The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahamian Joanna Evans continues her stellar appearance on the international scene, winning a silver and bronze medal in three finals with two national records for the Bahamas at the 29th Summer University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Competing in her specialty in the women's 800 metres freestyle on Friday in one of her two finals, Evans picked up the bronze medal as she clocked eight minutes and 31.18 seconds, shattering her national record of 8:32.19 from during the Bahamas Swimming Federation's National Championships in June. She finished behind Italy's Simona Quadarella, the gold medalist in a meet record of 8:20.54 and Germany's Sarah Koehler, the silver medalist in 8:21.67.

The 20-year-old rising star came back on Saturday in the final of the 400m free to clock 4:08.52 for the silver. Sarah Koehler of Germany won the gold in 4:03.96, a new games' record. Sierra Kai Schmidt from the United States picked up the bronze in 4:09.82.

With the performance, the Bahamas moved into a three-way tie with Kazakhstan and Sweden on the medal chart as Evans became just the second Bahamian to medal at the meet. However, she surpassed the historic performance of retired swimmer Jeremy Knowles, who also secured a bronze in the men's 200m butterfly in 1:59.21 in the 22nd edition in Daegu, South Korea in 2003.

Evans, one of four Bahamians competing in the week-long games, was also in the final of the 200m freestyle, where she finished in eighth place in 2:00.70 to lower her national record of 2:01.27 from the Olympic Games last year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Siobhan Bernadette Huaghey of Hong Kong, China won the gold in a meet record of 1:56.71; American Katherine Grace Drabot got the silver in 1:57.61 and Russia's Arina Openysheva was the bronze medalist in 1:58.53.

Last year in Rio, Evans made her international global debut when she contested the 200, 400 and 800m freestyles, setting national records in both the 200m (2:01.27) and 400m (4:07.60) in the heats. She then lowered the 200m time to 1:59.91 at a meet for the University of Texas where she is an engineer major. She previously set the national record in the 800m at 8:32.19 at the BSF's Nationals.

Other members of the team, coached by Andy Knowles, are Margaret Higgs, Laura Morley and Gershwin Greene.

The swimming competition at the biannual games will conclude on Monday. A full report of the team's performance in Taipei will be published in The Tribune on Monday.