Home|Sports|Junior swimmers perform well in PeruSports
Cargill said the performance of the team was historic, and bright future ahead
Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 7, 2022 207 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The Bahamas wrapped action at the FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru on Sunday, and Bahamas Aquatics Federation President Algernon Cargill praised the six-member team. Despite no finalists, the team had four semifinal appearances, which represented the first time in history for that much advancements for The Bahamas. Also, some personal best times were recorded by the Bahamians at the VIDENA Aquatics Center in Lima.
The team comprised of Erald Thompson III, Rhanishka Gibbs, Keianna Moss, Emmanuel Gadson, Nigel Forbes and Marvin Johnson.
The coaching staff included Camron Bruney, David del Cueto and Stan Corcoran. There was not a head coach, and the team manager was Erald Thompson II.
Cargill was in Lima and saw firsthand the team’s historic performance. He said it shows that their junior program is strong and well-prepared for transition into the senior level.
“I am very happy with the performance of the team. The performance was historic. We had four semifinals appearances and this has never happened before in our participation at the world junior swimming championship. Gibbs advanced to two semifinals and Johnson and Forbes had one each. These swimmers represented The Bahamas at a very high level as they competed against the best in the world,” Cargill stated.
Gibbs powered her way to the girls 50 meters (m) free and the girls 50m butterfly semifinals. The 16-year-old’s best finish came in the 50m free where she finished 11th overall with a personal best time of 26.68 seconds. In the 50m fly, she finished 14th overall after clocking 33.46 seconds in the semifinals. Forbes made the semifinals in the boys 50m fly. The 17-year-old touched the wall in a new personal best time of 24.71 seconds. For 16-year-old Johnson, he made the semifinals in the boys 50m free. He recorded a time of 23.39 seconds.
Cargill commended the coaching staff as well as the swimmers’ individual coaches back home for their hard work.
“Our coaching staff at the games did a great job in managing the team,” Cargill said. “The coaching started before arriving in Peru so I want to recognize the hard work of the local coaches in preparing our junior athletes as well. This is why participation in the CARIFTA Games, CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation) Championships and the Junior Pan American Games is so important. It exposes our swimmers to the very best competition in the region and around the world. Competing at the world junior championships where world junior records were set, our swimmers held their own.”
Gibbs also represented The Bahamas at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, that wrapped up in early August. Cargill zeroed in on her performances in Peru.
“We are happy with her performances. She represented The Bahamas at a high level,” Cargill stated. “She was at the Commonwealth Games and did very well. Gibbs is well positioned to do well at CARIFTA next year and at other junior meets, and senior meets. She has several more years at the junior level and her performances were the highlight of the team. She was very close to making the 50m free final but from what I saw she took two extra breaths coming down to the last 15 meters, but she did well. Her family and coach should be proud of her performances.”
Forbes had personal best times in the boys 50m free (23.64 seconds) and 100m free (52.29 seconds). Moss came away with four personal bests at the championships. The 17-year-old swam personal bests in the girls 50m free (27.70 seconds), 100m free (1:00.65), 50m fly (29.28 seconds) and 100m fly (1:05.31).
Gadson swam away with three personal best times. The 16-year-old had personal bests in the 100m breaststroke (1:07.50), 200m breast (2:27.50) and 200m fly (2:18.05). Erald Thompson III, 18, had personal bests in the 100m breast (1:07.34) and the 50m fly (28.47 seconds).