#“They are pretty competitive. They have a lot of size and athleticism…the team has a lot of potential. You guys are in good hands. The future is bright over here in The Bahamas,” he said.

#For The Bahamas, the home team was composed of players from New Providence, Abaco and Freeport. Bethel, the team’s wide receiver and Freeport native, said it was a good experience playing against their opponents and they just went into the game with the mindset of believing in themselves.

#NFL Flag Bahamas continues to bring and raise more awareness for flag football in The Bahamas.

As of Tuesday, October 24, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE sixth edition of the William “Knucklehead” Johnson Cross Country Invitational saw athletes come out in droves to compete at the Bahamas Golf Federations’s (BGF) Baillou Hills Sporting Complex Golf Course on Saturday morning.

#The competitors ranged from under 7 up to under 20. The long distance event also included an open category for men and women.

#William “Knucklehead” Johnson was present at the cross country invitational and was excited about the direction long distance running is headed here in The Bahamas.

#“We have a lot of talent here and, as you can see, even the little ones seven and up were out competing and it bodes well for the future of distance running in the country. We are getting there and we can see the improvement in the programmes. We are trending in the right direction. I endorse events like this 100 per cent,” Johnson said.

#Melvinique Gibson, of the T-Bird Flyers track club, led the pack in the under 20 girls’ event. She ended the race first with a time of 15:59.92. Michal Bullard, of Power Athletics, earned the second position in 16:59.59. Third place went to Tellica Seymour of Kingsway Academy. Seymour stopped the clock at 17:56.62.

#Raywind Winder, of the Hurry Murray athletics track club, crossed the finish line first for the under 20 boys. He ended the race in 10:23.51. Fabian Sautil, of the Phoenix track club, came in a few seconds behind with a time of 10:23.74 for second place.

#Cartlon Johnson, representing CR Walker Senior High School, collected a third place finish in 11:09.81.

#Hurry Murray was atop the overall team results for the under 20 boys’ category.

#The athletics club finished with a total score of 33 points.

#CR Walker Senior High School followed behind for second with 41 points and CV Bethel Senior High School had 52 points in third.

#Rupert Gardiner, the event’s organiser, was impressed with the turnout at this year’s cross country invitational.

#“I feel good about the event. The turnout by the clubs and schools that came out to the William Johnson Cross Country Invitational was simply excellent,” Gardiner said.

#With this past weekend’s cross country event being the second one hosted this month, Gardiner is hoping to see someone break Johnson’s 1500m national record of 3:45.72 in the long distance event in the future.

#Yulianis Akompi, of Quick Step Athletics, got the job done in the under 17 girls category. She won the race after notching 9:07:04. Power Athletics’ Jihah Mortimer trailed behind for second place with 9:13.53. Akaree Roberts, of the Road Runners track club, settled for third with a time of 9:15.88. CV Bethel took the under 17 girls division with a total score of 22 points.

#Hurry Murray once again won a category this time it was the under 17 boys. The top three spots in the event were claimed by the club as well. Ross Martin distanced himself from competitors and wrapped up the event first in 7:23.52. Breck Kemp earned second behind his fellow club mate with 7:37.03. Meanwhile, Gabriel Johnson nabbed third in 7:43.64 to claim the final podium position. The team won the under 17 boys overall results with 15 points. CR Walker had 50 points for second and CV Bethel totaled 77 points for third.

#The Hurry Murray success train continued into the under 15 girls division. Additionally, the team won the overall results with 25 points. Jade Knowles, of DTSP Wolf Pack, bested her competitors in 9:11.35. Ramonique Mclennon and Breynice Kemp, of the category’s overall winning team, earned second and third place respectively.

#Nathan Walker, of Fast Forward Athletics, collected the first place finish for the under 15 boys. He ran through the line clocking 7:38.69 in the win. Dario Butterfield, of Noble Preparatory Academy, and Deontay Rolle of LW Young Junior High School, came second and third.

#LW Young emerged as victors in the overall results for the previously mentioned category. Second place went to Patrick J Bethel High School, from Abaco, and third belonged to DW Davis Junior High School.

#Patrick J Bethel High School competed in their second cross country invitational this month and coach Kenteeshe Williams said the exposure and competition really helps the athletes.

#“They were excited, they came enthused and for some it was their first time off the island in a while. It is about exposure and competing at the same level as their counterparts on other islands and from other schools in The Bahamas,” Williams said.

#Unique Athletics earned the top spot in both the under 13 boys and girls event. Ayden Russell took home bragging rights for the boys and Victoria Aguilar won for the girls. The team finished second behind Hurry Murray in the overall results. TA Thompson Junior High School placed third.

#In the under 11 boys division, the Road Runners track club won with a total of 19 points. Meanwhile, TG Glover amassed 36 points.

#The next cross country events will be the second Patrick J Bethel Cross Country Invitational on October 28 in Abaco and the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) Cross Country Championships on November 4.

WORLD RELAYS UPDATE: Officials from the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) gathered at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium to discuss preparations being made for next year’s World Athletics Relays.

As of Tuesday, October 24, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#The 200-day countdown for the 2024 World Athletics Relays, formerly known as the IAAF World Relays, began last week and now preparations have begun to field the strongest relay teams at next year’s event on May 4-5.

#Officials announced the partnership of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) and World Relays Local Organising Committee (LOC) set to ensure The Bahamas has a grand showing at next year’s fourth hosting of the two-day Olympic qualifier at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

#The announcement came during a press conference at the Andre Rodgers Baseball stadium yesterday. The host country will compete in four events including the mixed relays, 4x100m men’s relays, 4x100m women’s relays and 4x400m men’s relays.

#The various teams will be coached by familiar names in track and field. Shaun Miller will be in charge of coordinating the mixed relays team.

#Coach Tyrone Burrows will be responsible for the 4x100m men’s relay team. Golden girl Pauline Davis will head the women’s 4x100m relay team and Golden Knight Ramon Miller will prepare the 4x400m men’s relay team.

#Dave Charlton will serve as relay director.

#Damarius Cash will handle the logistics of the teams and he will be assisted by Deputy Bernard Newbold.

#Rolando Greene will help with coordinating athletes away at university to ensure their availability at the event.

#The 2024 World Relays director said the coaches have been given a great responsibility but the vast talent pool of Bahamian athletes makes the job easier.

#“It is an awesome responsibility that has been placed on some of the top coaches here in The Bahamas putting together teams so that we can best represent the country come next year’s 2024 World Relays…our job will not be that difficult given the fact that we have such a great pool of athletes to draw from,” Charlton said.

#The committee is committed to taking a proactive approach to selecting athletes ahead of the World Relays next year.

#Although they have gotten verbal commitments from some of the top athletes to compete at next year’s World Relays, the coordinators will issue official letters to athletes by the end of this week.

#The letters will include details regarding information about the World Relays committee, who the members are and their responsibilities, and ask athletes if they intend to partake in next year’s World Relays.

#The pool of athletes to be picked from will include sprinters, hurdlers, quarter milers and others.

#The criteria will allow for officials to select from the top eight athletes per event based on their performances from last season.

#As the season progresses, the list is expected to be narrowed down to the top six athletes in hopes of picking the best team for the World Relays.

#“We are good but as coaches and coordinators we have to go after the big one whatever the big one is that is our job as coordinators to make sure that The Bahamas walks away with a minimum of one medal at the World Relays and a minimum of one gold medal at the Olympics,” Charlton said.

#The Bahamas hosted the first edition of the World Relays in 2014 and successfully held two more editions in 2015 and 2017. With the event now returning to the sporting paradise, chairman of the LOC Dr Daniel Johnson is excited to host it here once again.

#“We have done 2014, 2015, 2017, and now 2024 we are really happy to have the World Relays back with us… the president of NACAC is a Bahamian, NACAC which is the largest and most winningest federation in athletics …but we a little country within the NACAC region get to bring it home and the value of this for The Bahamas is a major marketing expo for our brand sports in paradise,” Johnson said.

#The president of the BAAAs Drumeco Archer, Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture Mario Bowleg, and president of NACAC Mike Sands are all optimistic about the country’s chances at next year’s World Relays.

#The top 14 teams at the World Athletics Relays will qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

#More than 1,600 athletes are expected to compete at The Bahamas’ fourth hosting of the World Relays.

• Sheldon Longley
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Bahamian athletes were back in action as the 19th Pan American Games continued on Monday in Santiago, Chile.

In swimming Lamar Taylor was in action in a couple of individual events.

The Bahamian multi national record holder also qualified for the ‘B’ final of the men’s 100m free on Monday. He was fifth in his heat and 16th overall out of 31 swimmers in 50.95 seconds. Taylor didn’t swim in the ‘B’ final in that event either.

Taylor will swim in the heats of the men’s 50m free today.

Also in action at the Centro Acuático en Ñuñoa, Santiago, on Monday, was Emmanuel Gadson in the men’s 200m breast. He was eighth in his heat and finished 18th overall out of 24 swimmers in a new personal best time of 2:21.56. He was nearly a full two seconds faster than his previous personal best time of 2:23.49 that was swam at the Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s National Championships this year.

Gadson came back in the ‘B’ final and went even faster, swimming 2:21.35, finishing eighth. He will swim in the heats of the men’s 200m IM on Wednesday.

Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson was up first for The Bahamas on Monday, swimming in the heats of the women’s 100m free. In an event in which retired Bahamian swimmer Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace held the games record, Thompson touched the wall in 59.39 seconds, about six tenths of a second off her personal best time of 58.78 seconds. Her performance was good enough for fifth in her heat and 29th overall out of 39 swimmers. American Amy Fuller was the top qualifier for the final, swimming 54.78 seconds.

In the final, Fuller settled for fifth in 54.90 seconds. Canadian Maggie Mac Neil won the gold medal in a new games record of 53.64 seconds. Brazilian Stephanie Balduccini was second in 54.13 seconds and American Catie De Loof won the bronze medal in 54.50 seconds. Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey held off Fuller for fourth, swimming 54.64 seconds.https://313861c4536e86d399527fe54f080581.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Thompson will swim in the heats of the women’s 200m Individual Medley (IM) on Wednesday.

Jack Barr was in action in the men’s 800m and finished 22nd overall out of 22 swimmers in a new personal best time of 9:03.54. He will swim in the heats of the men’s 1500m free on Wednesday.

The Bahamas’ mixed 4x100m medley relay team of Katelyn Cabral, Mark-Anthony Thompson, Gadson and Ariel Weech, in that order, finished fifth in their heat and was 11th overall in 4:12.80.

Today, Victoria Russell will swim in the heats of the women’s 50m free and Taylor will compete in the heats of the men’s 50m free.

In tennis, in men’s singles, Justin Roberts fell in the round of 32 to Daniel Vallejo, of Paraguay, in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-3, in a match that lasted an hour and 34 minutes on the grandstand at the Centro Deportivo de Tenis in Ñuñoa, Chile. On court number two, the other Bahamian male, Kevin Major Jr., fell in straight sets to Alan Rubio, of Mexico, in a round of 64 match. Major also lost in straight sets, falling 6-3 and 6-0, in a match that lasted an hour and 11 minutes.

The only Bahamian female on the tennis team, Sydney Clarke, dropped her round of 32 women’s singles match to American Jamie Loeb in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-0, in a match that lasted 55 minutes.

The multi-sport event will continue this week with action in swimming and tennis for The Bahamas.

The Bahamas has 20 athletes who are competing at the games. The country will be represented in six disciplines – tennis, sailing, swimming, athletics, golf and wrestling. There are nine swimmers, five athletes in athletics, three tennis players, one sailor, one golfer and one wrestler.

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One of the largest events on the nation’s junior sailing calendar is being hosted by the Royal Nassau Sailing Club with race action to be held at Montagu Bay Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5. Typically, the regatta is attended by dozens of young athletes from across New Providence and many Family Islands.

Spearheaded in 2014 by Sandra Cooke, the regatta commemorates her father, the late Cecil G. Cooke, who achieved The Bahamas’ first Olympic gold medal with Sir Durward Knowles at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

“As sailing is now our new national sport and popularity is building rapidly among Bahamian youth, I am looking forward to seeing record participation this year,” said Sandra Cooke. “I would like to give a huge thanks to Subway who are generously providing title sponsorship of the event, as they have done a number of times over the years. Regattas on this scale involve a lot of outlay and we simply couldn’t have done it without their support.”

The race action takes place in several different fleets of sailboat – the optimist for the younger competitors and sunfish and lasers for the older and more experienced sailors. The top three finishers in each fleet will receive trophies and the prestigious Cecil G. Cooke Memorial Trophy will be presented to the top optimist sailor.

For more information on junior sailing, interested persons are asked to visit the website www.bahsailingschool.com.