Home|Sports|Bahamas shines at Goodwill GamesSports
Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 23, 2023 118 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The Bahamas’ swimming team at the just concluded Goodwill Games put on a show at the National Aquatic Center in Kingston, Jamaica. The Bahamas finished with the most points (1,418.5), the most gold, silver and bronze medals; and the most total medals. The Bahamas never trailed at the meet.
The meet began on Friday, August 18 and ended on Sunday, August 20. The team returned home on Monday to a welcome reception at the airport, that included being greeted by Prime Minister Philip Davis, acting Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Zane Lightbourne; and the live sounds of Junkanoo.
The Bahamas’ 40-member team swam away with a whopping 129 total medals that included 55 gold medals, 45 silver medals, and 29 bronze. Barbados was second with 23 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze medals, for a total of 57 medals. Trinidad and Tobago was third in the medal standings with 57 total medals – 21 golds, 18 silvers and 19 bronze.
In the points standings, Jamaica finished second with 1,143.50 points and Trinidad and Tobago was third with 970.5 points.
The Bahamian contingent was able to set several individual and relay meet records. Nitayo Knowles left Jamaica with seven individual golds and one silver in the 9-10 boys division. The relays saw him capturing one gold and two silver medals.
Knowles was able to win the 100 meters (m) freestyle with a time of 1:06.85. He then won the 100m backstroke after touching the wall in a personal best time of 1:21.40. The 200m individual medley (IM) saw him swimming a time of 2:54.24. He set a new meet record and personal best time in the 50m free sprint, when he finished one length of the pool in 29.15 seconds. He completed the sweep in the free when he won the 200m free in a time of 2:29.38. The 50m butterfly saw him posting 32.08 seconds to get the gold medal. His final gold medal of the meet came in the 100m fly finals, when he touched the wall first in a time of 1:14.23.
Knowles teamed up with Adrian Dean, Logan Comarcho and Blair Thompson in the 9-10 boys 400m medley relay. They won the gold medal with a time of 5:38.79.
Siann Isaacs had a strong meet, as the 11-12 girls swimmer came away with four gold, two silver and one bronze medals in her individual races. She set two individual records. In the relays, all three of the races she was a part of secured the gold medal and the meet record time.
She opened the meet with a victory in the 100m freestyle with a new personal best of 1:05.43 which was below the meet record of 1:06.16. Her second gold of the meet came in the 100m backstroke where she powered her way to touch the wall in a new personal best time of 1:16.42. The 200m IM saw her swimming a personal best time of 2:46.69 to win the gold medal. She shaved almost three seconds off the meet record which was 2:49.17. Her final individual medal came in the 100m butterfly, with a time of 1:15.87.
The girls 11-12 400m medley relay saw her and teammates Christin-Alyssa Clarke, Samirah Donaldson and Tiah Seymour setting a new meet record with a time of 5:11.87. The same quartet won the 400m free relay with a new meet record of 4:34.00. They also swam the 200m free relay and posted 2:02.07 to secure the new meet record.
Clarke also won four gold medals and added a bronze medal. She won gold in the 50m free, with a meet record time of 29.53 seconds. The 50m fly saw her powering through to a new meet record of 31.64 seconds to win the gold. It was a new meet record for Clarke in the 200m free final, as she was the first to touch the wall with a time of 2:29.22. Her final gold medal came in the 50m backstroke, where she posted a time of 34.55 seconds.
Several other swimmers won multiple individual gold medals. Kristen Rolle, who swims in the 8-and-under girls division, won individual gold medals in the 100m free (1:19.76), 200m IM (3:19.76) and the 50m fly (40.36 seconds). Ayrton Moncur won gold medals in the 15-17 boys division in the 50m breast (30.36 seconds) and the 100m breast (1:11.74). Both gold medals were meet records for Moncur.
Caleb Ferguson had a good swim in the 15-17 boys division, swimming away with three individual gold medals. He won gold medals in the 100m free (54.83 seconds), 50m fly (26.01 seconds) and the 100m fly (1:00.92). The 100m free and 50m fly were meet records. On the 15-17 girls side, Grace Farrington won a gold medal in the 100m backstroke (1.14.91) and 200m free (2:20.52). Both races were swam in new meet record time. Farrington teamed up with Tia-Isabelle Adderley, Lauren Bridgewater and Bianca Johnson to win gold in the 400m free relay, 400m medley relay and 200m free relay races in the 15-17 girls division. Donaldson won gold in the 50m breast (38.12 seconds) and in the 100m breast (1:27.27) with both being meet records.