As of Monday, July 3, 2023

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BOYS SINGLES WINNER: The United States of America’s (USA) first-seeded Benjamin Willwerth (left) got the win over the second-seeded Cruz Hewitt (right) from Australia in the boys 18 singles.

Natalie Oliver and Alexandra Wolf of the United States of America (USA) were victorious in the girls doubles at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) J30 Junkanoo Bowl Tournament. Photos: Tenajh Sweeting

The Bahamas’ Jerald Carroll and Jackson Mactaggart were the runner-ups in the boys 18 doubles.

The United States of America’s (USA) Tommy Rainyn and Benjamin Willwerth claimed victory in the Boys 18 Doubles at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) J30 Junkanoo Bowl Tournament.

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#AFTER five days of competition at the National Tennis Centre, six new champions were crowned for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) J30 Junkanoo Bowl Tournament.

#The competition started with 22 Bahamian juniors combined against competitors from 11 different countries. Ultimately, out of 22 Bahamians there were only two remaining on the final day of competition this past Friday.

#Doubles

#The only Bahamians to advance to the finals were the duo of Jackson Mactaggart and Jerald Carroll.

#The doubles team battled against Tommy Rainyn and double crown winner Benjamin Willwerth.

#Ultimately, The Bahamas’ final remaining tennis junior players came up short against the United States of America’s doubles team in two sets 6-4, 6-0.

#Carroll talked about the team’s final match and their overall experience at the ITF J30 Junkanoo Bowl tourney.

#“It was good competition that we were playing. It gave me good experience and helped me to get better with my doubles partner so it was just fun in general,” he said.

#The doubles player added that the tournament was fun because it was good to meet new people who spoke different languages and to get exposure to other good players.

#Mactaggart, Carroll’s doubles teammate, talked about how it felt to be the final remaining Bahamians in the tournament.

#“It feels good, we worked hard, we got some preparation in from the nationals last week. We look forward to coming back and doing better next time,” he said.

#He added that he prefers the international competition because it is a wider variety of players which helps them to prepare for other tournaments. Overall, he said it was fun and was happy about the doubles competition because tournaments do not usually have those matches.

#The USA won all the other areas of competition including the girls’ doubles. The team of Natalie Oliver, who won a double crown for her singles and doubles wins, and Alexandra Wolf wrapped up Kaya Baker and Gianna Graci. In set one, the duo won 6-4. After the initial set, they solidified the championship win with 6-3 in set two.

#The doubles team turned in a dominating showing all tournament. They defeated The Bahamas’ Saphirre Ferguson and Sierra Rodgers 6-0, 6-0 in round one.

#In the quarterfinals, Italy’s Nicole Ballotta and the USA’s Maria Fernanda Luzuriaga suffered the same fate. In the semis, the duo once again powered through the competition, dropping Jessica McLean and Annika Warkentin of the USA 6-1,6-0.

#Singles

#The USA’s Oliver claimed her second victory of the day in singles action against Korea’s Dain Lee in a final that required three sets for the win.

#Oliver took down Lee in the first set 7-5. However, set two was all Lee who quieted Oliver with 6-4.

#Ultimately, Oliver stepped it up in the final set, running away with the win (6-1).

#Similar to Oliver, the USA’s Willwerth secured his second victory of the day in a competitive final.

#He came into the match as the top seed and matched up against the second-seeded Cruz Hewitt from Australia. Willwerth proved why he came in ranked as the top seed, he opened set one 6-1.

#Hewitt mounted a comeback in set two of three, dropping the USA singles competitor 7-5.

#However, Willwerth completed his quest to victory in the third set, winning 6-1 for the singles championship. Next up for the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s (BLTA) NTC will be the start of tennis for the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games on Friday, July 7. Individuals are asked to come out and support the men’s singles matchups which get underway at 9am.

As of Monday, July 3, 2023

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TEAM Bahamas sailors in Costa Brava in Girona, Spain, for the 2023 Optimist World Championships. The event was hosted by the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) June 15-25.

#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#FIVE sailors from The Bahamas journeyed to Costa Brava in Girona, Spain, for the 2023 Optimist World Championships.

#The event was hosted by the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) June 15-25.

#The top five sailors from each country are selected to compete and this year there were 257 sailors from 57 different countries.

#Martin Manrique, head coach of the team, talked about the experience of the young sailors at the World Championships.

#“The overall experience was mixed feelings, it was amazing to break the record of Bahamian sailors and a great feeling of validating all the hours and hard work we have been doing in the past years,” Manrique said.

#However, he added that it was a bit frustrating because they were unable to sail as much as they wanted to because the conditions at the beach did not allow for them to go sailing during three of the eight days scheduled for competition.

#Team Bahamas consisted of Finley Mckinney Lambert, Patrick Tomlinson, Jude McCarroll, Mary Jac Nash and Eliza Denning.

#Lambert was the first Bahamian ever to make the gold fleet at the Optimist World Championships. He placed 35th overall out of 250 participants in the competition.

#Tomlinson, the current Bahamian national champion for sailing, finished 21st in bronze and 146th overall. McCarroll came out 59th in the emerald fleet. The team’s head coach had high praise for the five-member group.

#“The performance of Finley was great but not a surprise, both him and the rest of sailors on the team are great sailors, super fast and with the best boat handling techniques on the fleet. “We sail only on fleets of 10-15 sailors while other countries sail with approximately 250 on every regatta,” Manrique said.

#The coach added that they knew it could go both ways but they were happy that he was mature enough to handle the situation.

#Although the result may seem as a surprise, they knew how much he trained for it and it was also a team effort on all fronts.

#The girls also turned in brilliant performances in the first time ever the five-member team has included female sailors.

#Denning capped off the world championships regatta in 47th place for the silver fleet and came in 110th overall. Jac Nash ended her first time appearance on the world team – 48th on the bronze fleet and 173rd overall.

#Manrique was pleased with the efforts of the girls and said it’s especially exciting to see them competing at this level for the first time. He added that he appreciated the increased respect and recognition from other teams who have witnessed their remarkable improvements.

#With sailing now well underway as the country’s national sport, the sailors will be on the waters once again, this time in Antigua and Barbuda July 2-9 for the 2023 North American Optimist Championships (OptiNams).

#The event was previously hosted in Nassau last year.

#Also, the sailors will put their talents on display for the sailing sporting discipline at the Bahamas Golden Jubilee Games starting on July 8 at Montagu Bay.

 Home|Sports|Nairn, Charlton see Diamond League actionSports

They are expected home this week for nationals

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 3, 2023 93 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

With The Bahamas’ senior nationals set for this week, Bahamian senior athletes, long jumper LaQuan Nairn and hurdler Devynne Charlton, turned in strong performances at their respective Diamond League competitions over the weekend before they return home.

Nairn was in action in the men’s long jump at the Lausanne Diamond League, at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday. Charlton was in action in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles at the Bauhaus Galan Stockholm Diamond League in the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, yesterday.

Nairn stacked up against some strong competitors, but a season’s best jump of 8.11m (26’ 7-1/4”) propelled him to win that event. Nairn went up against some strong competitors in that event, including India’s Sreeshankar and Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, who have the second and fifth best jumps in the world this season, respectively.

“I’ve been preparing for this competition for two weeks,” Nairn said. “Last year, I came last in the Oslo Diamond League, so it’s amazing for me to be able to come first. Before the competition, I had my whole mindset changed and that helped me to jump further. I will continue working hard for the Budapest World Championships and I aim to get a medal there.”

Tentoglou was second with a leap of 8.07m (26’ 5-3/4”). Placing third was Japan’s Yuki Hashioka, who posted a distance of 7.98m (26’ 2-1/4”).

Nairn got his season’s best jump on his third jump and it was his only jump over eight meters, but it was enough for the 26-year-old, who will celebrate his 27th birthday later this month. This was Nairn’s fifth competition of the season and his second victory of the season. His previous season’s best was 8.10m (26’ 7”), which he did to win the event at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Gabrone, Botswana.

Charlton powered her way to a fourth-place finish in the women’s 100m hurdles when she clocked 12.85 seconds. It was the sixth time this season that she ran sub-13 seconds.

Winning that race was Nigerian Tobi Amusan, who ran a time of 12.52 seconds. Ireland’s Sarah Lavin was second in a personal best time of 12.73 seconds. Finishing third was Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska, who crossed the finish line in 12.78 seconds.

It was a great improvement from Charlton’s performance last week at the 62nd Ostrava Golden Spike, at Mestský Stadion in Ostrava, Czech Republic. At that meet, she finished seventh with a time of 13.01 seconds. Before that, she tied a season’s best 12.64 seconds at the fifth Irena Szewińska Memorial, at Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium, Bydgoszcz, on June 6.

Both Charlton and Nairn are expected to compete at this week’s Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Junior and Senior Track and Field Championships, set for July 5-7.

 Home|Sports|Action continues for The Bahamas at CAC GamesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 3, 2023 127 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Action continued for The Bahamas over the weekend at the 24th edition Central America and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, as sailing wrapped up and several other disciplines including team sports got underway.

The water polo team got into action on Saturday when they squeaked pass Centro Caribe Sports team 10-9 at the Complejo Acuático Merliot in Group A action. Joshua Gibson led the Bahamian side with five goals. He got help from Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield who finished with a hat-trick.

The Bahamas opened the game with a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. They poured in four more goals in the second quarter to take a 7-5 lead at halftime. A huge third quarter saw The Bahamas outscoring their opponents 3-1 as they went into the fourth period up 10-6.

The fourth quarter saw The Bahamas’ defense breaking down as they allowed three goals and was unable to find the back of the net. They held on for the 10-9 win.

They had a tough matchup against Mexico last night. No scores were available at press time.

In archery, The Bahamas had two athletes, Rachel Taylor-Brown and Leron Rolle, in action at the Polígono de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot. Rolle finished 21st in the men’s compound individual with 674 points. He had 37 10’s and 14 “inner 10’s”.

Taylor-Brown scored 517 total points to finish 29th in the women’s recurve individual. She had four 10’s and one “inner 10’s”.

The duo teamed up for the mixed compound team event and scored 1,191 and finished 13th. They had 13 10’s and 15 “inner 10’s”. They were defeated by Puerto Rico 151-136 in the mixed compound team round of 16.

Bahamian sailor, Joshua Higgins, wrapped up action in the men’s International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 7 at the Parque Recreativo Apulo on Friday. He had three races on that day. In his final race in the competition, Higgins finished 10th.

He finished 11th out of 16 sailors in the competition with a net score of 81 points and his total score was 97 points. The Bahamian sailor had six top-10 finishes with his best finish coming in his second race where he placed fifth. His other top-10 finishes included two seventh-place finishes that came in races one and seven while he was 10th in races four, eight and nine.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up on July 8.

There are 51 athletes representing The Bahamas in 11 sporting disciplines – athletics, swimming, water polo, men’s basketball, women’s softball, boxing, equestrian, archery, beach soccer, judo and triathlon.

There are 20 officials for Team Bahamas.

 Home|Sports|Junkanoo Bowl wraps upSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 3, 2023 98 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) J30 Nassau, better known as the Junkanoo Bowl, wrapped up on Friday, June 30, with four champions being crowned at the National Tennis Center.

Tournament Director Tara Mactaggart was happy that the tournament was back in Nassau, after a four-year hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The level of competition has been amazing,” Mactaggart said. “As the tournament went further, we saw some very tight matches, including both the girls’ and boys’ singles finals going to three sets for some world-class tennis.”

The Bahamian boys’ doubles duo of Jackson Mactaggart and Jerald Carroll was in the finals against Tommy Rainyn and Benjamin Willwerth. In the end, the Americans put on a show and won 6-4 and 6-0, as Willwerth won his second title of the day. Carroll and Mactaggart had a good tournament, picking up two straight set wins in the tournament.

Friday saw Bahamian Michael Major Jr. teaming up with teammate Australian Cruz Hewitt. However, they lost in the semifinals to Rainyn and Willwerth in three sets, 6-3, 5-7 and 10-4.

In the girls’ doubles final, Natalie Oliver and Alexandra Wolf played the number one seeded doubles Kaya Baker and Gianna Graci. Oliver and Wolf got the best of Baker and Graci in a tight two sets. They came away with the 6-4 and 6-3 victory, as Oliver won her second title of the tournament.

The boys’ singles final saw number one seeded Willwerth and number two seeded Hewitt face each other. They needed three sets to determine a winner. In the end, it was Willwerth who took care of Hewitt 6-1, 5-7 and 6-1, to win his first title of the day.

Oliver did the same as Willwerth, securing both singles and doubles titles. In the singles, Oliver played against second-seeded Dain Lee, which also needed a third set to determine a winner. Oliver won the first set with a close 7-5 scoreline. Lee came back and won the second set 6-4, but Oliver buckled up in the third set to dominate Lee 6-1.

The 15-year-old, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland, was not seeded coming into the tournament, but was elated to get the victory.

“I got mentally stronger and fitter throughout the third set,” Oliver said. “I think that my opponent got slightly tired and that helped me to kind of cruise in the third set.”

Bahamian junior players took advantage of the tournament, as 17 athletes competed.

“It was an incredible opportunity for our local players,” Mactaggart said. “It was good that they got to see the standard and play against these players. It raises their level and our national teams’ level getting this experience.”

There were over 11 countries in action in the week-long tournament including Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, US Virgin Islands, Canada, and of course The Bahamas.

 Home|Sports|NFL Flag Bahamas to host camp on July 11Sports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJuly 4, 2023 59 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

It was announced a few weeks ago, that the NFL Flag Football nation was expanding to the Caribbean, starting with The Bahamas. Following this big announcement in June, NFL Flag Bahamas will host its very first ever flag football clinic on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. This will be a camp held for both youth and adult participants to showcase their skills and agility tests.

This camp will be a separated into three parts throughout the day: player testing, expert coaching clinic and competition.

The NFL Flag Football Skills Camp will be led by Phoebe Schecter, NFL Flag Football global ambassador, and first international woman to coach in the NFL. Also expected to make a special appearance will be NFL Vice President Roman Oben. The excitement is in the air to have representatives from NFL Flag Football leading the clinic and assisted by some of The Bahamas’ flag football coaches.

The clinic is being held for both youth and adult participants, and there is a strategic plan to orchestrate football stations to conduct both offensive and defensive drills.

“I see the direction being one that has never been done before, developing the level of play and impacting the lives of many, including college scholarship opportunities,” stated Chris Prudhome, president, NFL Flag Bahamas.

NFL Flag Bahamas is encouraging anyone from the age of six or above that has an interest or passion for the game of football to sign up for the clinic, as it will be an experience every participant will remember. Persons can register at www.nflflagbahamas.com.

In terms of future plans, NFL Flag Football Bahamas is working on strategies that will allow local athletes to participate on the world stage in the game of flag football. 

Jayson Clarke, who is assisting with NFL Flag Bahamas, indicated that he is looking forward to NFL Flag Football putting flag football in The Bahamas on a fast track, by providing an elevated level of exposure and opportunities and by leveraging its international affiliations.

Once the NFL Flag Football clinic is hosted, the flag football season, for both adults and kids, will launch and commence in late August.

 Home|Sports|JJ scores eight in Liberty’s winSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 4, 2023 42 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian professional basketball player Jonquel “JJ” Jones scored eight points as she helped her New York Liberty with a 81-66 road win over the Seattle Storm, at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on Sunday.

Jones shot 4-for-6 to go 66.7 percent from the field in 23 minutes in the floor. She also had two rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The center was coming off a 13-point effort against the defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.

The win on Sunday was their fifth win in six games and has them sporting an 11-4 win/loss record on the season to sit in second place in the league. The Aces lead the league with a 15-1 record.

Sunday saw Liberty taking advantage early, opening the game on a 13-3 run for the first five minutes. They ended that quarter leading 26-14 to set the tone, as they never trailed in the game.

Liberty played some strong defense as they held the Storm to just 27 points in the first half. It was the lowest first half point total that they held a team to this season. Liberty led 44-27 at that point.

Jones struggled in the first half, coming away with just two points on 1-for-3 shooting. The Grand Bahama native was able to go a perfect 3-for-3 to score six points in that half.

Breanna Stewart led the way for the Liberty against her former team with 20 points. Jewell Loyd finished with a game-high 27 points in the loss for the Storm.

It was a strong shooting night for Liberty, who shot 46.5 percent from the field, while Storm shot 35.4 percent. They even distributed the ball as the came away with 30 assists on 33 made field goals.

Defensively, the Liberty was on fire as they recorded a season-high 16 steals and had 19 points off turnovers.

It has been a slow start for the 2021 Most Valuable Player by her standards, as she is averaging 10.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. It has been an inconsistent season for her in scoring as she scored eight, 13, 14, zero and 18 points in her last five outings with four being wins for her team. It’s almost mid-way in the season so she has time to pick up her play.

The WNBA just named their 2023 All-Star players and Jones was not on that list. She was named to the All-Star team in her last three seasons (2019, 2021 and 2022). There is no doubt that her goal is to do whatever it takes to help her team to win a championship title.

Next up for Liberty is a matchup against the Phoenix Mercury tomorrow, in a home clash at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tip off time is 7 p.m.

 Home|Sports|Track and field gets underway at CAC GamesSports

Bahamas wins 6-2 against Trinidad in beach soccer

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 4, 2023 188 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Track and field got underway at the 24th edition of the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games at the Estadio Nacional Jorge El Magico Gonzalez in San Salvador, El Salvador yesterday.

Water polo, beach soccer and equestrian kicked off on Sunday.

Decathletes Ken Mullings and Kendrick Thompson were first up on the track for The Bahamas in the decathlon event. After three events, Mullings and Thompson are third and fourth with 2,533 and 2,516 points respectively.

In the 100 meters (m), Mullings placed third overall when he powered his way to stop the clock at 10.69 seconds to score 931 points in that event. Thompson was right behind Mullings with a time of 10.72 seconds as he scored 924 points.

The long jump saw Thompson placing seventh with a leap of 7.09m (23’ 3-1/4”), while Mullings had a leap of 7.06m (23’ 2”) to place ninth in that event. They scored 835 and 828 points respectively.

In their final event of the morning session, the shot put, Mullings threw 14.74m (48’ 4-1/4”) to place second and score 774 points. Thompson was right behind him in third with 14.47m (47’ 5-3/4”) to score 757 points.

They were in action last night in the high jump and 400m along with Anthaya Charlton in the 100m and Kyle Alcine and Shaun Miller Jr. in the high jump. No results were available at press time.

The Bahamas senior men’s beach soccer team got their CAC Games play on the right foot with a 6-2 statement victory over Caribbean rivals, Trinidad and Tobago in Group B action. Veterans Gavin Christie and Lesly St. Fleur poured in two goals each in the victory. The Julmis brothers, Wood and Evelt scored a goal apiece.

The Bahamas went up 1-0 at the end of the first period on a Christie goal. The second period saw The Bahamas finding the back of the net five times as they took a 6-1 lead heading into the final period. An own goal by Gary Joseph in the final period gave the Trinidad side their second goal of the game.

The hosts and Venezuela are also in the group. The Bahamas and El Salvador have three points each and sit at the top of the group, while Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela are winless. The Bahamas was in action against Venezuela last night, but no scores were available at press time.

After opening their play at the CAC Games, the senior men’s water polo team got drubbed  27-2 by Mexico. Mexico scored seven goals in the first period to take a hold of the game.

The Bahamas got one goal each from Gabriel Sastre and Dominic Demeritte. The Bahamas went 2-for-18 on shots in the loss.

The Bahamas is in Group A and sits in third place in the group. Mexico is at the top with two victories. The first one came against second place Trinidad and Tobago, who they beat 30-6.

The water polo team went up against Trinidad and Tobago yesterday evening in their final group game. No scores were available at press time.

Bahamian equestrian Anna Vlasov and horse 

Gulliver du Saint-Chene were in action in the equestrian individual speed jumping event at the Centro Ecuestre Palmarejo on Sunday. They finished 19th in a time of 85.58 seconds.

The pair were in action yesterday in the second jumping individual qualifier. Results were not available at press time.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up on July 8.

There are 51 athletes representing The Bahamas in 11 sporting disciplines – athletics, swimming, water polo, men’s basketball, women’s softball, boxing, equestrian, archery, beach soccer, judo and triathlon.

There are 20 officials for Team Bahamas.

 Home|Sports|Miller wins bronze medal at CAC GamesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2023 38 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas secured its third medal of the 24th edition of the Central America and Caribbean Games (CAC), when high jumper Shaun Miller Jr. won the bronze medal at the Estadio Nacional Jorge El Mágico González on Monday night.

Miller bowed out at 2.22 meters (m) (7’ 3-1/2”), which was a season’s best leap for him. His previous season’s best was done back in April. The Bahamas now has one gold and two bronze medals so far.

Also competing in the high jump event for The Bahamas was Kyle Alcine, who finished with a season’s best of 2.12m (6’ 11-1/2”).

Winning that event was Puerto Rico’s Luis Castro, who posted 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”). Luis Zayas picked up the silver medal after clearing 2.25m (7’ 4-1/2”).

Ken Mullings returned to action yesterday in the men’s decathlon. He was in the 110m hurdles and finished second with a time of 14.06 seconds. Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens won that event in a time of 13.85 seconds. Venezuelan Gerson Izaguirre was third  in 14.10 seconds.

Mullings won the discus event with with a throw of 44.63m. Owens was second with a throw of 43.40.

After the morning session, Mullings sits in second place with 6,033 points after eight of 10 events. Leading the way was Owens with 6,164 points. Cuba’s Yancarlos Hernandez was in third with 5,724 points.

Anthaya Charlton was in action in the women’s 100m on Monday night. She got off to a bad start, but managed to recover and cross the finish line in 11.68 seconds to finish fourth. She did not qualify for the final.

Leron Rolle was in action in round 32 of the men’s compound individual competition at the Polígono de Tiro con Arco Ciudad Merliot. He went up against Dominican Republic’s Bryan Thompson. The two were tied at 113 points at the end of the fourth game. In the final game, Thompson edged out the Bahamian to score 29 points, to finish with 142 points, while Rolle finished with 28 points and a total of 141 points and was eliminated from the tournament. The Bahamian finished 17th overall.

The Bahamas national beach soccer team suffered its first loss of the games, when they fell 7-3 to Venezuela. They have a 1-1 win/loss record in the games, having won their opening match against Trinidad and Tobago. Scoring for The Bahamas was Wood Julmis, who had the double, and Lesly St. Fleur, who scored one goal.

The Bahamas was unable to find the back of the net in the first period, when they dug themselves in a hole as Venezuela took a 3-0 lead. That lead got extended to 5-1 at the end of the second period. The Bahamas scored two goals in the final period but it was not enough, as Venezuela also scored two goals.

They wrapped up group play last night against the host country.

The Bahamas senior men’s water polo team played against a familiar foe, Trinidad and Tobago, at the Complejo Acuático Merliot. They fell 11-7 and has a 1-2 record at the games.

Five Bahamians scored and Joshua Gibson and Nicholas Whitfield-Wallace scored two goals each. Matthew Thompson, Khari Marshall and Aidan Johnson scored one goal each.

They advanced to the quarterfinals and will play against Puerto Rico tonight at 9.30 pm.

Anna Vlasov and her teammate Gulliver du Saint-Chene were in action in the second and third equestrian jumping individual qualifiers. They finished 15th in the second qualifier with a time of 72.96 seconds. They had a tougher time in the third qualifier. They finished 24th and posted a time of 94.32 seconds.

The CAC Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes in the Caribbean and Central America. It will wrap up on July 8.

There are 51 athletes representing The Bahamas in 11 sporting disciplines – athletics, swimming, water polo, men’s basketball, women’s softball, boxing, equestrian, archery, beach soccer, judo and triathlon.

 Home|Sports|Bahamas Games gets underway on FridaySports

Family Islanders begin coming in today

Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 5, 2023 88 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

After months of preparation, the sixth edition of the Bahamas Games is set and ready to get underway on Friday, with four disciplines – volleyball, baseball, soccer and tennis – starting at 9 am at different venues.

The announcement came during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

“There has been a lot of work, a lot of trials, a lot of tribulations, but the games is a few hours away and I know all Bahamians should be excited,” said Bahamas Games Chairman Harrison Thompson during the press conference. “We are bringing the whole Bahamas together. No matter where you live in The Bahamas, you will be impacted by these games,” Thompson said.

The teams that will be competing are the Abaco Survivors, Andros Chiccharnies, Bimini and the Berry Islands Marlins, Cat Island, San Salvador and Rum Cay (Columbus Isles) Arawaks; Eleuthera Adventurers, Exuma and Ragged Islands Navigators, Grand Bahama Lucayans, New Providence Buccaneers and the Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay (MICAL) Flamingos.

The Family Islands athletes, along with some of the New Providence athletes, will be housed in the athletes’ Games Village at SuperClubs Breezes Resort and Courtyard Marriott. Some of the Family Islanders will begin to make their way to New Providence today, as they get ready to compete.

“This is huge for this administration, to ensure that they bring people together,” said Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg. “Some of those persons who never experienced the independence celebration will be here now in New Providence. They’ve never been here because some of those persons are normally home. So it would be good to see them experience the celebration of our 50th independence.”

Softball gets underway on 

Tuesday, July 11. Bowleg assured that Bankers Softball Field will be ready.

Bowleg said although the games is under his ministry, other ministries and agencies have and will be playing a role.

“The Ministry of Health has helped us to ensure that we have doctors, nurses, and ambulances available at all the facilities, to ensure the safety of the athletes. We also have insured these athletes and coaches during their time of play. The Ministry of Works has partnered with us, along with Ministry of Education, to allow us to use their facilities, which are the Donald Davis and Anatol Rodgers gyms. There were some minor and major repairs that needed to be done. The Ministry of Works stepped in and got those things done,” Bowleg said.

He added: “We ensured that the cyclists and edukart drivers are safe, so there’s a little bit of paving done here and there. The National Sporting Authority, the mothership of all of the sporting facilities, stepped up and ensured that their facilities are up and running. We must also thank Bahamas Power and Light, who will ensure that the lighting is good.”

Bowleg encouraged Bahamians to come out and support the event.

“Let’s come together. It’s our games, it’s our nation, it’s our sports, let’s come together and unite this nation,” Bowleg said.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thebahamasgames.org/ticketspurchase or at the box office at Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.

The opening ceremony is set for Saturday, July 8 at 6 pm.