The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

One day after she and Mya Beneby were celebrated as the first medallists for the Bahamas at the sixth Commonwealth Youth Games, Karra Hanna said she’s still experiencing a lot of pain.

Hanna suffered an injury during her semi-final match of the women’s +70 kilogram in the one-day judo competition at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on Tuesday.

However, she joined Beneby in getting on the podium. Beneby got her medal in the -57kg category. The duo were celebrated by the Local Organising Committee, headed by Romell Knowles, yesterday morning during a press conference at the gym.

“Small sports like judo don’t get the recognition as some of the bigger sports, and have stamped their print in these games already, so we are very proud of you,” Knowles said.

Both Hanna and Beneby said they were so thrilled by their feat that they slept with their medals close to them in their hotel rooms at Baha Mar, the games village for Team Bahamas.

Thy have also indicated that they were surprised at how people have reacted to them, cheering them on and congratulating them for their accomplishments.

Even in pain, Hanna was able to carry the flag for the Bahamas during the official opening ceremonies in the new Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on on Tuesday night.

However, she admitted that she’s now feeling the pain and is anxious to go to the hospital to get further evaluation on the injury.

“I am in severe pain, but I’m trying to manage,” she said. “I kept tossing and turning. I couldn’t really sleep. The medal made it worth it because it’s an honour being one of the first two Bahamians to make history for the Bahamas.”

Cynthia Rahming said all of the athletes had a chance to win a medal, but it’s fortunate that they got to celebrate with two of them from Beneby and Hanna.

“I saw some excellent judo out there with Karra and Mya winning medals,” she said. “These athletes are way better than I was. To have them train in a year and to win a medal, is just fantastic.

“They had some really hard competitors to compete against and they won, so that was amazing. I think it was a very good experience for both of them.”

Rahming has set the pace for women’s judo in the country, having represented the Bahamas at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2011 where she was fortunate to win a match and in 2012 at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

“I think this next generation will do even better than me,” projected Rahming, who intends to compete in the US Open and the Senior World Championships in Hungary in August.

By virtue of winning their medals, both Hanna and Beneby will get a chance to compete in the World Cadets Championships in Chile in August.