SPORTS SECTION E
Monday, April 27, 2026
EXUMA REGATTA - E6
‘Ageless wonder’ Donald Thomas opens campaign Athletes take the spotlight in the USA
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
VINTAGE high jumper Donald Thomas, quarter-miler Cassandra Thompson and sprinter Lamarr Williams took some of the spotlight over the weekend as a number of Bahamian elite, collegiate and high school athletes competed around the United States of America. Among some of the others in action were javelin thrower Rhema Otabor, quarter-miler Steven Gardiner and the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine. TIGER TRACK CLASSIC Thomas, the "ageless wonder" at 41, opened his 2026 campaign with a leap of 7-1 1/2 (2.17m). The 2007 world champion passed at 7-2 1/2 (2.20m) and went for 7-4
DONALD THOMAS
CARLIN Archer with gold.
1/2 (2.25m), but fell short in his three attempts. "I'm still in heavy training," said Thomas, who noted that he wanted to jump from five approaches. "Just look forward to improving
every meet. After I had won the meet, I had my attempt at 2.23 metres from five steps, but didn't get it. I'm on to the next meet." On the track, Thompson, representing Auburn, won
RHEMA OTABOR in action. the women's 400m in a time of 53.63. GWSI EXTRA At the GWSU Extra Weekend Meet at the Grand Valley State in
Allendale, Missouri, Williams, a sophomore at Bethel (Indiana) sped to a pair of victories in the men's 100m in 10.22 and the 200m in 20.76
DRAKE RELAYS Otabor, the national record holder, looked extremely well in her season opener as she got a second-place finish in the women's javelin with her season's best toss of 199-feet, 7-inches or 60.83 metres on her fourth attempt at the Drake Relays. During the competition in Des Moines, Iowa, Otobor opened with 190-5 (58.04m) on her first attempt, 190-0 (57.91) on her second, 192--6 (58.69m) on her third, 195-0 (59.15m) on her fifth and 198-5 (60.48m) on her sixth. She was off her national record of 64.19m she established on June 45, 2024 in repeating as the champion of the NCAA Division One Outdoor Championships.
ATHLETES - SEE Page E2
New Bahamas Boxing Academy
OFFICIAL OPENING: Investor and philanthropist Nick Maughan saw another of his international projects come to fruition as Prime Minister Philip Davis officially opened the new Bahamas Boxing Academy at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. Photo: Chappell Whyms Jr SEE THE FULL STORY AND MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE E2
Celtics spoil Embiid’s return, beat 76ers to take 3-1 series lead By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Payton Pritchard made six of Boston’s 24 3-pointers and scored 32 points and Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 11 assists to help the Boston Celtics spoil Joel Embiid’s return from an appendectomy and beat the Philadelphia 76ers 128-96 last night for a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston. “It's going to have to be a big pick-up mentally,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. Jaylen Brown scored 20 points for the Celtics, who thumped the Sixers by 32 points for the second time in the series. The Celtics outrebounded the Sixers 51-30. Embiid scored 26 points in 34 minutes just 17 days after having an appendectomy. Embiid wasted little time scoring in his first game since April 6. The two-time NBA scoring champion sank two free throws for the Sixers’ first points of the game, added
76ERS’ Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe during Game 3 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Friday, April 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) a monster two-handed All-Star guard Tyrese jam and scored the team’s Maxey took a backseat first eight points. to Embiid and took only Embiid withered after three shots in the first half. the fast start and missed He scored 22 points for seven straight shots before the Sixers. he converted a three-point “That can't happen," play in the third quarter. Maxey said of the slow That cut the Sixers' deficit start. “That's on me. That's to 23. just unacceptable by me. The Celtics hardly I was playing within the needed much production flow of the game. It kind from Brown or Tatum of happened that way. It — they combined for 50 wasn't meant to happen points in a Game 3 win that way.” and only 13 in the first half Maxey and the Sixers of Game 4 — and used largely tried to get Embiid a whopping 14-rebound rolling early. edge in the first half that Embiid had an appensparked a 13-0 shutout in dectomy in Houston on second-chance points to April 9 after Philadelbuild a 21-point lead. phia’s star big man was
stricken with appendicitis overnight. He returned to the court Sunday wearing a protective brace around his midsection and was cleared to play about 40 minutes before the scheduled tipoff. “What am I going to do? Cry about it?” Embiid said of his latest postseason malady. Whatever emotional lift he provided lasted only minutes into the first quarter. Pritchard buried a long 3 on one leg to end the first quarter and give Boston a 34-18 lead. “He’s just a guy that finds the game. He dictates the pace for us,” Celtics coach Joe Mazulla said. "He did a good job of that for himself and others tonight. When we’re at our best, he’s aggressive.” Embiid shot 3 of 5 in the first quarter while the rest of the Sixers missed 10 of 13 shots. Embiid's gutsy return mattered little, and now the Celtics can clinch the series at home and wait for the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks series.
Lenox makes history as first Bahamian to win karting motor championship title By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net LENOX Lockhart made history again over the weekend, becoming the first Bahamian to win a karting motor championship title over the weekend. Competing in his event in Italy at the Championato Italiano SCI Karting 2026 in Lonato Del Garda in South Karting, Lockhart won the second race in his series of the Mini Group 3 on Friday. "While driving, I was focused on hitting my marks and going as fast as I can because I knew it was not going to be easy to get pole position, even if I didn't, no matter what I still kept pushing," Lockhart said. The 10-year-old Lockhart, accompanied by his parents, Migueal and Gabriela, couldn't keep the momentum as he closed out the last race on the series, finishing seventh. The home-schooled student was competing in the last of two races he had in his initial journey to Italy to
LENOX LOCKHART compete against some of the top competitors in Europe. In his debut in Europe at the WGK Euro Series for the South Garci Karting in Italy a week ago, Lockhart was seventh again in Grade 3. He had a remarkable turnaround in the final two races after he had a crash at the start of the first race. Lockhart, according to Susan Schauff, is now receiving a stipend from the Bahamas Government, which will enable him to continue competing on the international scene as he competes for the Parolin Racing Team.