• Simba French
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One night after Eric ‘EJ’ Gordon made his debut for the Phoenix Suns, a professional basketball player with Bahamian roots, Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield and DeAndre Ayton got their seasons underway for their respective teams.

Hield, who hails from Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, saw action for the Indiana Pacers and fellow Bahamian Ayton was on the court for his new team, the Portland Trail Blazers in National Basketball Association (NBA) action on Wednesday.

Hield came off the bench and led the bench unit with 14 points, going 5-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-7 from deep. He had five assists and two rebounds. He also came away with a steal and a block.

The shooting guard checked into the game at the 6:35 mark of the first quarter when the Wizards led 16-10. He wasted no time in getting his first field goal of the game which was a made three-point shot at 6:09 mark of that period, cutting the Wizards lead down to three points, 16-13. The Wizards led 39-34 at the end of the first quarter.

The Pacers took the lead in the second quarter, going up 50-49 with 6:09 left in that period. They never trailed after that. They went up 73-68 at the end of the first half, thanks to a 39-29 second-quarter advantage. The Pacers increased their lead to 110-96 at the end of three and they never looked back.

Bruce Brown led the way for the Pacers with 24 points while Kyle Kuzma had 25 points in the loss for the Wizards.

A look at the stats show the Pacers nailing 20 three-point shots which was 11 more than the Wizards. The 143 points scored by the Pacers was the highest scored by any team in a season opener since 1990. Eight players finished in double figures for the Pacers, including Hield.

Next up for the Pacers is a battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. That game will be played at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ayton’s debut for his new team got off to a slow start as he finished with just four points in 23 minutes but grabbed 12 rebounds. He battled foul trouble on the night. Ayton went 2-for-4 from the field and had three steals and a block.https://be471305ac8cdd601ad57309a08c5e4e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The Blazers never led in this game – the Clippers led by as much as 30 points.

Ayton did not attempt a shot until the 11:24 mark of the second quarter. He hit a jump shot to cut the Clippers lead to seven, 29-22. That was his only made shot in the first half. He picked up his fourth foul in that first half and that limited his contribution. At the end of the first half, the Clippers led 67-47.

Ayton scored his final two points of the night in the fourth quarter on an alley-oop lay up. The game was over at that point as the Clippers led 102-81.

The Clippers had 36 assists on 47 made shots as they got the looks that they wanted.

Gordon and the Suns got a big road win to open their season. Gordon contributed 10 points in the win on Tuesday. He was 4-for-16 from the field and made two three-point shots in 32 minutes on the floor. He had one steal and a blocked shot.

The Suns were in action last night, taking on the Lakers in another road game. The score was unavailable up to press time.

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LAUDERHILL, Florida — The University of The Bahamas (UB) Mingoes men’s soccer team scored early and often against Fort Lauderdale University in the Mingoes largest win in international play.

Winger Stanley Grand Pierre scored two goals – his first two as a Mingoes player – to lead them to an 8-2 win over Fort Lauderdale University at Lauderhill Park in Lauderhill, Florida, on Thursday.

Midfielder Marc Ville scored off a cross four minutes later to give the Mingoes a 2-0 lead. They never looked back.https://f773cb243301041d9a5d0d1804531519.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Grand Pierre completed his brace with his second goal in the 14th minute off a deep run and fighting through a rough tackle to connect, giving the Mingoes a 3-0 lead.

Mingoes’ captain Marlon Barnes had three shots on goal earlier in the match and could not make the back of the net. He redeemed himself in the 30th minute with a clean strike, putting the Mingoes up 4-0.

Junior Kelly didn’t want to be left out. Off a cross from Peter Julmis deep in the attacking third, Kelly aggressively attacked the goal for a goal and gave the Mingoes a 5-0 lead.

Off a free kick from Ronaldo Green, Evelt Julmis took the ball off his knee and volleyed it for the spectacular goal and a 6-0 lead.

To end the half, Grand Pierre was tackled in the 18-yard box and Peter Julmis took an easy penalty kick to end the half at 7-0.

Coming out of the break, the Mingoes conceded two goals to Fort Lauderdale, in the 78th and 83rd minutes, to put the score at 7-2.

Midfielder Ronaldo Green, who assisted on two goals, got a goal of his own in the 88th minute to secure the 8-2 win for the Mingoes.

Head Coach Alex Thompson said the game plan heading into the win was simple.

“The game plan was to create opportunities for Julmis and draw the team on the right side, and as far as I’ve seen in college soccer and the teams that we’ve played, there’s no one who can mark him one on one,” he said. “Secondly, we wanted to overload the midfield with Stanley Grand Pierre coming in from the left and us creating a four versus three situation in the middle.”https://f773cb243301041d9a5d0d1804531519.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Thompson said the team came out determined to pick up a win.

“The key to winning today was execution,” he said. “We added to our squad Peter Julmis who is arguably in the best form of his life, Nathan Wells who just had his best national team performance, our man of the match Stanley Grand Pierre who finally is healthy, and we also got a really good game from our captain Marlon Barnes, who played a bit higher up the pitch and added more attacking power.”

The Mingoes are expected to play United International College at 9 a.m. in Miami, Florida, on Saturday.

Track and field classic to be held at Thomas A. Robinson stadium

• Simba French
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Looking to boost camaraderie among law enforcement agencies, the Bahamas Law Enforcement Cooperative Credit Union (BLECCU) will host the inaugural Law Enforcement Track and Field Classic, set to be held on November 25 at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. Action is slated to get away at 1 p.m.

The announcement was made at a press conference that was held at the Bahamas Cooperative League Limited Building yesterday.

Some of the events that will be featured are over-45 50 meters (m), 50m commanders or assistant executive race, men and women’s open 100m, 400m, and 800m. There will also be the 4000m walk race as well as the 4x100m relay, 4x400m mixed relay and shot put events. Apart from the conventional events, there will be a lime and spoon race, a three-legged race, a sack race and a tug-o-war.

Chairman of the BLECCU Omar Neely said that this event is in tandem with the principles of the cooperative.

“Our board of directors saw it fitting to bring together our membership in a spirit of camaraderie and bolster brotherhood among law enforcement by having a track and field competition,” Neely said.

Chief Superintendent of the RBPF Damien Robinson reminisced about having an event like this back in the day and said the law enforcement branches have always been competitive.

“From the police standpoint, we have our team, we’re getting ready and we have one of the Olympic ‘Golden Knights’, Ramon Miller. He is a police officer now and I can tell you, the police, we’re training, we’re getting ready and we’re ready to win it all. So, I could say to my other law enforcement brothers and sisters who come – bring your ‘A’ Game because the belief force will be in full effect,” said Robinson.

Miller said he is hoping the other agencies show up.

“We’re going to bring it,” Miller said. “I hope the other agencies show up and be prepared for what’s to come. All of our officers have being training. We have a selected few to be a part of this, so we can represent the RBPF and of course to build camaraderie with the other agencies.”https://ba402269d4c6d40028292dc6a35daa93.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Petty Officer in the RBDF Denise Oliver said the defence force is ready for competition.

“We are ready, prepared, bringing our ‘A’ game and are coming to win,” Oliver said. “As you know, fitness is our aim and that’s at our forefront at the RBDF. We must represent. We are coming to take the gold. Presently, we have 50 people who are making up a part of our team. We are starting our practices next week and so we are excited and elated. We’re looking to capture the gold in the different categories.”

BDOCS Corrections Officer Rakita Morley said they are not backing down despite being the underdogs.

“We’re coming out there and we’re going to show everyone that we don’t just sit at the jail desk, but we’re going to put on our sprints, run them races and make sure we’re going to take this back home. We’re going to do this the right way and we’re going to make sure that everyone is having fun. So, it’s not just going to be competitive for us, but we want to create also, as the name states, the bond,” Morley said.

Representative from the Bahamas Department of Immigration Eva Knowles said that they are not to be taken lightly or underestimated. They have put together a small team and will be looking forward to participating at the meet in the spirit of camaraderie.

Chief Clerk at Bahamas Customs Matice Rolle did not have a lot to say but added that they are the revenue tax collectors and will be collecting all the gold come November 25.

Grace Bostwick spoke on behalf of the Judiciary of The Bahamas and said that they asked the judges, registrars, magistrate and line staff to show the other law enforcement agencies who they are.https://ba402269d4c6d40028292dc6a35daa93.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Neely is urging the Bahamian public to come out and support the event and find out who is victorious.

The meet is sponsored by Colina Insurance, the Royal Bahamas Police Force Staff Association and the Bahamas Cooperative League Limited.

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Inaugural law enforcement meet set for November

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Champions crowned at Sheri Roberts Open in Abaco

An exciting Sheri Roberts Open at the Abaco Club on Winding …

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Team Bahamas was back in action yesterday as swimming and tennis wrapped up for the country at the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

The Bahamas was featured in four events in swimming at the Centro Acuático in Santiago yesterday. Diving in the pool first was Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson in heat three of the women’s 200 meters (m) individual medley (IM). In the end, Thompson powered her way to touch the wall in 2:30.53, placing sixth in that heat. Winning that heat was Canadian Mary-Sophie Harvey with a time of 2:16.94. Overall, Thompson finished 23rd out of 24 swimmers.https://a7d54a910b75aa9073de852d09600a0b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.ht

She swam seven races, which included three individual races and four relays. Her other individual races included the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke events.

Emmanuel Gadson was in action in his final individual race at the games – the men’s 200m IM. He swam in heat one with two other competitors. Gadson swam the four strokes race in a time of 2:15.56 to finish second in his heat. Grenada’s Gresham Zachary won that heat after stopping the clock at 2:12.50. Gadson had the 24th best time out of 25 swimmers.

Gadson swam the butterfly portion in 29.60 seconds and came back down with the backstroke in a time of 34.64 seconds. His breaststroke, his strongest stroke, was timed in 37.98 seconds and he ended with the freestyle in a time of 33.34 seconds.

Gadson also swam in the 100m fly and 200m breast events and four relay races.

Thompson was back in the pool along with teammates Victoria Russell, Katelyn Cabral and Ariel Weech in the women’s 4x100m medley relay. They finished the first heat in sixth place in a time of 4:34.03. Canada won that heat in a time of 4:05.19. The Bahamas finished 13th out of 13 teams.

Thompson kicked off the relays for The Bahamas with a split of 1:09.78 on the backstroke leg. Russell swam the breaststroke leg in a time of 1:17.91. Cabral swam a split of 1:05.44 on the fly leg before veteran Weech brought the team home on the free leg in 1:09.90.https://a7d54a910b75aa9073de852d09600a0b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Multi-national record holder Lamar Taylor teamed up with Mark-Anthony Thompson, Emmanuel Gadson and Luke-Kennedy Thompson, swimming in the men’s 4x100m medley relay. They swam in heat two and finished sixth in 3:53.92. The United States of America won that heat in 3:37.19. The Bahamas finished 10th out of 11 teams.

Taylor swam the first leg, the backstroke, and had a split of 56.90 seconds. Mark-Anthony Thompson was in action on the breaststroke and swam that leg in 1:06.36. Gadson swam the fly leg and posted a split of 56.97 seconds. Luke-Kennedy Thompson’s split on the freestyle was 53.69 seconds.

Tennis players Sydney Clarke and Justin Roberts were on Court Two at Centro Deportivo de Tenis in the mixed doubles. They went up against Paraguayan duo Lelya Britez and Martin Vergara in the Round of 16. They lost in two straight sets, 6-4 and 6-2, in a match that lasted an hour and six minutes.

The Bahamas is currently in a four-way tie for 21st with Bermuda, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in the medal standings with one bronze medal. The Bahamas’ only medal so far came from Taylor in the men’s 50m free.

The Bahamas has 20 athletes who are competing at the games. The country 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.

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An exciting Sheri Roberts Open at the Abaco Club on Winding Bay resulted in a number of champions being crowned over the weekend.

In the under-14 boys (Boys U14) division, Da’Shan Gardiner Jr. defeated Xander Major for the title. In the under-14 girls (Girls U14) division, Anya Hepburn won the title, defeating Makayla McDonald. The under-18 boys (Boys U18) champion is Latahj Orlando. He defeated Theo Weir. Tianna Bootle won the under-18 girls (Girls U18) title.

The open men’s singles winner was Stephen Thompson and the runner-up was Clanardo ‘CJ’ Davis. In men’s doubles, Davis and Abishai Adderley won the title, defeating Thompson and Eugene Gibson.https://5aaf7ee0860464c000737218c6140edc.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The ATA recently hosted its first junior national-ranked tournament and followed that up with the Sheri Roberts Open, which is now in its third year. The junior national ranked tournament was held in August.

“We wish them continued success. The BLTA congratulates all the participants and the winners,” said BLTA President Newton in a press release.

The ATA has continued to work toward the growth and development of the sport of tennis in Abaco.

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20-year-old swimmer breaks his own national record in the process

MEDAL GLORY: Lamar Taylor, of The Bahamas, poses with the bronze medal on the podium of men’s 50-metres freestyle at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, October 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

As of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#National record holder Lamar Taylor brought home the first medal for The Bahamas yesterday at the 19th Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

#The 20-year-old once again turned in a top performance and not only earned a bronze medal but also set a new personal best and national record in the men’s 50 metres freestyle at the Centro Acuàtico in Ñuñoa, Chile.

#After Monday’s performance in the men’s 100m backstroke, Taylor was in top form in the pool at the Pan Am Games.

#He booked his trip to the finals when he secured one of the top three positions in the men’s 50m freestyle (heat four) with a time of 22.48 seconds.

#The Henderson State University student powered his way to the wall and stopped the clock in a swift 22.13 seconds in the finals.

#The 20-year-old smashed his previous personal best and national record of 22.26 seconds achieved in July at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

#Overall, he finished ranked third out of 16 competitors in the aquatics event.

#Thanks to the strong performance from Taylor in the short-distance event, The Bahamas has already matched their medal total from the 2019 Pan American Games with one.

#Victoria Russell also competed yesterday at the Pan Am Games. She placed sixth in the women’s 50m freestyle with a time of 27.54 seconds.

#The 23-year-old ended ranked 29th out of 34 competitors in the event.Competition continues today for the swimmers.

#Emmanuel Gadson is all set for the men’s 200m individual medley heats.

#Jack Barr will join him in competition today in the men’s 1,500m freestyle.

#Zaylie Thompson will also perform in the women’s 200m individual medley.

#The tennis sporting discipline picks back up today for doubles matchups.

#The duo of Sydney Clarke and Justin Roberts will team up against Paraguay’s Leyla Britez and Martin Vergara at Centro Deportivo de Tenis.

#The Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) selected a 20-member team to represent the country at the Pan Am Games.

#The members are competing in six sporting disciplines – sailing, tennis, swimming, athletics, golf and wrestling. The team has nine swimmers, five track and field athletes, a trio of tennis players, one sailor, golfer and wrestler.

#Over 6,800 athletes from 41 countries are vying for a chance to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The event will conclude on November 5.

As of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE National Sports Awards is less than two weeks away and the names of the top nominees have started to roll in.

#The sports presentation is scheduled to take place on the front lawn of the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium at 6:30pm on Saturday, November 4.

#Three out of the 26 categories to be awarded have been revealed and more of the names will be unveiled as the week progresses.

#With the sporting year winding down for the majority of the disciplines, it is now the time for athletes and sporting organisations to receive their flowers.

#The nominations for the Prime Minister’s Cup award are in. The category considers athletes who put the country first and display elements of national pride in their athletic abilities.

#The individual not only figuratively wears the national flag in their hearts, but also encourages teammates and fellow Bahamians to follow suit.

#Hurdler Devynne Charlton was nominated from the Athletics sporting discipline.

#Other candidates include tennis players Justin Roberts and Marvin Rolle, Miami Marlins star Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, Indiana Pacers shooting guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield, former WNBA MVP Jonquel “JJ” Jones, equestrian Anna Camille Vlasov and bodybuilder Terrion Kemp.

#The next category up for grabs will be the National Team of the Year Award.

#The national teams had strong showings across the various sporting disciplines all year.

#The award will go to the team that had the most outstanding performances and achievements during the 2022-2023 sporting season.

#Nominees will feature the CARIFTA swim team, CARIFTA track and field team, men’s national basketball team, men’s national beach soccer team, and the Bahamas Special Olympics team.

#The Community Sports award will be presented to a programme that uses sports to make an impact in the community by helping to develop athletes or bringing citizens together. This year’s nominees are the Jazz Chisholm Foundation, Island Luck Cares Foundation, Peace on Da Streets Organization, One Eleuthera Foundation, and the Buddy Hield Foundation.

#Other awards to be presented are junior and senior high school student athlete (male and female), Family Island student athlete, collegiate athlete of the year, national secondary athletic school of the year (junior and senior), community sports award, Family Island Sports Council of the Year, youth national team of the year, national coach of the year, federation of the year, tourism impact award, Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) award, Leevan Sands Courage, athlete of the year with disability (male and female), national sportsmanship, and the Minister of Sports- for excellence.

#Federations provided a pool of nominees for the above listed awards.

#The nominations for the remaining categories are expected to be released in the upcoming days from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture.

ORGANISERS, including Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting, centre, discuss the hosting of the sixth edition of the Best-of-the-Best Regatta in Montagu Bay November 30 to December 3.

As of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

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#By TENAJH SWEETING

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

#THE sixth edition of the Best-of-the-Best Regatta returns to Montagu Bay from November 30 to December 3.

#Officials of the Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs and stakeholders made the announcement of the four-day event at a press conference yesterday.

#More than 200 sailors are expected to make waves in four different classes – A, B, C, and D. Additionally, junior sailors will showcase their abilities and compete at the sporting event.

#Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting has high expectations for this year’s event.

#“April of this year, sailing was named our national sport much to the delight of people across The Bahamas. For the first Best of the Best Regatta since the national sport designation, our expectations are very high, we hope to bring more than 200 Bahamian sailors from varying generations for the largest regatta purses in Bahamian sloop sailing history,” Sweeting said.

#The four classes will have representatives from the Family Islands inclusive of Long Island, Exuma, Acklins, Ragged Island, Cat Island and Mayaguana.

#The preliminaries begin on Thursday, November 30 and the final events kick off on Sunday.

#With sailing now named the national sport, the minister said that sailors are excited to start the competition.

#“I think that the excitement is around sailing being named, prior to that we have been able to help create an excitement along with the skippers and boat builders within sailing…we try to be a part of what they do.”

#“We continue trying to invest and help to develop the sport in different ways. Youth sailing is one avenue we have been able to do that and it started to become very popular.

#“We are very happy that the sailors continue to support us,” Minister Sweeting said.

#The event will be livestreamed once again and large televisions are expected to be on the site.

#The event organisers want to give the public on the Family Islands and around the world, who are unable to commute to the event, a chance to watch the talented sailors.

#The public is encouraged to come out to view live entertainment on the waters and on land.

#Bahamian artists will perform and there will also be games played and giveaways.

#Last year’s Best of the Best Regatta was hosted December 1-4. Eight boats were in competition in Class A and B. Meanwhile, Class C had 32 boats on the waters.

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He lowered his own national record by more than a tenth of a second at Pan Am Games

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Bahamian swimmer Lamar Taylor lowered his own national record in the men’s 50 meters (m) freestyle on Tuesday, and powered his way to win a bronze at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, in the process.

Taylor touched the wall in the pool at the Centro Acuático in Santiago, in 22.13 seconds, swimming out of lane one. That time crushed his previous personal best time of 22.26 seconds that was set back in July of this year at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Taylor, who is looking to swim at the 2024 Paris Olympics Games, missed out on attaining the Olympic Consideration Time of 22.07 seconds.https://9be9ee3263a4a627d55286cf5000082b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Taylor, 20, secured The Bahamas’ first medal at the games, wrapping up his competition. In the morning session, he swam a time of 22.48 seconds, finishing with the seventh fastest time out of the preliminaries. He is known to keep a little in the tank for the final, and true to form, he did just that.

Victoria Russell was also in the pool on Tuesday, competing in the women’s 50m freestyle. She swam out of lane three in the second heat and was able to touch the wall in 27.54 seconds. Russell placed sixth in that heat. Winning that heat was Chile’s Ines Marin who touched the wall in 26.57 seconds.

The women’s 50m free gold medal was secured by Canada’s Maggie MacNeil with a time of 24.84 seconds.

The two swimmers were the only Bahamian athletes to compete yesterday.

Starting the Bahamian contingent in competition today will be Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson in the women’s 200m individual medley (IM). Also competing in the pool in the 200m IM today will be Emmanuel Gadson on the men’s side. The women’s 4x100m medley relay team of Thompson, Russell, Katelyn Cabral and Ariel Weech will compete in that event, swimming out of heat one.

Bahamian tennis players Sydney Clarke and Justin Roberts return to action on the court today after an off day yesterday. The duo will play in mixed doubles against Paraguay’s Leyla Britez and Martin Vergara on Court Two at Centro Deportivo de Tenis in Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile.https://9be9ee3263a4a627d55286cf5000082b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

The Bahamas has 20 athletes who are competing at the games. The country 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.

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After getting his feet wet at the world level in 2023, Bahamian hurdler Shakeem Hall-Smith is prepared to take it a step further this season, making it through the rounds and possibly winning a medal at the Olympics.

The top long hurdler had a breakout year in 2023, running the four fastest times of his career in the 400 meters (m) hurdles, capped by a personal best run of 49.25 seconds for the top spot at the Harry Jerome Track Classic at McLeod Athletic Park Stadium, in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, in mid July.

“I felt like I could have done so much better last season, but overall, I’m happy with the results. I started my Fall training late last year, but went at it hard, getting ready for indoors. I kept training, got race sharp and my times eventually dropped,” he said. “My mind is set on breaking the national record and I will continue to hold myself to a high standard. It’s not going to be easy but I’m prepared to put in the hard work. I’m a strong believer in if you dedicate yourself to the process, anything is possible. I have a strong trust in my coach and in my training group. We’re all working hard, we’re all world-class athletes and anything is possible. I have no doubt that I will be successful.”

Gibson’s national record is 48.17 seconds and the automatic qualifying time for the Olympics is 48.70 seconds. Hall-Smith has three major global meets in his sights for 2024 – the world indoors in Glasgow, Scotland in March, the world relays in Nassau, The Bahamas, in May, and the Olympics in Paris, France, at the end of July and the beginning of August.

Hall-Smith said it wasn’t easy getting to the point where he is now. In fact, he said he contemplated walking away from the sport before coming in contact with current coach Mickaël Hanany of France. Hall-Smith is a part of a professional group of about 15 athletes training under Hanany, a former high jumper, in El Paso, Texas.

“He’s very knowledgeable and very experienced. He made it work in a short period of time and I really appreciate him,” said Hall-Smith. “He encouraged me to give it a shot after I thought about giving up. My teammates and my coach push me every single day in practice. I just have to continue working hard trust his (Coach Hanany) training. Practice is extremely hard. It takes a lot of dedication and focus but I’m fully prepared mentally and spiritually. I have about four months of hard training and then I’ll just try and have some fun next year and qualify early.”https://8fca684f61352ef9c4252bc83070b157.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

Back in El Paso, Hall-Smith started training for the new season about two weeks ago. He said the high elevation in El Paso helps to intensify his training and helps with breathing techniques. Also, Hall-Smith wants to get faster over the flat 400m as he feels that will help with his speed and execution in the 400m hurdles. He intends to use the sprints and sprint hurdles to help with speed for the 400m hurdles.

“I’m eager on being a new face. I’m looking forward to putting The Bahamas on the map and putting my name on the map. I want to do something big next year,” said Hall-Smith. “I started to chase points for the world championships as soon as outdoor season started. I wanted to get the automatic qualifying time, but I didn’t get it. This season, the goal is to get the mark early, make it through the rounds at the Olympics, through the semis and final and get on the podium. I just have to continue to train hard and push hard to get to the next level.”

Hall-Smith said he wants to get down to about 45.8/45.9 in the open 400m and run the event indoors and outdoors in 2024. He’s looking to qualify for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in the men’s 400m and the Olympics in his specialty, the 400m hurdles. He also wants to run some Diamond Leagues events in 2024 in an attempt to market himself more and gain world rankings points.

“I know I will be strong enough to qualify for the Olympics early in the season in the 400m hurdles,” said Hall-Smith. “I’ve never really challenged myself to run a 44 in the 400m – I just stuck with the training for the 400m hurdles, but I’m open and optimistic. The 400m is one of the more tougher events on the track. Quarter-mile training is no joke. It’s extremely painful, but once you have that strength, it never goes away. You could always rely on that. The hurdles is more of a rhythm event.”https://8fca684f61352ef9c4252bc83070b157.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html

At 26, Hall-Smith is one of the rising stars for The Bahamas in athletics. He said he’s appreciative for the support, the words of encouragement, and the prayers from the Bahamian people and will continue to take it one step at a time in his progression.

“Breaking the national record is a goal of mine. I’ve dreamt about it from high school,” he said. “I keep getting closer and closer to running 48 seconds – it’s like it’s right there. I just have to trust my training, continue to push and keep going at it.”

Hall-Smith said he’s good friends with national record holder Gibson, with whom he had a conversation with recently.

“I told him that I want to break the record, and he’s pushing me to do it. I wish he was running while I am running so we could push each other. I’ve broken records in college, but nothing compares to breaking your country’s national record. It would mean the world to me,” said Hall-Smith.

Gibson is The Bahamas’ most prolific 400m hurdler ever, setting the national record at 48.17 seconds and turning in more than 50 runs under 50 seconds. He is the only Bahamian to ever run under 49 seconds in the men’s 400m hurdles. Hall-Smith said he’s determined to get to that next level.

“I’m determined to keep going,” he said. “I just want to send out a big shout out to everyone who believes in me. I’m back and I’m better than before and looking forward to the new season.”

Hall-Smith had one of his best years in athletics last season and is looking for continued progression in 2024.