The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas picked up three more bronze medals on Saturday - two from Denvaughn Whymns and Shaun Miller Jr in athletics, and one from the beach soccer boys - to push the host country's total count to ten in its best showing ever at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

However, without any gold medals, the Bahamas dropped to number 20 in the medal standings with a total of two silver and eight bronze at the end of the first five days of nine disciple competition for boys and girls between the ages of 14-18 from 64 countries.

Going into Sunday’s final day of competition, England still tops the chart with 17 gold, 13 silver and 20 bronze for their total of 40. New Zealand is second with 27 (8 gold, 13 silver and six bronze), the same as Australia, who is in third with 8 gold, 11 silver and 8 gold for their total of 27.

While the swimming team didn’t pick up any more hardware to go with their three medals – two from Izaak Bastian and one from Lilly Higgs – the athletic team celebrated as Whymns and Miller Jr joined Adrian Curry and pushed their total to four – all bronze.

Judo was the first to break the ice on the opening day of competition at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium with a pair of bronzes from Karra Hanna and Mya Beneby.

Over at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer facility on Saturday as well, the beach soccer men's team struck for their bronze with a 5-4 decision over Antigua & Barbuda. The women's team were denied the opportunity to get on the podium as they lost 12-3 to the Turks & Caicos Islands in their bronze medal game.

Trinidad & Tobago nipped Jamaica 5-4 for the women's gold medal and St Lucia stopped Trinidad & Tobago 6-2 for the men's gold.

Without much time to recuperate from their trip to the IAAF World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, Nigeria, Whymns and Miller Jr made up for their shortfall at the biggest junior meet in the world this year.

In the biggest junior multiple games event ever staged in this part of the world, Whymns found enough energy to shake off a poor start to bolt his way into third place in the men’s 110 metres hurdles.

His time of 13.88 seconds to good enough to finish behind the 1-2 punch from England’s Samuel Bennett (13.71) and Jack Sumners (13.85) for the gold and silver respectively.

“I got off to a really bad start, but I just had to get back into the race and get a medal for my country,” a somewhat disappointed Whymns said. “This was the second time it happened to me coming to the end of my season.

“I could have had two (gold) medals, one at World Youth and one here at home. It wasn’t how I expected it to go, but everything happens for a reason.”

Like 16-year-old Whymns, Miller Jr rebounded from a sixth place in Nairobi to ensure that he got on the podium here at home.

The 15-year-old Miller Jr did it by soaring 2.01 metres or 6-feet, 7-inches in the men’s high jump final to get the bronze. Sean Sheldon Szalek, 16, of Australia took the gold with 2.11m (6-11) and Samuel Hall, 17, of Canada was the silver medalist with 2.09m (6-10 1/4).

Miller Jr’s teammate Benjamin Clarke, 16, had to settle for fifth with 1.95m (6-4 3/4) as the two Bahamian rising stars gave the home crowd something to cheer about.

After falling short in Nairobi, Miller Jr said he was confident that he would pick up a medal here at home and he was delighted to take care of business.

“The competition was very exciting, especially with it at home,” Miller said. “It was a fun experience for everybody. I had some good attempts and some bad attempts, but I have to give God thanks for winning a medal at home for my country.

“The competition was very intense. Going over to Kenya and jumping 2.11m (6-11) and coming back here and jumping 2.01m (6-7) was very satisfying for me. I got a medal.”

Left to complete the games on Sunday are the cycling road race at the Clifton Heritage Park site; the singles mixed doubles in tennis; boxing at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and athletics at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium before the closing ceremonies bring the curtain down on a successful Commonwealth Youth Games.