The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A weekend of celebration highlighting National Sports Heritage month was aimed at bridging the gap between generations, honouring the country’s local sporting heroes both past and present.

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture hosted its National Sports Awards and welcomed the newest members of the National Sports Hall of Fame at their respective ceremonies over the weekend at the Baha Mar Convention Centre.

Quartermilers Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner were named the Senior Athletes of the Year at the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture’s National Sports Awards.

Miller-Uibo overcame injury struggles and won her second consecutive Olympic women’s 400m title at the Tokyo Games in August to earn the Female Athlete of the Year.

The 27-year-old obliterated the field in a new personal best and North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) area record time of 48.36 seconds at the Tokyo National Stadium to repeat as Olympic champion.

“This is definitely going to encourage me to work hard to represent the Bahamian people,” she said in a pre-recorded address to the award ceremony attendees. “To my Bahamian people to I love you guys so much thank you for all your support and we will continue to make you guys proud.”

Gardiner, 26, became just the second Bahamian to simultaneously hold both the World Athletics and Olympic titles after his 400m triumph at the Tokyo Games and earned Male Athlete of the Year honours.

Gardiner claimed his gold medal in a season’s best time of 43.85 secs.

“This is a great achievement for me and I really appreciate it. I would like to thank the Bahamian people for the encouragement and the push that they continue to give us out there on the track. It’s unbelievable what we can do as a country and we the athletes really appreciate it,” Gardiner said in his recorded address.

“I’m just looking forward to next year to bigger and better things going on in sports and to bring home the victory for the Bahamas once more.”

Miller-Uibo and Gardiner were among the list of eight elite athletes recognised for their outstanding achievement. The list also included Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, Miami Marlins infielder Jasrado Chisholm Jr, Charlotte Hornets forward Kai Jones, Sacramento Kings guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield, Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Mike Strachan.

The Ministry also recognised several young athletes that have excelled in their respective disciplines and appear on the path to stardom at the senior level.

The list of recognised “Rising Stars” stars included - Fredrick King (basketball), Rhema Collins (basketball), Shonari Hepburn (volleyball), Marvin Johnson (swimming), Nigel Forbes (swimming), Ian Lewis (baseball), BJ Murray (baseball), Michael Major Jr (tennis), Abigail Simms (tennis), Rhema Otabor (athletics), Keyshawn Strachan (athletics), Reine Pagliaro (equestrian).

Sports Heritage month is recognised as a time period reserved for the celebration, promotion and awareness of activities designed to showcase the contributions of sports to the national development of The Bahamas. The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Chasing Dreams and Achieving Excellence.”

To celebrate the past, two classes of National Sports Hall of Famers - 19 members in total - received their official induction. The 2020 class included seven inductees while the 2021 class included 121.

Making up the Class of 2020 of The Bahamas’ National Sports Hall of Fame are: Allan Ingraham (football) Andre Wood (baseball), Ernestine Butler-Stubbs (softball), Joseph Smith (volleyball), Cora Hepburn (volleyball), William Elliott (baseball) – posthumously; and Colin Knowles (softball and baseball) – posthumously.

The Class of 2021 includes Laverne Eve (athletics), Rev Dr William Thompson (softball and baseball), Stella Knowles (basketball and softball), Apostle Charles W. Thompson (basketball), Jena Mackey (bodybuilding and fitness), Hartie Johnson (tennis); Sheila Culmer (sports administration), Oral Hudson (volleyball), Joseph Demeritte (volleyball), Nell Wildgoose-Russell (softball), Barbara Thompson (gymnastics) – posthumously, and Bert Bell (aquatics) – posthumously.

The National Sports Hall of Fame has now inducted 194 members since its inception in 1989.

“It is during this month that my ministry recognises the many outstanding contributions of athletes of today and heroes of yesterday” Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said.

“It is a privilege for me to watch this class get the honours that are due to them because they truly were there in those days in their prime and gave so much to sports.

“At the end of the day the hard work and dedication they put in, those persons you affected and mentored, like myself, who can now stand at a podium and recognise your contributions.

“We should not take this lightly, it is an honour to be in the Hall of Fame and I think each and every one of you deserve it.”

Sports Heritage Month also included a church service for the Hall of Fame members at Faith United Missionary Baptist Church yesterday and will conclude with a fun run/walk hosted at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium on November 27.