The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Pan American Games have begun in Santiago, Chile, and the swimming sporting discipline also got underway.

Swimmers got into action at the Aquatic Center and competed Saturday and yesterday to represent The Bahamas. The Bahamas Olympic Committee selected nine swimmers to represent the island nation.

In relay action, the team of Jack Barr, Luke Thompson, Lamar Taylor, Emmanuel Gadson and Mark-Anthony Thompson competed in the men’s 4x100m freestyle heats on Saturday.

The team finished fifth in heat two behind Brazil, the United States of America, Mexico and Colombia with a time of 3:37.18. They finished ranked ninth overall between heat one and two.

Swimming stud Taylor will hit the water today in heat two of the men’s 100m freestyle as well as the men’s 100m backstroke event. His next aquatics event will be the men’s 50m freestyle in heat four on Tuesday.

Barr has one remaining event on Wednesday which is the 1,500m freestyle in heat one.

Gadson finished sixth in heat three of the men’s 100m butterfly with a time of 56.32. He will continue competition today in the men’s 200m breaststroke (heat four) and on Wednesday in the men’s 200m individual medley (heat one).

L Thompson competed in the heats of the men’s 200m and 400m freestyle this past weekend. In the 200m event, he came eighth with a time of 1:58.70.

However, in the 400m heats, he wrapped up fifth with 4:11.61.

M Thompson finished first in heat one of the men’s 100m breaststroke, stopping the clock at 1:07.18 but was ranked 24th overall.

In the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay heats on Saturday, the swimming team of Zaylie Thompson, Elizabeth Russell, Katelyn Cabral and Ariel Weech finished seventh in 4:08.84. They were ranked 13th with heat one and two combined.

The Bahamas placed fifth in heat one of the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay with 3:44.94. The team was ranked 11th overall in the event.

Russell continues her stint at the Pan Am Games on Tuesday in the women’s 50m freestyle (heat two) event.

For the girls, Zaylie Thompson competes today in heat two of the women’s 100m freestyle and on Wednesday in the women’s 200m individual medley (heat three). Bahamians will also compete in tennis starting today with Justin Roberts, Kevin Major Jr and Sydney Clarke playing in the men’s and women’s singles matches.

Go Team Bahamas!