One got the feeling that it would be a special night for The Bahamas when Lilly Higgs came into the 50 meters (m) breast final highly ranked, and another Bahamian joined her in the finals as Izaak Bastian qualified in the boys race.
As it turned out, both won silver medals for The Bahamas on the second night of swimming of the 6th Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Aquatics Centre. They got the first silver medals at these games for The Bahamas, adding to the two bronze medals the host country got in judo.
Higgs touched the wall in 32.52 seconds last night for the silver. Christie May Chue, of Singapore, won the gold medal in 32.38 seconds, and the top qualifier from the morning session, Ciara Smith, of New Zealand, had to settle for the bronze medal in 32.56 seconds.
"I was seeded third going into the final so I knew that I had a good chance to win a medal," said Higgs last night. "I just had to go out there and execute, and that's what I did. It's such an honor to represent The Bahamas and to get a medal here at home makes it even sweeter. In warm-ups I worked on my start a bit 'cause I knew that I had to get out fast tonight. It feels good to perform well and get a silver medal. It all turned out well," she added.
In the boys race, Bastian was more than half of a second faster than his previous personal best time as he touched the wall in 28.77 seconds. Michael Houlie, of South Africa, won the gold medal in 27.68 seconds.
Bastian was second, and ZongXian Khoo, of Singapore, finished third in 29.19 seconds.
"This is one of the more special medals that I have ever won because of the level of the meet and the level of support that I got tonight," said Bastian. "These are people I never raced before, so I didn't know what to expect tonight. I just went out there and gave it my all, and came away with a silver medal. I'm elated with that. This gives me a lot of momentum and confidence going into the rest of the summer."
Bastian, who attends high school in the United States, is expected to represent The Bahamas at the 6th FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Swimming Championships later this summer. Those championships will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, from August 23-27, 2017. As for the race last night, at 16 he was the youngest athlete in the final. He said he didn't know what to expect and is happy that he came away with the silver.
"I knew I was in the race, but I didn't know where I was. I just went out there and gave it my all. Seeing second was a complete shock, and it felt really nice," he said.
Higgs said that for both of them to win silver medals is huge for The Bahamas' swimming program. It's the first medals in swimming for The Bahamas at the Commonwealth Youth Games level.
"I was able to turn around and watch Izaak's race, and for both of us to get a silver medal for The Bahamas, that's a great feeling. I'm glad that we could get it done," said Higgs.
The other Bahamian in the girls 50m breast, Victoria Russell, was the first alternate for the final. She missed the final by three one hundredths of a second, finishing ninth overall in 34.40 seconds.
Bahamian Tyler Russell was 13th overall in the boys 50m breast, finishing in 30.34 seconds in the morning preliminaries.
In the boys 50m back, Devante Carey missed the final by three spots, finishing 11th overall in 27.61 seconds. His teammate, Miller Albury, was 13th overall in 27.99 seconds.
In the girls 400m Individual Medley (IM), Katherine Slatter had to settle for 11th overall, finishing in 5:47.63. In the boys version of that race, Alec Sands was 12th overall in 4:44.51, and his teammate Tristan Russell finished 16th overall in 5:04.37.
In the girls 50m back, Virginia Stamp had to settle for 14th overall, finishing in 31.28 seconds. Her teammate, Katelyn Cabral, was 18th overall, finishing in 32.40 seconds.
In the boys 100m free, Miller Albury touched the wall in 14th place overall, finishing in 53.98 seconds. Kevon Lockhart was 20th overall, touching the wall in 55.40 seconds in his morning heat.
The only Bahamian in the girls 100m free, Katelyn Cabral, was 24th overall in 1:03.46.
In the final race of the night, The Bahamas' mixed 4x200m freestyle relay team of Miller Albury, Zoe McCarroll, Alec Sands and Lilly Higgs, finished eighth overall in 8:33.67. New Zealand won the gold in 7:50.85, England won the silver medal in 7:55.79, and Australia won the bronze medal in 7:57.74.
In beach volleyball, the ride came to an end for The Bahamas as the girls dropped their quarter-final match to Scotland at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility yesterday. The team of Mechelle Moss and LaTavia Braynen lost in straight sets, 21-5 and 21- 14, their third straight loss at the CYG Bahamas 2017.
The Scottish squad of Jennifer Lee and Emma Waldie wasted little time with the Bahamian duo, ending the match in less than a half hour. The first set lasted just 12 minutes and the second was 16. The Bahamas went on to lose a relegation match to England, and will now play Trinidad & Tobago in the seventh and eighth place game.
The British pair of Ellena Jane Austin and Yasmin Kaashoek disposed of Moss and Braynen in straight sets, 21-10 and 21-15. It was their second victory over The Bahamas in the six-day competition. The Bahamas will play the Trinidad & Tobago team of Tsyan Selvon and Ebony Williams in the seventh and eighth place game at 10:40 a.m. this morning.
In boys play, The Bahamas' 'A' team of Nathan Wert and Kyle Wilson lost to the Jamaican team of Javarie James and Daunte Smith in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-6, and will now play The Bahamas' 'B' team, Aaron Springer and James Cleare, in the 11th and 12th place game. That game is scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning. Springer and Cleare lost their relegation match to the Trinidad & Tobago team of Devaughn Martin and Daynte Stewart in straight sets, 21-8 and 21-15.
The CYG Bahamas 2017 continues today and runs through the weekend. Over 1,000 athletes from 64 countries are competing in the CYG Bahamas 2017.
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