Home|Sports|BFA announces roster for CONCACAF Nations LeagueSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 31, 2023 15 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) has announced a 23-player roster for the upcoming CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Nations League match against Puerto Rico, September 9, at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

Team Bahamas Head Coach Nesly Jean has called up a blend of youth and experience to begin the Nations League campaign, and the BFA has ratified the squad. It features long-time national team players along with talented young stars looking to make their mark on the international stage.

“I’m excited about the balance of this roster,” said Jean. “Our veterans provide the leadership we need, while our emerging talents bring energy and fearlessness.”

Goalkeeper Antonio Beckford, defenders William Gardiner and Miguel Thompson, and striker Lesly St. Fleur are among the key veterans carrying over from The Bahamas’ qualifying run. They are joined by young standouts like midfielder Wood Julmis and forward Rashaan Bain who are expected to play increased roles.

After facing Puerto Rico at home, The Bahamas will travel to Guyana September 12, and that will be followed by a home game against Antigua & Barbuda on October 14, 2023. The CONCACAF Nations League provides important competition as the team aims to climb the FIFA (International Association Football Federation) rankings and compete for a place in the Gold Cup competition.

“The talent is there, and the team is driven to succeed,” Jean said. “We are eager to represent The Bahamas and continue our progress through the Nations League.”

The remaining players on the roster are: goalkeepers Cameron Pratt and Vance Wheaton, Christopher Rahming, Ricardo McPhee, William Evans, Brandon Adderley, Junior Kelly, Alexiou Cartwright, Nathan Neymour, Nathan Wells, Quinton Carey, Jaxon Bethel, Walter Sawyer, Michael Massey, William Bayles, Phieron Wilson and Nahum Johnson.

 Home|Sports|Roach happy with triathlon team’s performanceSports

BTA looking to improve for next year

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 30, 2023 179 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 5th CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon is in the books and the Bahamas Triathlon Association’s president, Dorian Roach was happy with Team Bahamas’ performance, which was the best The Bahamas ever did.

The championship was held at Goodman’s Bay in New Providence this past weekend.

“We performed the best we ever have,” Roach said. “We’re hoping that we got in the top three and we did. We got six medals. Our previous best was four medals. We got our first ever gold medal. We’re really happy about that. It’s definitely our best performance ever and we’re happy and we’re very proud of our team.”

The Bahamas was able to secure the third-place finish and secure one gold, three silver and two bronze. Barbados was the overall winner, while Bermuda was second.

Lauchlan Menzies made history by winning the first gold medal ever for Team Bahamas in the 11-12 boys triathlon. His older brother, Malcolm Menzies followed suit later, with a silver medal in the 13-15 boys triathlon. Ralph Wood Jr. won two silver medals in the 21-and-under division triathlon and aquathlon. Erin Pritchard won a bronze medal in the 16-19 girls triathlon, while Grace Farrington won bronze in the 16-19 girls aquathlon.

Triathlons and aquathlons have picked up some momentum in terms of attracting new athletes. Roach said the sporting events have been growing.

“We’ve been working over the many years as an association to build the program up. Each year, we get more and more kids. We try and improve our training. We try and improve the events that we have. We try to build on the clubs. We have two clubs now, so we’re trying to attract people to the sport and to take the sport more seriously as a full-time sport, rather than just something else that the kids do. We have a lot of swimmers that also do it. We have a lot of runners that also do it. We’re trying to encourage people to be full-time athletes and I think doing that will help us a lot.”

Roach said this year’s competition is a step in the right direction and he hopes to add some more depth to the older divisions.

“We need a little more depth in some of the age groups like our 16 to 21, or specifically 19 to 21. We only had one male and we had no females. We need to look on how do we retain the kids as they get older instead of them dropping out. How do we keep them in the sport longer is definitely something we need to look at. As for our coaching structure, we’d like to try and see if we can get a full-time national team coach, rather than just selecting a coach a couple of weeks before the event. I think that’ll help us too.”

The two strong portions for The Bahamas were the swimming and the cycling events. The running was not as strong as those portions, but Roach said they will look into making it stronger in the future.

“They are good runners, but obviously, there are better runners out there,” Roach said. “I think overall, that’s probably our weakest point – the run. We have some very strong swimmers. We have some strong bikers. Our running is, I think, as a team, for sure, our running is probably the least best that we have. We need to look at possibly doing some more track sessions, bringing in a track-specific coach to help us out with that.”

The 6th edition of the competition is set to be held in Barbados.

 Home|Sports|Charlton, Strachan to compete in ZürichSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 30, 2023 92 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – The 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, might be over, but the season continues for a number of Bahamian elite athletes.

The start lists for the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League Meet at Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, are out, and a couple Bahamians will be in action.

Fresh off her fourth place finish at the world championships, Devynne Charlton will be back in action, competing in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles, and looking to book a lane in the Diamond League Final, set for September 16-17 in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Once again, Charlton will be up against a stacked field.

In the race are World Champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica, world championships silver medalist and Olympic Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, of Puerto Rico, world championships bronze medalist and former world record holder Kendra ‘Keni’ Harrison of the United States, world championships finalists Nia Ali of the United States and Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland and Americans Alaysha Johnson and Tia Jones.

The only other athlete in the field in Zürich this Thursday is Pia SkrzysZowska, of Poland.

It will be a tough race for Charlton as six of the ladies have run faster than her this season. She recently went on social media to express thanks and appreciation for the support she has received this season and to profess her love for country.

“I’m proud to wear these colors and proud to represent my country,” she said. “I’m proud of the series of rounds I put together – running three of my four fastest times ever this week, along with one of them being a new national record. Coming into the meet, I wasn’t even projected to make the final but by the end of the second round, I was in medal contention. I’m proud of the season I’ve had so far, and even though it was shaky at times, I remained focused on the bigger picture, stayed the course, and held the faith in the process. As always, I’m forever grateful to those around me who supported me through this season. It means the world.”

After Zürich, Charlton will likely line up in the Diamond League Final in Eugene.

The other Bahamian in action in Zürich this Thursday will be Anthonique Strachan in the women’s 200m. She will be joined by the second-fastest woman in history over that distance, and two-time World Champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica. Also in action in Zürich in the women’s 200m will be Daryll Neita, of Great Britain, and five Americans inclusive of world championships silver medalist Gabrielle Thomas, Twanisha Terry, Tamara Clark, Brittany Brown and Kayla White.

Strachan has a season’s best and personal best time of 22.15 seconds, but five of the other seven ladies in the race have run faster than her this year.

Like Charlton, she is vying to book her ticket for the Diamond League Final. Following Zürich, the inaugural Wanda Diamond League Xiamen will be the next Diamond League Meet on the calendar. That meet will be held at Egret Stadium in Xiamen, People’s Republic of China, on September 2.

The Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diamond League Meet will be held at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on September 8, and the Diamond League Final, the Prefontaine Classic, will wrap up the Diamond League season at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, September 16-17.

 Home|Sports|Roach happy with triathlon team’s performanceSports

BTA looking to improve for next year

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 30, 2023 178 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 5th CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon is in the books and the Bahamas Triathlon Association’s president, Dorian Roach was happy with Team Bahamas’ performance, which was the best The Bahamas ever did.

The championship was held at Goodman’s Bay in New Providence this past weekend.

“We performed the best we ever have,” Roach said. “We’re hoping that we got in the top three and we did. We got six medals. Our previous best was four medals. We got our first ever gold medal. We’re really happy about that. It’s definitely our best performance ever and we’re happy and we’re very proud of our team.”

The Bahamas was able to secure the third-place finish and secure one gold, three silver and two bronze. Barbados was the overall winner, while Bermuda was second.

Lauchlan Menzies made history by winning the first gold medal ever for Team Bahamas in the 11-12 boys triathlon. His older brother, Malcolm Menzies followed suit later, with a silver medal in the 13-15 boys triathlon. Ralph Wood Jr. won two silver medals in the 21-and-under division triathlon and aquathlon. Erin Pritchard won a bronze medal in the 16-19 girls triathlon, while Grace Farrington won bronze in the 16-19 girls aquathlon.

Triathlons and aquathlons have picked up some momentum in terms of attracting new athletes. Roach said the sporting events have been growing.

“We’ve been working over the many years as an association to build the program up. Each year, we get more and more kids. We try and improve our training. We try and improve the events that we have. We try to build on the clubs. We have two clubs now, so we’re trying to attract people to the sport and to take the sport more seriously as a full-time sport, rather than just something else that the kids do. We have a lot of swimmers that also do it. We have a lot of runners that also do it. We’re trying to encourage people to be full-time athletes and I think doing that will help us a lot.”

Roach said this year’s competition is a step in the right direction and he hopes to add some more depth to the older divisions.

“We need a little more depth in some of the age groups like our 16 to 21, or specifically 19 to 21. We only had one male and we had no females. We need to look on how do we retain the kids as they get older instead of them dropping out. How do we keep them in the sport longer is definitely something we need to look at. As for our coaching structure, we’d like to try and see if we can get a full-time national team coach, rather than just selecting a coach a couple of weeks before the event. I think that’ll help us too.”

The two strong portions for The Bahamas were the swimming and the cycling events. The running was not as strong as those portions, but Roach said they will look into making it stronger in the future.

“They are good runners, but obviously, there are better runners out there,” Roach said. “I think overall, that’s probably our weakest point – the run. We have some very strong swimmers. We have some strong bikers. Our running is, I think, as a team, for sure, our running is probably the least best that we have. We need to look at possibly doing some more track sessions, bringing in a track-specific coach to help us out with that.”

The 6th edition of the competition is set to be held in Barbados.

 Home|Sports|Roach happy with triathlon team’s performanceSports

BTA looking to improve for next year

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Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 30, 2023 71 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 5th CARIFTA Triathlon and Aquathlon is in the books and the Bahamas Triathlon Association’s president, Dorian Roach was happy with Team Bahamas’ performance, which was the best The Bahamas ever did.

The championship was held at Goodman’s Bay in New Providence this past weekend.

“We performed the best we ever have,” Roach said. “We’re hoping that we got in the top three and we did. We got six medals. Our previous best was four medals. We got our first ever gold medal. We’re really happy about that. It’s definitely our best performance ever and we’re happy and we’re very proud of our team.”

The Bahamas was able to secure the third-place finish and secure one gold, three silver and two bronze. Barbados was the overall winner, while Bermuda was second.

Lauchlan Menzies made history by winning the first gold medal ever for Team Bahamas in the 11-12 boys triathlon. His older brother, Malcolm Menzies followed suit later, with a silver medal in the 13-15 boys triathlon. Ralph Wood Jr. won two silver medals in the 21-and-under division triathlon and aquathlon. Erin Pritchard won a bronze medal in the 16-19 girls triathlon, while Grace Farrington won bronze in the 16-19 girls aquathlon.

Triathlons and aquathlons have picked up some momentum in terms of attracting new athletes. Roach said the sporting events have been growing.

“We’ve been working over the many years as an association to build the program up. Each year, we get more and more kids. We try and improve our training. We try and improve the events that we have. We try to build on the clubs. We have two clubs now, so we’re trying to attract people to the sport and to take the sport more seriously as a full-time sport, rather than just something else that the kids do. We have a lot of swimmers that also do it. We have a lot of runners that also do it. We’re trying to encourage people to be full-time athletes and I think doing that will help us a lot.”

Roach said this year’s competition is a step in the right direction and he hopes to add some more depth to the older divisions.

“We need a little more depth in some of the age groups like our 16 to 21, or specifically 19 to 21. We only had one male and we had no females. We need to look on how do we retain the kids as they get older instead of them dropping out. How do we keep them in the sport longer is definitely something we need to look at. As for our coaching structure, we’d like to try and see if we can get a full-time national team coach, rather than just selecting a coach a couple of weeks before the event. I think that’ll help us too.”

The two strong portions for The Bahamas were the swimming and the cycling events. The running was not as strong as those portions, but Roach said they will look into making it stronger in the future.

“They are good runners, but obviously, there are better runners out there,” Roach said. “I think overall, that’s probably our weakest point – the run. We have some very strong swimmers. We have some strong bikers. Our running is, I think, as a team, for sure, our running is probably the least best that we have. We need to look at possibly doing some more track sessions, bringing in a track-specific coach to help us out with that.”

The 6th edition of the competition is set to be held in Barbados.

 Home|Sports|Jones, Liberty get the best of AcesSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 30, 2023 10 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The WNBA season is winding down and Bahamian Jonquel “JJ” Jones and the New York Liberty looks to be tuning up as they picked up their fourth straight victory with a 94-85 victory against rival Las Vegas Aces on Monday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Jones had a quiet night on the offensive side of the ball coming away with just four points, but she made up for it by adding 10 rebounds, one steal and a block.

It was the fifth time the top two teams in the league faced each other this season with four being played in August. The win for Liberty meant that the two potential WNBA Finals team are tied at 2-2 in their regular season matchup. However, Liberty has won three of their five total meetings by coming away with a dominant 82-62 performance in the Commissioner’s Cup final earlier this month.

The win on Monday night also closes the gap that the league leading Aces (30-6) had over Liberty (28-7) to just 1.5 games. Liberty has been hot in their last 10 games having only lost just one game which was against the Aces. For the Aces, they are sputtering to the end of the season as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Liberty has four more games left on the season.

Jones had a tough night from the field going 1-for-8 in 18 minutes on the floor. She got into foul trouble early in the game coming away with two fouls in the first quarter. She was forced to only play six minutes in that opening period but was able to score Liberty’s first two points of the game. She ended the game with five fouls. As mentioned earlier she was able to pull in 10 rebounds – six on the offensive glass and four on the defensive glass.

Sabrina Ionescu led the way for Liberty with 25 points. Jackie Young came away with 24 points in the loss.

The game was a competitive one early after Liberty picked it up after the Aces went up 4-0 to start the game. At the end of the first quarter, Liberty was up 22-19 as the Aces stayed close.

That gap widened as Liberty got into a groove and tuned up their defense another notch as the Aces went cold in that quarter making 33.3 percent of their shots from the field. Liberty on the other hand made 58.8 percent of their shots as they found their sweet spot on the court. At the end of the second period, Liberty was up 47-35 as they outscored the Aces 25-16. That quarter was the game changer as they never trailed the Aces since the ending of the first quarter.

The third quarter was even as both teams scored 23 points. Liberty stopped any run that the Aces attempted. After going up 70-58 at the end of the third quarter, Liberty coasted to victory as they kept the lead and got the key victory over the Aces.

The Bahamian is averaging 11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in her first season with Liberty. She is shooting 52.9 percent from the field while averaging 1.2 blocks per game in an average of 24.8 minutes on the floor.

Jones and Liberty will get back on the court on Friday, September 1 against Jones’ former club, Connecticut Sun (24-11) who sits in third place in the league. That game gets underway at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Liberty dubbed that night West Indian Night. It is the first ever one as they will celebrate the West Indian culture and community which is an integral part of Brooklyn, as Jones’ welcome the Sun to Brooklyn.

 Home|Sports|Charlton, Strachan to compete in ZürichSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 30, 2023 26 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – The 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, might be over, but the season continues for a number of Bahamian elite athletes.

The start lists for the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League Meet at Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich, Switzerland, are out, and a couple Bahamians will be in action.

Fresh off her fourth place finish at the world championships, Devynne Charlton will be back in action, competing in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles, and looking to book a lane in the Diamond League Final, set for September 16-17 in Eugene, Oregon, USA. Once again, Charlton will be up against a stacked field.

In the race are World Champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica, world championships silver medalist and Olympic Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, of Puerto Rico, world championships bronze medalist and former world record holder Kendra ‘Keni’ Harrison of the United States, world championships finalists Nia Ali of the United States and Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland and Americans Alaysha Johnson and Tia Jones.

The only other athlete in the field in Zürich this Thursday is Pia SkrzysZowska, of Poland.

It will be a tough race for Charlton as six of the ladies have run faster than her this season. She recently went on social media to express thanks and appreciation for the support she has received this season and to profess her love for country.

“I’m proud to wear these colors and proud to represent my country,” she said. “I’m proud of the series of rounds I put together – running three of my four fastest times ever this week, along with one of them being a new national record. Coming into the meet, I wasn’t even projected to make the final but by the end of the second round, I was in medal contention. I’m proud of the season I’ve had so far, and even though it was shaky at times, I remained focused on the bigger picture, stayed the course, and held the faith in the process. As always, I’m forever grateful to those around me who supported me through this season. It means the world.”

After Zürich, Charlton will likely line up in the Diamond League Final in Eugene.

The other Bahamian in action in Zürich this Thursday will be Anthonique Strachan in the women’s 200m. She will be joined by the second-fastest woman in history over that distance, and two-time World Champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica. Also in action in Zürich in the women’s 200m will be Daryll Neita, of Great Britain, and five Americans inclusive of world championships silver medalist Gabrielle Thomas, Twanisha Terry, Tamara Clark, Brittany Brown and Kayla White.

Strachan has a season’s best and personal best time of 22.15 seconds, but five of the other seven ladies in the race have run faster than her this year.

Like Charlton, she is vying to book her ticket for the Diamond League Final. Following Zürich, the inaugural Wanda Diamond League Xiamen will be the next Diamond League Meet on the calendar. That meet will be held at Egret Stadium in Xiamen, People’s Republic of China, on September 2.

The Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diamond League Meet will be held at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on September 8, and the Diamond League Final, the Prefontaine Classic, will wrap up the Diamond League season at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA, September 16-17.

As of Friday, September 18, 2020

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ROMELL KNOWLES, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

#WITH the way the landscape of sports is shaping up around the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Bahamas Olympic Committee president Romell Knowles is calling for the formation of a commission to assist local student-athletes.

#When the BOC hosts their next board meting next week, Knowles is expected to introduce a proposal for the country’s top sporting organisation to provide $10,000 to assist with the administration of the commission, once it is formed.

#“I know how hard it is for athletes seeking scholarships, so what I seek to do is get a group of people, who can form this commission, who can reach out to schools and coaches in the various sports to ascertain what they are looking for and to build a rapport so that when they see an athlete who meets those criteria, we can get them off to school.”

#While the bulk of the athletes presently attaining athletic scholarships are in track and field, Knowles said there are a number of other sporting disciplines that are offering scholarships, but the Bahamian student-athletes just don’t know how to secure them.

#And with a number of persons with knowledge on how to assist in such a venture, Knowles said it won’t be easy assembling a panel to head the commission.

#“We have persons who worked in the educational field in sports, persons who have ties to colleges overseas or the coaches overseas, so they will be responsible for setting up a criteria locally,” Knowles said.

#“We want the commission to even reach out to the Director of the University of the Bahamas and find out what are the criteria she is looking for to get student-athletes to stay at home.”

#By the time the students reach grade 12, Knowles said the commission would be in place to assist them in securing these athletic scholarships, whether home or abroad, and see if they are in a position to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

#Without having done any fact finding costs to establish a commission of this kind, Knowles said he’s willing to propose to the BOC board that they inject some $10,000 to assist with the administrative costs.

#“We have no idea what we are venturing in other than we are trying to fill a void and a gap,” Knowles stated.

#“So for administrative costs, we want to budget about $10,000 for phone calls, sending emails, whatever the administrative cost is.”

#If approved, Knowles said the BOC could even utilise some of its office space for the administration of the commission, which will have one or two executives of the BOA on the board.

#“We will make appointments for the chairman and co-chairman and then we will tell them what it is that we seek for them to do and then we will go from there,” “Knowles said.

#Hopefully the commission will be set up before the end of the year so that they can start the process of contacting the various colleges and universities to get the system set up before the new school year in August, 2021.

#At present, Olympic triple jump bronze medallist Frank Rutherford runs a successful programme in Houston, Texas, that assists Bahamian athletes in the United States particularly in track and field, basketball and football.

#In addition, professional basketball player Juraun ‘Kino’ Burrows, still playing in France, now operates a Raw Talent programme that assists basketball players in getting to Europe.

#Additionally, former basketball player/coach Kermit Romer, based in New York, has and continues to assist countless numbers of local athletes to get into schools throughout the USA.

 Home|Sports|‘Lonnie’ Greene committed to sports academySports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 29, 2023 59 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Rolando “Lonnie” Greene, arguably the most established and most influential Bahamian athletics coach, has made a commitment to assist with the development of young Bahamian athletes, and young people in general, in helping them to achieve their goals.

Greene, who serves as the head athletics coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats program, was in Budapest, Hungary, attending the 19th World Athletics Championships, as the personal coach for Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton and as a coach for other athletes as well.

Greene helped lead Charlton to a fourth place finish in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles, clocking 12.52 seconds in the final. Charlton had her best collection of races in that event on the global stage at the world championships, running a new national record of 12.44 seconds in the heats, 12.49 seconds in the semis, and 12.52 in the final.

She is now the fourth-best female short hurdler in the world and is aspiring for even greater heights in 2024. Greene was pleased with what Charlton did in Budapest and is optimistic that she will be on the medal podium at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.

“She ran well. She’s in an event where the window for error is probably greater than in any other track and field event for you to experience success,” said Greene. “I thought she could be on the podium. She ran 12.44 in the heats and then a 12.49 in the semis. I just wish the 12.44 would have showed up in the final. Delay is never denial. She is ready to run and we will be ready for Paris. That’s the objective – that’s our goal.”

Charlton is one of the fastest starters in that event in the world, and she proved that during the world championships, consistently being the first out of the blocks in her races and building a lead in the early 

portion of her races. The same took place in the final, but after hitting the first hurdle, that might have thrown her stride off a bit. Still, she recovered to finish fourth in the final in one of the fastest times in her career.

Indoors, Charlton won a silver medal in the 60m hurdles on the global stage, finishing second at the world indoor championships at Štark Arena, in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2022. Now, she wants to duplicate the medal success outdoors. Greene feels that she is in the right track.

“Indoors, we believe that she will make a run at the world record in the indoor 60, and then from there, it’s getting ready for Paris,” he said. “She’s got to get physically stronger. Sprinting is about power and distribution. Sprinting is about applying force and you get better at that with getting physically stronger. Mentally, she has broken through. She is one of the best hurdlers in the world. She is the fourth-best hurdler on Earth, but people don’t look at it like that. With more physical strength, you will see more power and then you will see more speed.”

Greene has guided Charlton for much of her athletic career, serving as her college coach at Purdue University and now continuing to coach her as an elite professional athlete. Charlton followed him to Lexington, Kentucky, and in addition to training, she serves as a volunteer coach at the university under Greene.

Greene is entering what will be his 37th year as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate coach. He is one of the coaches who has been mentioned to assist with the introduction of a national sports academy in The Bahamas, and pledged his commitment, saying he will do whatever he can to help young people.

“I’ve always said, whatever I could do to help young people, young individuals in The Bahamas, if it’s within my power, I’m available,” he said. “I would always hold them to the greatest standard of accomplishment of comportment, of academics and then lastly, athletics. I’m in the business of young people. At the end of the day, if I could give back, and help that academy that Dr. Danny Johnson talked about, I am all for that.

“There will come a time when I’m done, but in the meantime, I want to make an impact and I want to give back and mentor young Bahamians and young people in general. That’s the call that’s on my life. The reality is there has to be standards, there has to be a commitment not just from the government and not just from the academy but a commitment from the young people as well and their parents. Whatever connections are available to me are available to The Bahamas.”

Former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Daniel Johnson spoke about the establishment of a national sports academy during the ministry’s team reception and luncheon in Budapest. Johnson said the idea behind the academy is to bring in college coaches to work with Bahamian athletes in assisting with their development, and coaches like Greene would go a long way toward bringing the program into existence.

The Bahamas finished in a five-way tie for 44th in the placing table with eight points at the world championships. The country is looking for a far greater showing at nest year’s world relays and the Olympic Games – the next two global outdoor meets on the athletics calendar in which The Bahamas participates.

The World Relays Bahamas 2024 is set for May 4-5, 2024, at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence, The Bahamas, and the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11, in Paris, France.

 Home|Sports|Lucius advances to the next roundSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailAugust 29, 2023 18 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian Jonathon Lucius experienced his first action in the International Esports Federation’s World Championship in Iasi, Romania, on Saturday. He was able to battle his way out of the first round of Tekken 7.

It is a huge improvement for the 25-year-old after being knocked out of the first round of last year’s world championship. He is being accompanied by Tyler Gordon, vice president of tournaments and events for the Bahamas Esports Federation (BESF).

“I feel really good that I made it to the next round. There were a few close calls, but I was confident in making it through. This year, I focused on playing more defensive instead due to a lot of the aggressive players in the tournament,” Lucius said.

The Bahamian went up against players from Norway, Iraq, Vietnam and Greece in best-of-three first round matches. Lucius opened the round with a 2-1 victory over the player from Norway before easily taking care of the player from Iraq 2-0. He was looking forward to playing against the player from Vietnam, and in the end he lost 2-1. His final match on Saturday was against the player from Greece, and it did not end in his favor as he lost 2-1.

In the end, he scored six points and finished in the number three spot to move on to the next round, the first round of playoffs, which is set for September 1.

“My most challenging match thus far was against Greece,” Lucius said. “It was a close back and forth, but at the end, he came victorious beating me 2-1 in the group, snagging first. I enjoyed the match with Iraq because it was a matchup I normally lose. Thankfully, I won the match 2-0 with a bizarre finish with a double KO which concluded with me winning the match.”

Lucius used yesterday as a rest day. His next opponent is not known as yet, but he has an idea who it will be and he is prepared for that match.

“From my predictions I believe I may face Madagascar, but as of right now, it’s up in the air until the playoff bracket is fully finalized. I will look to just practice and train over the next few days. My next opponent is a strong player who shocked the tournament with his performance,” Lucius said.

The tournament got underway on Thursday, August 24 and will wrap up on September 4. The opening ceremony was on Saturday.