The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Ryan Ingraham finally broke the jinx for the Bahamas, winning the first medal in track and field, on Thursday to push the overall count to seven at the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico. Team Bahamas, however, fell short of getting on the podium in tennis and the men’s volleyball remained winless as the two-week competition starts to wind down.

TRACK AND FIELD

WITH two competitors in the final of the men’s high jump, Team Bahamas was sure to get one of the medals. It was just a matter of which colour and who would be the recipient.

As the leading performer of the duo all season long, Ingraham soared 2.24 metres to secure the bronze medal at the Heriberto Jara Athletic Stadium. The 21-year-old was tied with Eure Yanez at the same height, but the 21-year-old Venezuelan was awarded the silver on less knockdowns. The gold was awarded to Sergio Mestre of Cuba with 2.26m.

Interestingly, historian and former IAAF councilman Alpheus ‘Hawk’ Finalyson was on hand to help in the medal presentation. He presented the three winners with the games’ mascot that they got along with their medal. Ingraham joined Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Joanna Evans, who picked up four gold and two silver respectively in swimming last week. Jamal Wilson was the other Bahamian in the final. The 26-year-old had to settle for fifth place with 2.18.

VOLLEYBALL

JUST when it seemed as if the men’s national volleyball team was set to get over the hump, they lost their third straight game. However, they didn’t go down without a fight, winning a set off Venezuela. When it counted the most, the final score had Venezuela prevailing with a 21-12, 21-25, 25-13, 25-17 decision, knocking the Bahamas out of contention for a medal.

TENNIS

NOBODY likes to be in the position that Kerrie Cartwright and Larikah Russell found themselves in at the Las Palmas Racquet Club.

Playing for the bronze medal in the women’s doubles, 22-year-old Cartwright and Russell, 29, dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision to the team of Melissa Morales and Daniela Schippers of Guatemala. If there’s any consolation, it’s the fact that the Bahamian duo will finish as the fourth best team in the competition. Cartwright and Russell won their opening match against the Dominican Republic 6-7, 6-4, 10-6, but they lost 6-2, 6-4 to Venezuela in their bid to get into the gold-medal round.

It was a good showing for the team after the men’s pair of Philip Major, 18, and 31-year-old Marvin Rolle won their opener, beating Antigua and Barbuda 6-1, 6-1 before they were eliminated in the quarter-final by Mexico 6-2, 6-4.

SAILING

After most of the action was hampered by bad weather, the sailors were able to get in some action at Gaviotas Beach. In the Sunfish Class, Paul De Souza competed in two more races. The 14-year-old got 11th in races eight and nine and is currently sitting in eighth place with a total of 59 points.

There are a total of 11 competitors entered and only one more race left today before the medal round gets underway. And three races were contested in the Snipe Class as the team of 65-year-old skipper Robert Dunkley and his 38-year-old crew member Michelle Hope were fourth in race seven and seventh in both races eight and nine. They dropped to seventh out of a field of eight boats with 54 points. They have one more race to go today before the medallists are determined.