SPORTS SECTION E
Fireman’s 5TH
Brown in Rio, Page 5
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2016
Evans shatters her national record in Olympic debut By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
hiro Igarashi of Japan in a close finish in 4:07.52. Neither will make it back for the final, which carried the top eight finishers. But 18-year-old Evans will move up all EVANS the way from No.40 to No.13 in the world as she posted the best time ever by a Central American and Caribbean swimmer. “For my first Olympic swim, I’m very, very pleased. It’s a good chunk off my best time,” Evans told the Bahamian media. “Rather, I would have liked to push that
RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — A national record-breaking performance that propelled her to No.13 in the world was a good way for Joanna Evans to make her Olympic debut. One day after Dustin Tynes flattered in his initial appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games, Evans was just simply sensational on Sunday at the National Aquatics Complex as she shattered her own women’s 400 metre freestyle national record of four minutes and 12.14 seconds when she touched the wall second in the first of four heats in a blistering time of 4:07.52. She was beaten out by Chi-
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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girl and win the heat, but that’s part of it.” After getting through the first 50m in third in a split of 28.89, Evans improved to second at the end of the 100m mark in 59.94. She remained in that position at 150m in 1:31.02, but took over the lead at 200m in 2:02.63. The Grand Bahamian controlled the race with a slight lead at 250m (2:33.87), 300m (3:05.57) and 3:50m (3:37.05). But in the final 50m, Igarashi just had a little more energy at the end to touch the wall first. “I felt it,” said Evans about her opponent trailing her in the race. “I was like umph. I can’t let her
catch me. But it was all a part of it. I believed we pushed each other. So it was a good swim, if you ask me.” The University of Texas freshman said she didn’t anticipate swimming as fast as she did, but not having swum a good 400m free in quite a while, she knew that the training she put in to get ready for Rio would equate to some fast times. She will be back for her second swim today when she competes in the 200m free. It’s an event she has entered just for the fun of it. But after almost posting a personal best in the 200m during the first half of her 400m race, Evans
said anything is possible. She is entered in lane two in the second of six heats with a lifetime best of 2:01.62. Once she’s done, she will take some much needed rest and prepare for her 800m final swim on Thursday. Andy Loveitt, the head coach of the Bahamian swim team, has been working directly with Evans when she’s home in Grand Bahama and he had predicted the day before that he expected her to break the national record. He said she was right on pace after the first 100m and she held her composure as she went through the middle of the race. He had hoped she could have held on at the end, but he couldn’t ask for a better performance.
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Go Team Bahamas
SPRINTER ADRIAN GRIFFITH GETS SET TO TURN IT UP IN 200M RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — After going through the process of getting ready for the past four years, Adrian Griffith said the time is now for him to shine in the men’s sprints at the 2016 Olympic Games. “I’m here. It’s a beautiful feeling, all of the attaché for the Bahamas team and all of the officials are making sure that Team Bahamas is adjusting very well to the conditions here,” Griffith said. “The team is actually gelling and we’re practicing together and everyone is having a good time. We have one or two hiccups, but that’s expected. We’re going to be alright. We’re looking to put on our best performance here in Rio.” Talking about Rio, Griffith said he wasn’t concerned about all of the media hype surrounding Rio not being ready to host the games and that there was a Zika virus that would affect the athletes. “When we got here, we found a beautiful village, as you can see,” said Griffith as he spoke to the Bahamian media in the games village. “The accommoda-
ENDS UP 13TH BEST IN WORLD IN 400M FREE
EMILY MORLEY MAKES OLYMPIC ROWING HISTORY By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
ity that he heard prior to coming here, Wilson said he was never concerned about all of the media hype. “I wasn’t concerned at all because they had ample time to prepare,” he said. “Me personally, I think it was all just for media purposes to hype it up a bit. We come from a hard place in the Bahamas, so ain’t much things could surprise us. I came here just to perform well and to enjoy this atmosphere.” Wilson, a 27-year-old graduate from
RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Emily Morley will remember Saturday, August 6, 2016, for a long time. It was the day that she got rowing officially started as a non-traditional sport for the Bahamas BTC Team at the 2016 Olympic Games. But it wasn’t quite the finish she anticipated, crossing the line in nine minutes and 22.12 seconds for sixth place. Her nearest competitor in the first of six heats at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon was Sweden’s Anna Mulvina Svennlinc in 8:48.46. Mexico’s Alanis Kenia Lechuca came across the line first in 8:11.44, stunning world champion Kimberly Brennan, of Australia. Morley, who placed 31 out of a field of 32 competitors, said she was delighted to have gotten another sport into the Bahamas lineup at the Olympics, although she would have preferred to be in the middle of the field. “It was so amazing. It was just unbelievable for me to be out there competing for the Bahamas,” said Morley, who could easily be identified by the Bahamian flag
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LET THE GAMES BEGIN: Shaunae Miller carries the flag of the Bahamas on Friday during the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP) SEE THE FULL STORY AND MORE PHOTOS ON 2&3
‘THE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN AWESOME AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net RIO de Janeiro, Brazil — Although this is his first appearance at the Olympic Games, Jamal ‘Mally’ Wilson said he feels right at home in good company with the rest of the men’s high jumpers from around the world. “The experience has been awesome at the Olympic Games,” said Wilson as he spoke to the Bahamian media at the Games Village. “Actually, it’s going better than I expected, right down
to the free stuff, down to the food, down to just seeing all of the stars walking around. “The opening ceremony was great. I got a chance to get a little bit of airtime. I know the people at home got to see me. I appreciate all the love and support that I’m getting from that end. I appreciate you. Shout out to Rio Snapshot for putting me, Donald Thomas and Adrian Griffith on the story. We got hundreds of thousands of viewers from that side. So it’s been a blessing so far.” Despite all of the negative public-
Anfernee Seymour traded to Atlanta Braves in 3-player deal By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net FOR the second time in as many weeks, another highly ranked Bahamian prospect is on the move via trade, in the Minor League Baseball farm system. Anfernee Seymour was traded from the Miami Marlins to the Atlanta Braves in a three-player deal which also saw the Braves acquire pitcher Michael Mader in exchange for relief pitcher Hunter Cervenka. Seymour enters the Braves’ lists of prospects ranked at No.19, according to MLB.com’s 2016 Prospect Watch. He is ranked fourth
among shortstops after No.1 overall prospect Dansby Swanson, No.2 Ozzie Albies and No.8 Kevin Maitan. Seymour was previously ranked No.8 in the Marlins farm system but goes to a Braves organisation known for its deep talent pool in the minors. “Seymour stands out for his elite athleticism and game-changing speed, which scouts grade as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 is average. A switch-hitter, his short, quick swing enables him to make a lot of contact, although power will never be part of his game….Seymour spent much of his pro debut roaming centrefield before moving to shortstop
ANFERNEE SEYMOUR full time in 2015, where he committed 29 errors in 61 games.” The MLP.com scouting report said: “But he worked hard on refining his overall defensive game dur-
ing instructional league, and the Marlins liked how his hands and strong arm played at the position, despite a high error total.” He was having a productive season for the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the Class A (Full) South Atlantic League prior to the deal. In 103 games, he hit .255 with 61 runs scored, 37 stolen bases and 26 RBI. He has recorded a slugging percentage of .308, an on-base percentage of .295 and an OPS of .603 and 127 total bases. The 5’11” 165-pound Seymour was taken by the Miami Marlins with the 197th pick in round seven of the 2014 MLB Draft. The highly touted prospect received an over-slot signing bonus
from the Marlins worth twice his slot value of just over $200,000. Seymour, who starred for the rookie Batavia Muckdogs in the Gulf Coast League last season where he played in 64 games at shortstop with a batting average of .273, was called up in April to the Grasshoppers. Yesterday he was officially assigned to the Rome Braves and will continue play in the Class A (Full) South Atlantic League. The 21-year-old previously reached a career milestone against the Braves this season when he blasted the first home run of his professional career, a 10-7 win for the Grasshoppers back on June 11.