The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas will return home from the inaugural Caribbean Games in Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe, with a total of four medals, inclusive of a gold from strongwoman Rhema Otabor and three silver from quarter-miler Megan Moss, hurdler Oscar Smith and judoka Daniel Strachan.

The Caribbean Games, a mini version of the Central American and Caribbean Games, was designed for competitors under the age of 23.

Otabor, coming off her All-American fourth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in May, led the way for Team Bahamas when she picked up the only gold medal in the women’s javelin with a distance of 175-feet, 1-inch or 53.38 metres.

In establishing a new Caribbean Games record as the first competitor to win the event, Otabor was no match for the rest of her competitors.

The nearest throw to her impressive feat was Cuba’s Marianaily Silva with 124-6 (37.96m). Jamilet Bautista of the Dominican Republic got the bronze with 122-2 (37.25m).

Moss, a NCAA semi-finalist and national 400m runner-up to champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo, had to settle for the silver in the women’s 400m after she ran 52.53, which was just shy of her personal best of 52.35. Fiordaliza Mendez of the Dominican Republic took the gold in 51.31. Suany Rodriquez of Cuba got the bronze in 53.70.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Smith clocked 13.96 for his silver behind the Cayman Island’s Rasheem Brown, who won the gold in 13.72. The bronze went to Kenny Fletcher of Guadeloupe in 14.00.

And in the 90 kilogram in judo, Strachan picked up the silver. Jasmine Russell competed in the 57 kilogram division, but didn’t advance.

The other team members that competed for the Bahamas were Camille Rutherford, who was fourth in the women’s 100m in 11.62, Adrian Curry, who was fifth in his heat in the preliminaries of the men’s 100m in 11.18, but not good enough for him to advance and Sherrod Carey, who got third in his heats of the men’s 400m in 48.26, but not enough to advance as well.

Felix Neely rounded out Team Bahamas’ participation at the games in cycling. He was 15th in the time trials held on Saturday and 29th in the road race held on the final day of competition yesterday.

The nine-member team was led by chef de mission Dorian Roach, who also served as the coach for cycling. The track coach was Kennord Mackey and Oneysi Portorreal Pons was the judo coach.

The team doctor was Dr Rickey Davis and Jenna Gibson served as the physiotherapist.