Home|Sports|Swim nationals set for next weekendSports

Meet serves as an early qualifier for the Paris Olympic Games

Simba FrenchSend an emailJune 8, 2023 294 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Aquatics Federation is set to host its 51st national championships at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex. It gets underway on June 15 and wraps up on Father’s Day, June 18.

President of the federation Algernon Cargill said he expects high quality swims from Bahamian and international swimmers. The boys and girls age groups that will be participating are 8-and-under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-17 and 18-and-over.

“This nationals is very important to the federation because it is a qualifier for Paris 2024 Olympic Games and we will see approximately 50 international swimmers coming to The Bahamas to participate in the championships,” Cargill said. “We will see our own international swimmers who will be competing at home and they’ll be excited to swim at home. We are very grateful for Corporate Bahamas for stepping forward to fund these championships.”

Bahamian swimmers such as Olympian Izaak Bastian, Lamar Taylor, DaVante Carey and Lilly Higgs will come home to compete for their respective clubs as well as attain cuts for various meets. Swimmers from Bermuda, the Dominican Republic and the United States of America (USA) will be looking to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics Games. The international swimmers will be competing for time and not points or medals.

Taylor holds the national record in several swim events and recently was named the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Swimmer of the Year. He won three individual NCAA DII championship titles. Carey, Bastian and Higgs are all national record holders. Bahamian swimmers who want to compete on national teams must participate at the nationals unless they are exempted.

The meet is club oriented in that a club is crowned the overall champion. The defending champion is Mako Aquatics Club and they will be looking to win their fifth straight title like The Bahamas’ CARIFTA swim team did earlier in the year.

“It is an outstanding accomplishment to win four straight titles. We operate in a very competitive arena in the swimming community, and we have had a lot of dynamics change in the swimming communities here with clubs combining. Mako has gotten even stronger as well as Alpha because they combined with a part of the YMCA WaveRunners club in Freeport. YMCA was second overall to Mako last year, so Alpha would emerge very strong in these national championships. The Barracudas will pose a significant threat also to Mako’s attempt at a five peat,” Cargill said.

Apart from being an Olympic qualifier, the meet serves as an early qualifier for the CARIFTA Games. The junior swimmers try to achieve the qualifying standards. The Bahamas hosts the championships in 2024.

“We know that all the younger kids are trying to get their CARIFTA qualifying times early, and it is one of the reasons why we do so well at CARIFTA. We’re excited about that and that’s why all of the swimmers are competing,” Cargill said.

After the CARIFTA Swimming Championships in April, a club meet had to be cancelled because the pool was not up and running. Swimmers are currently practicing at the pool and Cargill said that the pool is expected to be functional from now until it closes for maintenance after the Bahamas Games in July.

“The National Sports Authority (NSA) has been working very closely with the federation to ensure that proper maintenance is provided but our biggest challenge would be during these hot summer months to keep that water temperature cool. The automatic chillers that are installed are no longer functional. We’re happy that we partnered with the NSA. We’re having weekly meetings to discuss some of the challenges, and we expect to have the pool working. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well,” Cargill said.

The support from the crowd plays a huge role in the performance of the swimmers, said Cargill. They will support their favorite club and reunite for CARIFTA swimming as they cheer for The Bahamas. Cargill described the swimming community as being one of the best supporters of local sports and he expects the crowd to be loud as usual.

 Home|Sports|Gardiner goes down in men’s 400m semisSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 23, 2023 369 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

• SIMBA FRENCH Guardian Sports Reporter simba@nasguard.com
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A number of athletes were in action at the first track and field meet of the year — the T-Bird Flyers Track and Field Classic at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium this past Friday and Sunday. There were even a few qualifiers for the 2023 CARIFTA Games.

One of those athletes was Speed Begins Keyezra Thomas who qualified for CARIFTA last year but could not participate because she was too young. She turned 14 years old on Friday and was all smiles after she qualified for CARIFTA again this year, this time in the high jump event in the under-17 girls division.https://4f4599a2c289414ef9731ca6aa9aac38.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The Grand Bahamian won that event after she cleared a personal best 1.70 meters (m) (5’ 7”) to surpass the 1.63m (5’ 4-1/4”) qualifying mark. The height that Thomas cleared also surpassed the qualifying standard for the under-20 girls division. She is known for her prowess on the track and just started competing in the high jump event last year.Three possible breakout prospectsThree possible breakout prospectscloseNextStay

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“It feels good to qualify for CARIFTA. Last year I could not go. I watched it but this year I could go and I feel like when I compete, I will do extremely well. I am happy to have an injury-free competition and glad I was able to qualify,” Thomas said.

Also qualifying for that event was Speed Dynamic’s Alexandria Komolafe. The 14-year-old cleared 1.63m (5’ 4-1/4”) to finish second behind Thomas.

“I have bene working hard over the past couple months in the offseason. I trusted my coach, the approach and trusted God. I am happy to qualify early. I know I can jump higher and I will do it next time,” Komolafe said.

Finishing third was Leap of Faith’s Paris Rolle who cleared 1.55m (5’ 1”).

Thomas came close to qualifying for the 200m when she ran away from the field to clock a time of 24.93 seconds, just short of the 24.65 seconds qualifying standard. She has a long season ahead of her and will have other chances to go under the standard as the season progresses. Komolafe was second again in that event after clocking 26.66 seconds. Team Velocity’s Nataya Watson was third in a time of 27.32 seconds.

One of the most competitive events of the meet was on Saturday under the lights — the under-17 girls javelin throw. A trio of throwers were able to surpass the qualifying standard but it was reigning CARIFTA gold medalist and CARIFTA record holder Kamera Strachan who won the event. She threw a distance of 43.70m (143’ 4-1/2”) to beat CARFITA silver medalist, Dior-Rae Scott, of Air Assault, whose best throw on Saturday was 43.32m (142 1-1/2”). Scott had previously qualified for CARIFA at last year’s Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Odd Distance meet. As expected, they both obliterated the qualifying mark of 25m (82’ 0-1/4”).https://4f4599a2c289414ef9731ca6aa9aac38.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Finishing third in that event and surpassing the qualifying mark was Valiyah Farquharson who recorded a throw of 26.45m (86’ 9-1/4”).

There were two qualifiers in the under-20 girls discus throw as Blue Chips’ Annae Mackey and Triple Threat’s Cailyn Johnson both qualified. They both threw past the qualifying mark of 40.36m (132’ 5”). Mackey won with a throw of 44.46m (145’ 10-1/2”) while Johnson recorded a throw of 43.80m (143’ 8-1/2”). They joined Calea Jackson who qualified in this event at the Odd Distance meet.

“I am grateful for the throw. I just need to trust the process. I was able to follow through with what coach told me and was able to execute,” Mackey said.

Johnson said: “It is great to qualify early. I felt like I left a lot out there and next time I’ll get a personal best. I got aggressive on the qualifying throw because I wanted to qualify.”

Quick Step’s Garette McIntosh was third with a throw of 24.40m (80’ 0-3/4”).

Fast Forward’s Koi Adderley got a new personal best in the under-20 girls high jump, clearing 1.70m (5’ 7”) to win that event. In clearing that height, she surpassed the qualifying mark of 1.65m (5’ 5).

“I was relieved after clearing 1.65m because that is the qualifying standard. I was able to get a personal best but I was disappointed when I could not clear 1.75m (5’ 9”) because I was so close. I just need to work on my form a little more in practice,” Adderley stated.

Placing second was Andros Heats’ Tylah Pratt who cleared 1.60m (5’ 3”).

The under-20 boys high jump also produced a qualifier as Leap of Faith’s Jelani Morrison achieved the mark. He cleared the qualifying mark of 2m (6’ 6-3/4”). He won that event. Xtreme Athletics’ Anthony Sweeting was second after clearing 1.85m (6’ 0-3/4”).https://4f4599a2c289414ef9731ca6aa9aac38.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

In the under-17 boys shot put, Blue Chips’ Jaylen Stuart qualifyied for CARIFTA after turning in a toss of 14.40m (47’ 3”) to surpass the 14.03m (46’ 0-1/4”) qualifying mark. Andros Heats’ Kashawn Russell was second with a best throw of 11.63m (38’ 1-3/4”).

The next meet on the calendar, the Beverly Wallace-Whitfield Track Classic, hosted by the DTSP Track and field Club, is set for Saturday January 20 at the same location.