Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield (7) in action during an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

As of Friday, November 10, 2023

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#By CHRIS GOFF

#Associated Press

#INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored an NBA season-high 54 points, but committed two turnovers after Tyrese Haliburton’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:29 left and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 126-124 last night.

#Haliburton had 29 points and 10 assists and Bennedict Mathurin added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who blew an 18-point lead and then had to rally from 10 down in the fourth quarter.

#Chavano “Buddy” Hield contributed 11 points, a steal, two assists and two rebounds.

#Antetokounmpo finished one point shy of his career high, but threw away a pass with 1:03 left, then was stripped by Mathurin with 30 seconds to go, both with the Bucks trailing 122-121.

#He was 19 for 25 from the field, 16 of 18 on free throws and grabbed 12 rebounds, but also had eight turnovers. Myles Turner added 21 points for the Pacers, who shot 48% from the field, including a 20-of-48 performance from 3-point range.

#Playing without All-Star Damian Lillard, sidelined by calf soreness, Milwaukee received a breathtaking performance from Antetokounmpo, who was three points shy of Michael Redd’s franchise record.

#Khris Middleton, who had 19 points and made a 3 at the final buzzer, missed a 3 that would have tied the game with 7 seconds left.

#With 8.4 seconds to go and Indiana clinging to a one-point lead, Mathurin connected on two free throws to make it 124-121.

#Bruce Brown, who had 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, sealed the win with two foul shots of his own in the final seconds.

#The Pacers roared to an 18-point lead in the first quarter and led 38-24 at the end of the period on the strength of eight 3-point makes.

#Milwaukee climbed within 66-60 at halftime and pulled even at 71 on two free throws from Middleton with 9:32 left in the third.

#The Bucks went ahead by as many as 10 in the final period and still led 117-108 with 5 minutes left.

#Antetokounmpo scored 26 points in the first half, including 18 in the second quarter, and then 20 more in the third period.

#He reached 50 with 10:28 left on a layup assisted by Middleton’s over-the-top pass, prompting an Indiana timeout.

#First-year Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin was ejected with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter, the recipient of a double-technical foul immediately following Antetokounmpo’s dunk in traffic.

#A night earlier, after Antetokounmpo was ejected in a 120-118 win over Detroit, Griffin had promised to be more vocal with officials regarding hits on his superstar.

#Milwaukee shot 53% from the floor but made only 9 of 27 from distance.

#UP NEXT

#Bucks: Visit the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.

#Pacers: Visit the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday night.

• Simba French
• 9 hrs ago
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The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) is currently hosting a regional camp at the National Tennis Centre (NTC), that features under-14 players from the English-speaking countries in the Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean (COTECC).

The camp is led by expert tutor John Goede, the developmental officer for the Caribbean. There are players from The Bahamas, Curacao, Barbados, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. The camp started on Tuesday and wraps up tomorrow.

“The camp has been very intense and training in match play in preparation for the Junkanoo Bowl event next week. I have a wonderful group and we are going to have a great camp,” Goede said.https://9d7077cdcc14015dc77ead5bf4c1e82d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

According to him, he has been working on tactics more than any other aspect, as he feels they have the other tools to play the game. They also worked on fitness.

One of the seven Bahamians who is receiving instructions from Goede is Ayai Bethel, who hails from Eleuthera.

“The camp has been teaching me a lot so far and have been loving the training. I learned to hit the ball with more spin to get the ball back on the court, learned about angles, and how to throw the ball high with my serve, among other things,” Bethel said.

He hopes to use what he learned after he finishes the camp and put it into use in actual games.

Keziah Fluonia, who hails from Curacao, is coming off winning the 14-and-under division in the Curacao Junior Masters earlier this month and is enjoying the experience.

“I am learning a lot of things, like how to put my serve in the corner and then return the ball in the other corner, which will make my opponent run more. I liked the aspect of learning to place the ball better. I worked very hard to ensure I have a spot and do my best at this camp,” Fluonia said.

The 13-year-old is enjoying her time in The Bahamas.

Goede said the players are absorbing both the classroom work and the on-the-court work.

“The kids are easy to coach,” Goede said. “They are accepting the information and are very much open. They accept the challenges and I am happy that they can experience this opportunity and go back to their normal life and add it. They can also share it with their friends and probably coaches on how to get performance training on a higher level.”https://9d7077cdcc14015dc77ead5bf4c1e82d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

President of the BLTA Perry Newton was happy to have the guests and Bahamians receive the opportunity to improve their skills.

All of the participants of the camp will be in action in the Junkanoo Bowl under-14 tournament, which is set for Saturday, November 11 and wraps up on Thursday, November 16. It is a COTECC tournament and will see some 40 junior players in action.

• Nov 9, 2023 Updated 10 hrs ago
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The Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) wrapped up its third week of action on Saturday, as it continues its regular season on the grounds adjacent to the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The 14-17 year age group’s first game saw Team Munroe and Team D’Angelo battling it out, but in the end Team Munroe was too much, as they achieved a 18-13 victory. Team D’Angelo fared better in their second match where they won 12-8 over Team Allen. The other game in this age group saw Team Chavar shutting out Team Allen 17-0.

There were three games on tap in the 6-9 year age group, with Team Sheldeen splitting two of their games and a tie. Team Sheldeen and Team Inne opened the day and Team Inne was able to win, 14-12. Team Sheldeen bounced back and secured the win against Team Dawkins with a 12-6 scoreline. In the final game of the day in that age group, Team Inne and Team Dawkins were tied at six points each.

Action continues this coming Saturday at the same location at 11 a.m.

Decisive game two set for today

• Simba French
• 10 hrs ago
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The Anatol Rodgers Senior High School Timberwolves boys and the C.V. Bethel Senior High School Stingrays girls moved one step closer to lifting their respective titles in the Government Secondary School Sports Association (GSSSA), after winning game one of their best-of-three volleyball championships yesterday at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

The Timberwolves won over the C.I. Gibson Rattlers to go up 1-0. The Stingrays got the best of Government High Magic to take a 1-0 lead in that series.

None of the four games needed a third set.

Senior boys

Timberwolves 2, Rattlers 0

It was a dominant first set for the Timberwolves, who came out of the gate with a dominant 11-1 lead to put their stamp on the game. That scoreline moved up to 14-5, as the Rattlers had no answer to the Timberwolves’ serves. The set ended 25-12 in favor of the Timberwolves.

The second set saw the Rattlers slither their way to an 8-3 lead. However, head coach of the Timberwolves, Theodore Hanna spoke about his team’s resilience in that set.

“We are in the finals and as a team we have to know that the next team is coming to fight. They can play because they got to the final. We must build ourselves up to a level where no matter how much push they put in we put in more,” Hanna said.

His team pushed back and tied the game at 14 points each. They took the lead on the next play before jumping out to a 20-16 lead. At the end of the final whistle, the Timberwolves won 25-21 in that set.

“I’m happy for the win and I think that it gives them the boost that they need to just continue and become the champions,” Hanna said.

Hanna is looking to finish out the series today in two sets.

Senior girls

Stingrays 2, Magic 0

The Stingrays were a tough team to take down and the showed why by making quick work of the Magic in two straight sets.

The first set saw them jumping out to a 13-2 lead before pushing it to 20-5. The first set ended with the Stingrays winning 25-9.

Head coach for the Stingrays, Shantel Rolle said that her team serves came through for them last night.

The Magic looked more focused in the second set after getting punched in the mouth in the first set. They kept close in this set as the Stingrays led 11-10. That was the point when Rolle’s team woke up and took a 19-13 lead. At the end of the set, the Stingrays won 25-16 and were one game away from winning the championship.https://98ee83d98d91c351bf74d2a45d5d2f6d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

“We are looking to stay focused and don’t get too complacent,” Rolle said. “Even though we are one game away, volleyball can go either way. We must bring the same intensity from tonight (last night) and see if we can become the champions.”

Rolle expects the Magic to come ready for them today.

Junior boys

Timberwolves 2, Golden Eagles 0

The Timberwolves played with a chip on their shoulder in the first set and easily disposed of the Gold Eagles 25-15. The second set was no different as the Timberwolves put on a show for their supporters with a 25-16 victory.

Junior girls

Lions 2, Lady Eagles 0

The Lions showed that they were head and shoulders above the Lady Golden Eagles by holding them to under 15 points in both sets. The first set saw the Lions winning 25-14 while they won the second set 25-12.

Game two for all divisions is set to start today at 4 p.m. at the same location with the junior girls playing first.

Championships set in GSSSA volleyball

• Simba French
• Nov 8, 2023
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The eight volleyball teams that will be vying for the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (GSSSA) four division titles are set, after the sudden death playoffs at the Anatol Rodgers High School Gymnasium and the D.W. Davis Junior High School Gymnasium. The championships are set for today at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium (KGLI) at 4 p.m.

The senior boys matchup will see the pennant winning Anatol Rodgers High School Timberwolves take on the C.I Gibson Rattlers. The senior girls division championship game will feature the pennant winning C.V. Bethel Senior High School Stingrays against the second seed Government High School Magic.https://a619c622b1d6692e98ccd4dc61e469ba.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Timberwolves 2, Stingrays 0

The Timberwolves got a little push back from the Stingrays, but they remained locked in to win the game in two straight sets. The first set had the Stingrays looking for the upset, as they were able to tie the game at 16 points each. The pennant winners decided to buckle up and went up 23-18. The Stingrays cut into the game to make it 24-22, but the Timberwolves finished it off on the next play for the 25-22 victory.

With their backs against the wall, the Stingrays fought their way to extend that series when they tied the game at 17 points each. However, the Timberwolves knew what was at stake and jumped to a 24-20 lead, before ending the set at 25-21 to punch their ticket to the championship.

Rattlers 2, C.R. Walker Knights 0

From the time the first whistle blew, it was easy to see who the winner of this match was going to be, as the Rattlers came prepared to play and came with more energy and focus, while the Knights played timid. The first set saw the Rattlers go up 21-13 before finishing off the Knights 25-16.

The second set was identical to the first set, as the Rattlers dominated from the first point to the final point. They went up 19-12 at one point and went for the kill to finish off the Knights 25-16 again.https://a619c622b1d6692e98ccd4dc61e469ba.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Senior Girls

Stingrays 2, Timberwolves 0

The pennant winners knew they were in Timberwolves country as the Timberwolves were not not backing down in the first set. The score was close, as the two went neck-and-neck as the game was tied at 19-19. The Stingrays then went up 22-20 before getting the best of the Timberwolves 25-22.

The second set began with a close game, with the Stingrays leading 10-8. After leading 12-10, at this point the game changed as the Stingrays showed why they are the pennant winners. The game quickly turned to 18-11 in their favor, and then they finished the set off at 25-13.

Magic 2, Knights 1

This was the most competitive match in the senior division. The Magic ran away with the first set in a 25-13 dominance, to look like the match was going to be a cake walk.

The second set saw the Knights taking control early on with an 8-5 lead. The Magic responded and took an 11-10 lead. The Knights reclaimed the lead to go up 20-19. Five unanswered points by the Knights gave them the momentum and the set to win 25-19.

The third and decisive set saw both teams fighting for a spot in the championship today. The game saw the score deuced up at 14 points. It was tied again at 15 points before the Magic won the next two points to win the set 17-15, to punch the final ticket to the senior girls championship game.

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• Simba French
• Nov 8, 2023
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The Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) wrapped up its softball regular season on Monday, and will get its two-day sudden death playoffs underway today at Freedom Farm Complex. Games get started at 4 p.m.

There will be four playoff games today. The second and third seeds in the junior boys, junior girls, senior girls and senior boys divisions battle for a spot in the championship games. The number one and four seeds will face each other tomorrow for the final spot in the championships, at 4 p.m. at the same location.

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“The level of competition has stepped up from last year coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, where schools were limited with practice, so there was not any continuity. This year saw most of the schools being able to catch up and get back up to speed. The girls division was very competitive, especially the senior girls where the level has improved a lot. Most of the schools have improved their pitching, as they have employed windmill pitching and not the lob pitching anymore,” Beckford said.

The junior girls game will see the defending champions and second seed St. Augustine’s College (SAC) Big Red Machine (3-1) play third seed St. Anne’s Schools Blue Waves (2-2). The second seed Blue Waves (3-2) will take on third seed Nassau Christian Schools Crusaders (3-2) in the junior boys division.

In the senior girls division, second seed Queen’s College Comets (8-1) take on third seed St. John’s College Giants (7-2). Rounding out the games today will be the senior boys division, which pits second seed Kingsway Academy Saints (7-1) against the defending champions and third seed Crusaders (7-1).

Thursday will kick off with the pennant winners Comets (4-0) against fourth seed Crusaders (1-3) in the junior girls division. The junior boys division will see pennant winners SAC (4-0) face off against fourth seed Temple Christian Sun (2-3). A new champion will be crowned in the junior boys division as the defending champions, the Comets, did not make the playoffs.

In the senior girls division, the pennant winners SAC (9-0) play against the defending champions and fourth seed Crusaders (5-4). The final playoff matchup will see the pennant winners SAC (7-1) take on fourth seed Comets (4-4).https://de8a581aa3816a88cd8982f33d7c5dfd.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The game one championship game for all four divisions gets underway on Monday, November 13 at Freedom Farm at 4 p.m. Game two is set for Wednesday, November 15, while game three if necessary is set for Thursday, November 16.

Richard Gibson Jr (centre) getting ready to tee off.

As of Tuesday, November 7, 2023

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BRAVING THE WEATHER: Bahamian golfer Richard Gibson Jr at the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, last week.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#In breaking new grounds as the first Bahamian golfer to compete in the Pan American Games, Richard Gibson Jr said his experience in Santiago, Chile, last week could be rated an eight out of a 10.

#Gibson Jr, with Bahamas Golf Federation president Lynford Miller as his caddie, was a part of an almost 20-member team that represented the Bahamas in swimming, tennis, sailing, wrestling and track and field.

#After his four days of competition against a combined professional and amateur field of 30 competitors, Gibson Jr finished with a total score of 297 on Sunday after he posted rounds of 77-72-73-75 to end up in a two-way tie for 27th with Jean Paul Ducruet of Panama.

#Abraham Ancer of Mexico took the gold with 267 (68-67-65-67), while the silver went to Sebastian Munoz of Colombia with 268 (66-66-68-68) and the bronze went to American Dylan Menante with 271 (66-69-70-66).

#For the 31-year-old Gibson Jr, the operations manager at the Royal Blue Golf Course at Baha Mar, the experience was one that he will never forget, not just because of how he played but the conditions that he played under.

#“I was expecting to come and just see golfers. I wasn’t expecting to see athletes from every sport,” he said. “This was something definitely new for me being in an efficiency with all of your countrymen from other sports in a Games Village. It was just crazy.”

#Another shocker was when Gibson Jr arrived to start preparing for the competition, he found out that it was more of a pro event with about 22 pros from the golf tours in the region with eight amateurs.

#“One of the guys, who I played against in the Corn Ferry event in the Bahamas, I played with, who actually won the event,” Gibson Jr said. “I didn’t get to play with a lot of the pros.

#“I really stayed with the same guys for the four rounds. I had one person who I either played with earlier in the week or later in the week. I really didn’t get bounced around that much.”

#His performance dictated that and although it was “average,” Gibson Jr said he will take it.

#“Due to the fact that the weather was crazy, not to make excuses, but it was too cold for me,” he pointed out. “But overall, I think my performance was decent. It wasn’t great, but due to the circumstances of the weather, it was alright.”

#Realising that he struggled more with his putting during the competition, Gibson Jr said he missed a lot of them and that could be attributed to the fact that he added a new putter to his bag about two weeks ago and he really didn’t have a chance to get used to it.

#“I don’t feel that was it, but I missed putts that I normally wouldn’t miss, so that probably was it,” he stated. “Putting really killed me during this tournament.” If there was any consolation for Gibson, he was able to interact with a lot of the Bahamian athletes in the Games Village, something that he wouldn’t get to do at home.

#“They were giving me some advice on how to market myself as well,” he revealed. “Some of them have already been to the Olympics, so it was nice to hear about their experiences and what it takes to get it.”

#During his stay in Chile, Gibson Jr said he missed watching Lamar Taylor pick up his silver medal in swimming or witness the tennis players in action, especially collegian Sydney Clarke, whom everybody talked highly about her performance.

#But he said he was there to watch as Rhema Otabor secured the silver in the women’s javelin and Donald Thomas soared to gold in the high jump. He said he was impressed by the performances of the track team, including sprinter Samson Colebrooke.

#After he finished his competition, Gibson said he was surprised that so many people were interested in getting his autograph. He called it a “new experience” for him as well.

#But he credited a lot of accomplishments to Gina Gonzalez-Rolle, who had always encouraged him to “get it together” because she considered him “the best that we have.”

#Gibson Jr will now prepare for the Latin American Championships in January in Panama where he and Nolan Johnson will be representing the Bahamas as the top two ranked players on the circuit.

#Miller, who also served as the team manager in Chile, said for the level of competition, Gibson Jr played his best.

#“We wanted better. We tried for better, but things just didn’t work that way. It was a very competitive field,” Miller pointed out. “He had some bad breaks and some unfamiliar weather out there, so he had to bear with that and adjusted accordingly.

#“But overall, we had a pretty good showing. Everything went very well. We picked up some things that we could learn from and just get adjusted for the next event.”

#As a caddie, Miller said he had to adjust to a learning process as well.

#“I’ve never experienced being a caddie, walking and giving advice,” he reflected. “I’ve always been a person making up my own mind, so it was a good experience adjusting to somebody else’s experience.”

#Having cracked the Pan Am level, Miller said the next step is of course the Olympic Games.

#“One of my mandates when I took over as the president was to get a Bahamian in the Olympics,” he stressed. “I think we are still on track for that to happen. We started the process with getting our athletes ranked. You can’t get there if you’re not ranked.

#“So we’re working on that. We have a few Bahamians who are ranked. Now that’s happening, we’re checking the next step to see what is necessary for us to get to the Olympics.”

#Having gotten his feet wet in competition at the Pan Am Games, Gibson Jr said whatever it takes, he’s willing to go the extra mile to get a chance to compete in the Olympics, if not in Paris, France next, at least in Los Angeles, California in 2028.

#He said the experience at Pan Am has just gotten him thirstier for more of the same exposure to the international level of the games’ competition, rather than just going to a golf tournament.

As of Tuesday, November 7, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#IN an effort to provide more opportunities for local players to participate in the game, a group of persons have come together to form the Spiking in Paradise Thanksgiving Volleyball Tournament.

#The committee, including Dr Bridgette Rolle, Cora Hepburn, Dawn Woodside-Johnson, Lancerlot Miller and Edrick Poitier, will host the tournament from November 17-19 at both the Anatol Rodgers and DW Davis gymnasiums.

#According to Rolle, the tournament will be held as a part of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s National Sports Month and will be open to teams in both the private and public schools and the New Providence Volleyball Association.

#“Initially we had hoped to have some international teams come and participate, but they said because it was too close to Thanksgiving, they won’t be able to travel this year,” Rolle said. “This is just the beginning because we hope to make this an annual event.

#“We are also looking at putting on several tournaments during the year so hopefully we can get those teams out of the region to come in and participate. We just want to provide a lot more opportunities for our local players to participate in the game.”

#While the games will kick off on Friday, November 17 with the NPVA men and ladies’ teams participating, Rolle said they will be staging competition between the top four schools in both public and private on Saturday. The tournament will close out on Sunday, November 19.

#“We are looking forward to putting on a very exciting tournament,” Rolle said. “We know that the NPVA is currently playing its regular season right now and so there is a lot of interest in volleyball. We want to increase that excitement.

#“We have added the high school division to allow the teams playing in the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association and the Bahamas Small Schools Association, as well as the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools, to come out and participate.”

#Rolle said it’s important to have the high school teams participate as well because it will provide them with an opportunity to also get to play some extra games. She said they are thrilled to be able to open the tournament to the future volleyball players in the country.

#“The Ministry of Sports had approached. We had originally planned to host this tournament in December, but they approached us and asked us if we would like for the tournament to be a featured part of the activities,” Rolle said. “They are also a sponsor for the tournament.”

#Rolle said the tournament will also have some participation from at least Grand Bahama, which is expected to be represented by an All-Star team.

#She noted that they were also looking at getting a team in from Abaco, but there will be some participation of players on some of the local teams.

#Teams still interested in participating in the tournament are urged to contact any of the committee members. The registration fee is $200 per team. The winning team will earn a cash prize of $2,000, second will collect $1,000 and third place will pocket $500 to share among its players.

GETTING IN GEAR: The Government Secondary Schools Sports Association is gearing up for its cross country championships. After being postponed last Saturday, the GSSSA will host the event starting at 7:30am this Saturday in front of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

As of Tuesday, November 7, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WHILE their volleyball sudden death playoff games will get underway today at the DW Davis and Anatol Rodgers gymnasiums for juniors and seniors respectively, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association is also gearing up for its cross country championships.

#After being postponed last Saturday, the GSSSA will host the event this Saturday starting at 7:30am in front of the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium and, according to president Varel Davis, it’s going to be an event you won’t want to miss.

#“We know that the teams and the athletes have been gearing up for this event,” Davis said. “There’s been at least four or five cross country events and the majority of our athletes and teams have been competing in them.

#“So with this being a year that we expect that things will get bigger and better, we are expecting that this weekend’s cross country championships will be very competitive.”

#The CR Walker Knights are the defending champions in the senior division, while the HO Nash Lions are the defending champions in the junior division.

#Will they both repeat?

#Davis said there are a number of teams whose athletes are coming out to dethrone them. But she noted that they have to go out on the course and prove it.

#Distances will increase as the competition moves from the junior to the senior divisions, which will add to the excitement that is already brewing amongst the schools.

#Most athletes, according to Davis, are using the cross country races as a base for their training for the track and field season next year. But she noted that coaches are also using athletes in the different sports to help develop their stamina to compete in the other sports, while at the same time garnishing points for their schools.

#As for volleyball, Davis said the sudden death will be played today starting at 4pm at DW Davis Gymnasium for the junior girls and boys and at Anatol Rodgers for the senior girls and boys.

#“This should be a very competitive playoffs,” Davis said. “There are some close finishes in the standings, so it’s not like there was any team that ran away with it this year. So we expect that the playoffs and the championships will be just as competitive as the regular season.”

#Following volleyball and the cross country championships, the GSSSA will close out the year with the start of its basketball competition, which will resume in January after they take a break for the Christmas holidays.

RHEMA OTABOR, of The Bahamas, poses with her silver medal on the podium during a ceremony for the women’s javelin category, at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, on Friday, November 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

As of Monday, November 6, 2023

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Rising javelin star Rhema Otabor added her first international medal to the gold she won at the National College Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Track and Field Championships with a silver at the Pan American Games.

#In her debut at the Pan Am Games on Friday in Santiago, Chile, 20-year-old Otabor claimed her medal with a heave of 198-feet, 7 1/2-inches or 60.54 metres on her first attempt. She followed with marks of 194-7 ½ (59.32m), 190-7 (58.09m), 187-5 ¼ (57.13m) and 189-1 ¼ (57.64) before she scratched her final toss.

Bahamas’ Rhema Otabor competes in the women’s javelin throw final at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

#Flor Denis Ruiz of Colombia captured the gold with 207-0 1/4 (63.10m) on her first attempt as well. The bronze went to American Madelyn Harris with 197-0 ½ (60.06m) on her second try.

#After her performance, Otabor said she was delighted to win the medal and to have performed so well this late in the season.

#It was her second international meet for the Bahamas in her breakout year, coming off her debut at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where she was 33rd overall.

#“I’d say it was kind of expected because I’ve been having practices lately where I’ve been throwing 60 metres or very close to it with some consistency,” Otabor said.

#“But all in all, I’m just glad that what’s been happening in practice I was able to replicate it in the actual competition, injury free.”

#Looking at the competition, Otabor said it was a great field of competitors with a few over 60-plus meter throwers and others that were in the high 50s.

#“So, coming in I knew it was stiff competition,” she reflected. “But I wasn’t necessarily putting too much pressure on myself to do well, I just wanted to feel good, have fun and carry out good technique throughout the whole thing.”

#As she heads back to college for her senior year as a Husker at the University of Nebraska where she will be defending her NCAA Championship title, Otabor said she will focus on training in her bid to qualify to compete in the next stage of her development at the Olympic Games in Paris, France in 2024.

#She is setting the pace for her brother, Michaelangelo Bullard, who is also competing in the javelin. Thery are both members of the Blue Clips Athletic Club, headed by Corrington Maycock. She attributes her success to the support also from her aunts Tiffany Bullard and Leetia Dean.