The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BEFORE the Bahamas Swimming Federation (BSF) hosted the Royal Bank of Canada’s National Swimming Championships and the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC), there was just one Bahamian automatic qualifier for the 2016 Olympic Games.

After the successful hosting of the two major events at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, two of the three swimmers sitting on the border with B qualifying times secured their automatic berths for the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month.

At the RBC National Championships, Grand Bahamian Joanna Evans cemented her place alongside Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who has qualified for her third appearance at the quadrennnial Games. At the CISC that followed a few days later, Dustin Tynes also earned the right to be a part of Team Bahamas.

The BSF is now keeping its fingers crossed that Elvis Burrows, the other Bahamian who has achieved a B qualifying standard, will be invited by FINA, swimming’s world governing body, to be among the list of swimmers that they intend to submit to the International Olympic Committee for inclusion in the August 5-21 Games.

“We are happy that the Olympians were here as they prepare for the Olympic Games,” said BSF president Algernon Cargill in congratulating the quartet, who participated in both events.

“Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace was here and she swum in three events as well as Joanna Evans. She dominated in the pool, earning her automatic qualifying bids as did Dustin Tynes. We are still hoping that Elvis Burrows would be invited by FINA. But for sure, we have three Olympians going to Rio.”

Cargill said it was a testament for the federation to have the quartet perform, not just on the national stage, but at the international level before the home crowd.

“We know that Arianna will have her hands full in Rio but she said she’s just going to take it one race at a time and do her best,” said Cargill of Vanderpool-Wallace, who has had a sensational season on the professional circuit going into the two meets in the Bahamas.

Evans, coming off her freshman year at the University of Texas where she swum well for the Longhorns, will be entered in the women’s 800m, 400m and 200m freestyle. The 800m is her speciality and although she is expected to face some of the top swimmers in the world, Cargill is confident that her collegiate experience will help her out tremendously.

“Joanna will have her hands full, but she qualified well under the A time and she’s looking forward to advancing to the semis and hopefully get a spot in the final and will see what happens,” said Cargill of Evans. “But she has swum best times in the nationals as well as CISC, so she’s well on her way to representing the Bahamas at her first Olympic Games.”

Tynes, the breaststroke specialist from Ohio State, continues the tradition of having a male represented at the Games and Cargill said it bodes well for the future of the sport because the Bahamas can now boast of having a complement of male and female swimmers competing in the same Olympiad.

“At the last Olympics, Arianna was the lone Bahamian swimmer competing in London, England, in 2012,” Cargill pointed out. “But we are now increasing that to three with two more joining her. So hopefully they can all go there and turn in some impressive performances.”

Swimming will join the disciplines of athletics - track and field - as well as rowing in Rio.

The Tribune is following Team Bahamas in the build up to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and will be reporting from Brazil this summer. The ‘242 on the Road to Rio series’ appears every Monday and Thursday. Comments and responses to bstubbs@tribunemedia.net