The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Birthday girl Joanna Evans added another silver medal to her ledger, this time in the rarely swum 400 metre individual medley and was joined by Albury Higgs with a bronze to push Team Bahamas’ total to five on the medal table at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games.

Their combined performance yesterday in the swimming competition in Barranquilla, Colombia enabled the Bahamas to occupy 10th place in the standings. The other three medals came from Evans, who struck two gold and another silver respectively in the first three days of competition.

Evans, who turned 21 on Tuesday, picked up her second consecutive medal in the women’s 400m IM as she clocked four minutes and 50.38 seconds to finish behind gold medallist Kristen Elena Romano, who established a new games record in 4:46.31. Monika Gonzalez got the bronze in 4:52.13.

“It was kind of fun, like the 100 yesterday, to swim something different,” Evans said. “Obviously, it’s a way different race than what I did yesterday. I posted a best time and was competitive. That was all I tried to do.”

Looking at her performance, Evans said she enjoyed the freestyle, but admitted that her backstroke was the worst.

“For me, you have to work every 100 of the stroke as if that’s the only thing you’re swimming,” she stated. “You just have to stay competitive and I know that my freestyle is good at the end, so I know that once I’m somewhere in there, we should hopefully be good.”

With four medals, inclusive of two gold and two silver in her collection, Evans said today she will have double duties competing in the 200m IM and the 800m free.

“It’s going to be a rough day, but we are going to see,” she stated. “I will do some racing and see. Do some racing and finish it out. The plan is just to swim in the morning and make it back. All I need is a lane for the finals and then swim as if that’s the only thing you are swimming and then warm down and get ready for the next one.”

Higgs and Laura Morley, who competed together in a couple of events over the first three days, finally got the next medal for the Bahamas. Higgs claimed the bronze in the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:30.83. Morley trailed her in fourth place in 2:31.02. Byanca Rodriquez, in a games’ record of 2:25.60 and team-mate Esther Gonzalez (2:29.72) won the gold and silver for Mexico.

In the men’s B final of the men’s 50m breaststroke, Izaak Bastian came through with a sixth place finish for the Bahamas.

Also yesterday, Jimmy Lowe and Michael McSweeney were both in action in the snipe open where they placed ninth. They retired in the first race and didn’t start the next three. They are now in 11th place overall with 57 points.

And Spencer Cartwright is in 10th place in the men’s laser class with 73 points after he got 12th and sixth in his two races yesterday.