The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

RIO de Janeiro, Brazil: Emily Morley will probably remember Saturday, August 6 for a long time.

It was the day that she got rowing officially started as a non-traditional sport for the Bahamas BTC Team at the 2016 Olympic Games. But it wasn't quite the finish she anticipated, crossing the line in nine minutes and 22.12 seconds for sixth place.

Her nearest competitor in the first of six heats at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon was Sweden's Anna Mulvina Svennlinc in 8:48.46 for fifth place. Mexico's Alanis Kenia Lechuca came across the line first in 8:11.44, stunning World Champion Kimberly Brennan of Australia.

Morley, who placed 31 out of a field of 32 competitors, said she was delighted to have gotten another sport into the Bahamas line-up at the Olympics, although she would have preferred to be in the middle of the field.

"It was so amazing. It was just unbelievable for me to be out there competing for the Bahamas," said Morley, who could easily be identified by the Bahamian colours painted on the blades of her oars. "I never dreamt that I would be here competing at the Olympics and here I am."

After the "dream come true" experience sunk in, Morley said she went out there and tried to give it her best shot.

"I was ready to compete," said the student of Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, who had her share of spectators in the stands cheering for her. "I just didn't anticipate that it would have been as intense as it was. But it gives us an incentive to come back and compete again tomorrow."

Morley, the 22-year-old daughter of Olympic swimmer David Morley, who was at the event watching, will be back on Sunday as she competes in the Repechage, a contest in which the best-placed of those who failed to win heats compete for a place in the final.

At 9 am she will be in lane five in the first of three races. Whatever she does, Becky Robinson, one of her two coaches, said she and Beth Greene are proud of her accomplishment.

"The experience was amazing. It was great. It was so much fun to watch her progress from a collegiate athlete to an international competitor and to watch her from what she has done to get here," Robinson said.

Laura Morley, a promising junior swimmer who hopes to one day follow in the footsteps of her dad and now achieve what her big sister has, said she was just as excited as Emily watching from the sidelines.

"Just to watch her compete and do what she likes is just great," the younger Morley said. "After hearing that my dad went to the Olympics, it was a goal of all of us to represent the Bahamas. But I never expected Emily to be competing in rowing, so to come out here and see her do it is so exciting."

The Morley family was well represented in the arena by Emily's father, David, and his girlfriend, Laura Kimball, siblings Laura and Peter Morley as well as her aunt and uncle Ann and Jeff Carmel, who were visiting from California where they reside.

Also in attendance were members of the Bahamian delegation to witness the historic race, including Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson and Director of Sports Timothy Munnings, Bahamas Olympic Committee president Wellington Miller, chef de mission Roy Colebrooke, head doctor Dr Rickey Davis and physio Cottrice Robinson.

On Sunday, Emily is hoping that she will "beat some competitors" that she faced in the South American Olympic Qualifiers.