The Mark Knowles Tennis Bahamas organization took eight players to play in two tournaments in late July in Florida, United States.

The final weekend, July 24-25 saw them playing in the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Summertime Classic in Tampa Bay, Florida. The weekend before that the juniors were in action at the Lake Padgett July Junior Classic in Land O Lakes, Florida, July 17-18.

Playing were Sharano Hanna, Savano Hanna, Khai Rees, Jack Boals, Dentry Mortimer Jr., Sapphire Ferguson, Kingston Rees and Maddison Bowleg. Also on the trip were coaches Philip Major Jr. and Kevin Major, along with other coaches and parents.

“It was an opportunity in the summertime for the kids to travel and get a good experience,” Philip Major said. “They did well the first weekend that they played. They had a week of training and getting introduced to new and more experiences as a tennis player and as a person. They came back the second weekend and performed well. They dominated, did what they had to do and it was an honor to see those kids step up to the plate when things were not comfortable for them.”

In the boys’ 16-and-under singles, Mortimer, Sharano and Savano Hanna and Khai Rees played strong. Rees made it to the semifinals of the Lake Padgett July Junior Classic, where he fell to Juan Carlos Portilla 6-2 and 6-3. Mortimer made it to the quarterfinals, but lost to Portilla 6-0 and 6-2.

Ferguson had a tough time in that tournament, as she was unable to get past the first round in the girls 14-and-under category.

Kevin Major returned from Panama after representing The Bahamas at the Davis Cup earlier in July. He was happy to be assisting the younger players to play at a high level.

“On this trip I assisted some of the kids with understanding how to play tennis in a different environment. They play very well at home, but when they are taken out of the zone, some things chance and I wanted them to know that they can still perform anywhere they go,” Kevin Major said.

Ferguson returned the following week and made it to the semifinals where she lost in a close 6-4 and 7-5 match to Laila Clark.

TOKYO, Japan ‑ Running in his first-ever Olympic race, and lining up just two lanes down from the world leader and event favorite, Trayvon Bromell of the United States, Bahamian Samson Colebrooke didn’t get the start he wanted and labored to the finish line in the men’s 100 meters (m) at the Japan National Stadium on Saturday evening.

Colebrooke stopped the clock in 10.33 seconds, crossing the finish line in seventh place to bring his first Olympic Games experience to an end. He was the first male competitor in action on the track for The Bahamas at the Tokyo Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

“It was good… stumbled out of the blocks again, but not worried about it. It was good to get my feet wet. I know what to work on for next time and what to build toward. I’m excited…. not upset at all. You live and you learn,” said Colebrooke.

Colebrooke had qualified for the Olympics from 2019, running a personal best time of 10.01 seconds at the North American, Central Americana and Caribbean (NACAC) Under-18 (U18) and Under-23 (U23) Championships in Querétaro, Mexico. However, this season, he could only muster a season’s best time of 10.18 seconds.

He knows he will have to get much faster if he wants to keep up with the top male sprinters in the world.

Colebrooke, listed as the second-fastest Bahamian ever with that 10.01 clocking in 2019, is now looking forward to the 2022 World Athletics (WA) World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

The Tokyo Olympics was his first global competition on the senior side, and he said that now that he has his feet wet at the Olympic level, he’s certainly looking forward to returning to that stage in three years time.

“Here, it’s no different from running against competitors in high school and college. It’s just that training is intensified,” he said. “Just being here is good. I just have to go and recover, get some good training in and go from there. I’m looking forward to 2022.”

Canadian Andre de Grasse was the fastest qualifier for the semifinals, running a season’s best time of 9.91 seconds. Lamont Marcell Jacobs, of Italy, had the second-fastest qualifying time, running a national record of 9.94 seconds in the opening round heats. American Fred Kerley qualified third in 9.97 seconds. Bromell, who has run 9.77 seconds this year for the world lead, was timed in just 10.05 seconds and was a non-automatic qualifier for the semis.

TOKYO, Japan – Devynne “Sonic” Charlton has had a resurgent year in athletics and given what transpired five years ago when she was unable to compete, she is focused and determined to have a strong showing at these Olympic Games here in Tokyo, Japan.

Charlton qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics five years ago, but was forced to withdraw from competition due to a back injury she suffered in 2016, leading up to the Olympics.

Now, she is back at full strength and is ready to make an impact in Tokyo. Charlton and fellow Bahamian Pedrya Seymour will line up in the heats of the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles on Saturday morning, Friday evening back in The Bahamas.

As for Charlton, sitting in the stands, she observed as Seymour broke her former national record of 12.70 seconds at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and then went on to finish sixth in the final. At those Olympics, Seymour set the national record at 12.64 seconds, and Charlton lowered it to 12.61 seconds this year. Now able to experience the Olympics as a competitor herself, Charlton is looking for a similar, if not more substantial, performance here in Tokyo.

“Right now I’m feeling a bit anxious and excited and I’m ready to get going,” she said. “Everything that is in place, I’m willing to do because for me, I’ve been waiting to be here for five years. I’m pretty confident as it stands now. A few years ago, I was at a low point, but now I’m focused and ready to go. I’m at a place where I know I could compete with these ladies. I feel like I’m in pretty good shape and able to go out there and run a fast time.”

At her two experiences at the world outdoor championships, Charlton’s best finish was a semifinal appearance in 2017 in London, England, at which time she finished 13th overall. This time, the 25-year-old Bahamian national record holder is prepared to go a step further.

“I was a lot younger back then so I was just happy to be there. I just wanted to get an opportunity to compete,” said Charlton. “Now, being a contender makes a lot of difference. My strategy is just to treat it like any other big meet. I just have to keep my emotions in check and get ready to run.”

Charlton and Seymour will be some of the first athletes in competition for The Bahamas in the athletics portion of the games as the heats of the women’s 100m hurdles are set for Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m. at the Japan National Stadium, 9:45 p.m. Friday night in The Bahamas. The semifinals will be held Sunday at 7:45 p.m., 6:45 a.m. in The Bahamas and the final will be held Monday at 11:50 a.m., 10:50 p.m. Sunday night in The Bahamas.

“I’m just ready to get out there and run. It’s usually where I have to wait for almost the entire program to be completed before I get a chance to run, but with the hurdles being held early, that would give me a chance to get it out of the way. I know that I could go out there and do what I need to do and get it over with. I’m really happy that it’s one of the first events on the schedule.”

TOKYO, Japan – Back for her second straight Olympics, Pedrya Seymour said she is looking to build off her experience from five years ago and have a strong showing for Team Bahamas here in Tokyo, Japan.

Seymour, 26, shocked the world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, five years ago, coming into the Olympics as a relatively newcomer in the women’s 100 meters (m) hurdles and going on to make the final and finishing sixth. She ran a then national record time of 12.64 seconds in the semifinals.

As these Games of the 32nd Olympiad gradually progress along, with athletics set to start on Friday, Seymour said she is embracing the feeling of competing at the highest level and is determined to turn in a strong performance.

The heats of the women’s 100m hurdles are set for Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m. at the Japan National Stadium here in Tokyo, 9:45 p.m. Friday night in The Bahamas. The semifinals are set for Sunday evening and the final will be held on Monday.

“I feel great. It’s good to be a two-time Olympian and I’m blessed to be here,” she said. “I just want to go out there and run each round to the best of my ability and the time and result will take care of itself. I don’t ever worry about the competition. I just go out there, focus on my race and do what I have to do.”

One of the athletes she will be going up against is her teammate Devynne Charlton, who broke Seymour’s national record in Walnut, California, in May of this year, running 12.61 seconds.

Both athletes have consistently been under 13 seconds this year and are quite capable of turning it on when they need to.

Seymour said she has had a challenging season on the track, but is prepared to put all of that behind her and focus on the task at hand.