The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Izaak Bastian walked away with a pair of medals, it was a record-breaking weekend for Davante Carey and Marvin Johnson as they led a field of Bahamians competing at the 2021 UANA Tokyo Qualifier in Clermont, Florida.

Carey inked his name on a pair of Bahamas Open records, the first coming on day one on Thursday in the men’s 100 metre backstroke with his time of 57.03 seconds for sixth place to add to his 50m backstroke time of 26.46 he set in 2019.

Then yesterday, Carey closed out the meet by winning the B final of the men’s 200m backstroke in 2:08.05 for his second Bahamas Open national record. He finished 11th overall in the event.

Also in the race was Luke Kennedy Thompson of Alpha Aquatic, who was eighth in 2:12.67 for 18th overall.

Marvin Johnson clinched the boys’ 13-14 record in the 200m freestyle when he became the first Bahamian to dip under the two-minute mark, clocking 1:59.81 for 27th place.

Izaak, meanwhile, was the toast of the meet, picking up his pair of medals with a silver in the 50 breaststroke in a personal best of 28.22 and a bonze in the 100m breaststroke in 1:02.33.

Mark-Anthony Thompson of Alpha Aquatic was 18th in 30.35 in the 50m breast, while Andre Walcott of Mako was 20th in 30.72; Kabo Stubbs of Montverde Aquatic Club was 21st in 30.83; Joshua Murray, unattached, was 22nd in 30.95 and Grand Bahamian Rommel Ferguson of the YMCA WaveRunners was 29th in 33.29.

And in the 100m breaststroke, Walcott was seventh in the C final for 27th overall in 1:08.99 and Stubbs was 10th for 30th overall in 1:11.86.

“It was a pretty good performance for me. I did not rest or shave for the meet, so I continued training from I left Tallahassee for it,” said Bastian, who competes on the collegiate circuit for the Seminoles at Florida State. “It worked out very well.”

The performances, according to Bastian, is a confident booster going into the rest of the season.

“I think it was a good checkpoint for me,” Bastian said. “The 50m breaststroke was the first one and I really didn’t know what to expect because I haven’t raced it for a while. It was good to get the nerves off.

“And the 100m breaststroke went very well. I know what I need to work on to get ready for Nationals. It was a really fast final because there were a lot of people who really pushed me to do my best.”

With no Bahamian having done the A standard for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in July, Bastian is one of the leading candidates for a spot that is determined by the Bahamas Aquatics and ratified by FINA based on a point system.

Bastian said it was good to have a number of other Bahamian swimmers competing in the meet, some of whom he raced against.

“It’s always a good time when you get some competition from home,” he said. “It brings back memories racing against people that I’ve know for a long time.”

In other events, the Bahamian contingent turned in the following performances:

In the women’s 50m breaststroke on day one on Thursday, Jamilah Hepburn of Mako Aquatic was 12th in 34.53 and Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson of Alpha Aquatic got 14th in 35.03.

In addition to his record breaking performance, Carey, competing unattached, was fifth in the 50m backstroke in 26.54. Lamar Taylor of Mako was 15th in 27.11 and Marvin Johnson, representing the YMCA WaveRunners, was 25th in 29.16.

Keianna Moss of Mako was 18th in the 31.80 in the 50m backstroke.

Nigel Forbes of the YMCA WaveRunners was 11th in the 50m butterfly in 25.00; Lamar Taylor of Mako was 17th in 25.45 and Rommel Thompson was 23th in 25.71.

Mizell Delaney of the Lyford Cay Club was 27th in the women’s 50m butterfly in 30.64.

On day two on Friday, in the women’s 200m freestyle, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson was sixth in the C final for 26th overall in 2:10.21.

Jamilah Hepburn, in the women’s 100m breaststroke, was sixth in the B final for 16th overall in 1:18.69 and Mizell Delaney was fifth in the C final and 25th overall in 1:23.68.

And Keianna Moss was 25th overall after she got fifth in the C final in the women’s 100m backstroke in 1:09.45.

On the men’s side, while Carey posted his Bahamian Open record in the 100m backstroke, Lamar Taylor was fifth in the B final for 15th overall in 57.87; Luke-Kennedy Thompson was fourth in the C final for 24th overall in 59.84 and Nigel Forbes was seventh in the same race for 27th overall in 1:00.61.

And Marvin Johnson was ninth in the C final of the men’s 200m freestyle for 29th overall in 1:59.81.

Day three on Saturday saw Delaney Mizell placed ninth in the B-final of the women’s 50m freestyle in 27.65 for 19th overall and Keianna Moss was fifth in the C final in 27.88 for 25th overall.

In the men’s 50m freestyle, Lamar Taylor was sixth in the A final in 22.95 and veteran Elvis Burrows, competing for Trinity Prep Aquatics, was fifth in the C final in 24.13 for a two-way tie for 25th overall.

Jamilah Hepburn came in third in the B final of the women’s 200m breaststroke in 2:53.67 for 13th overall.

Izaak Bastian had to settle or fifth in the A final of the men’s 200m breaststroke in 2:17.78. In the C final, Andre Walcott got fourth for 24th overall in 2:31.18; Mark-Anthony Thompson was seventh for 27th in 2:36.00 and Kebo Stubbs was 10th for 30th overall in 2:47.34.

In the C final of the women’s 100m butterfly, Keianna Moss was fifth for 25th overall in 1:08.07.

And in the B final of the men’s 100m butterfly, Nigel Forbes got seventh for 16th place in 56.33.

Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson won the C final of the women’s 200m IM (individual medley) in 2:32.58.

And in the men’s B final of the 200m IM, Luke Kennedy Thompson was eighth and 18th overall in 2:10.48.

As the meet concluded on Sunday, in addition to Carey’s record breaking feat, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson came eighth in the C final of the women’s 100m freestyle for 29th place overall in 1:01.12.

And Lamar Taylor made it to the B final of the men’s 100m freestyle, clocking 52.16 for seventh, but 17th overall. Marvin Johnson was second in the D final in 53.00 for 32nd overall.