The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedi.net

While lightning forced a delay in the start of the swimming competition yesterday at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, the weather conditions didn’t prevent national record breaker Lilly Higgs and Izaak Bastian from ascending the podium with Team Bahamas’ first two medals in swimming.

With back-to-back silver medals in the women’s and men’s 50 metre breaststroke, Team Bahamas got on the chart of another discipline, joining the trio of bronze medals from Karra Hanna and Mya Beneby in judo and Adrian Curry on the track.

The consecutive medals from Higgs and Bastian were the first two ever achieved (in swimming) by the Bahamas in the history of the games and they pushed the host country in sixth place (in swimming) on the medal count after two days in the pool.

New Zealand leads the pack with 12 medals, inclusive of seven gold, two silver and three bronze. Singapore is sitting in second with four gold, one silver and three bronze for their total of eight and the Republic of South Africa is in third with nine medals – three gold, three silver and three bronze.

Higgs, coming off her historic sixth-place finish in the 200m breast on day one of swimming Wednesday, lowered her national record in the 50m breast that she established at the CARIFTA Games to 32.52 seconds in picking up the first medal.

“It’s such a relief to get a medal for the Bahamas,” said Higgs about her performance. “It was a really good race for me. I got a really good start. That is what you need for a 50m race.”

Higgs, 16, trailed Christie May Chue from Singapore, who snatched the gold in 32.38 and she held off New Zealand’s Clara Smith, who had to settle for the bronze in 32.56.

“I think it actually helped me a lot because I wasn’t as rushed putting my suit on,” said Higgs about the delay at the start of the competition. “I got more time to prepare myself.

“It’s such an honour to represent the Bahamas, but it’s even sweeter to be able to get a medal and to be up on that podium in front of the Bahamian people.”

Not surprised that she lowered her national record in winning her medal, Higgs said she was more thrilled as she turned around after completing her race to watch Bastian follow her in the same trend in his race.

For Bastian, it was a humbling feeling to medal.

“On the board at first they had me in sixth place touching the board, so when the official result had me in second, it was a complete shock and I was so surprised. It felt really nice.”

Bastian clocked 28.77 to finish behind South Africa’s gold medallist Michael Houlie, who ran 27.68, and ahead of Singapore’s ZongXian Khoo, who got the bronze in 29.19.

“It felt really nice to follow after Lilly. She really performs when she needs to, so her coming second inspired me and pushed me,” Bastian said.

“I think the rain delay may have affected some people, but I knew there wasn’t anything that I could do about it, so I just relaxed and got ready to compete.”

Higgs, a student of St Andrew’s School in Florida, will now prepare to travel with Tyler Russell to the World Junior Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, in August.

Before the night was done, Higgs anchored the Bahamas’ mixed 4 x 200m free relay team of Miller Albury, Zoe McCarroll and Alec Sands to eighth in 8:33.67.

New Zealand won the gold in 7:50.85 with England taking the silver in 7:55.79 and Australia the bronze in 7:57.74.

The Bahamas also had three swimmers who were alternates in their respective events going into the final. They were Katherine Slatter, who was 10th in the 400m IM in 5:47.63, Davante Carey, 10th in the men’s 50m backstroke in 22.61 and Victoria Russell, ninth in the women’s 50m breaststroke in 34.40.