- Simba French
- Oct 19, 2023
- 0
The Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) has confirmed a 20-member team to represent The Bahamas at the 19th Pan American Games, from Friday October 20 to Sunday November 5, in Santiago, Chile.
The Bahamas 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.
Larikah Russell will coach tennis while Sara Knowles will be the coach for swimming. The coach for athletics is Antonio Saunders. The caddie for Johnson is Bahamas Golf Federation (BGF) President Lynford Miller.
BOC Vice President Clarence Rolle is the chef de mission of the team and fellow BOC Vice President D’Arcy Rahming Sr. will travel as one of the team’s delegates.
President of the BOC Romell ‘Fish’ Knowles said he has high expectations for the team.
“We expect some great performances. Led by Donald Thomas who is the cagey veteran, we believe it is a very strong team with talented athletes who are anxious to make their mark on the international scene,” said Knowles. “We have a number of young athletes and veteran athletes as well. The team is smaller than usual, but it is a good mixture. We are proud of them and we wish them well.”
Swimming gets underway on Saturday followed by tennis that starts next Monday. Sailing will begin on October 28 followed by athletics that begins on October 30. Wrestling begins on November 1. Golf is the final sport to start and that is set for November 12.
Knowles highlighted all of the disciplines that will be represented in Chile.
“We have Higgins on the water while tennis is loaded with talent with Justin Roberts, Sydney Clarke and Kevin Major. Swimming has a lot of talent with the experience of Ariel Weech and others such as Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson and Taylor who were at the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games this past summer. There is also the talent of Barr, Russell, Luke-Kennedy Thompson, Mark-Anthony Thompson and Katelyn Cabral,” Knowles said.
The most experienced team member is high jumper Donald Thomas who Knowles expects to perform at a high level.
“We’re looking for good things from Thomas, who is the senior man on the team. He’s going to obviously inspire the young athletes and it is exciting to watch him perform,” Knowles said. “Colebrooke is going to begin his Olympic push. We can expect at least a semifinal from him and then we have the decathlon athletes in Kendrick Thompson and Ken Mullings. Both are right on the cusp of qualifying for the Olympics and hopefully they can make the mark.
“We are pleased to extend the Olympic program and invite golf to the platform, and Johnson is coached by Miller, who will be his personal caddie. In wrestling, we have Mackey. He has been to a number of international tournaments and, hopefully, this is the one that he breaks through,” added Knowles.
The Bahamas had a 33-member team at the last Pan Am Games that was held in 2019 in Lima, Peru. The athletes competed in athletics, judo, swimming and tennis. TyNia Gaither won a bronze medal in the 200 meters (m) for women. It was the only medal for Team Bahamas.