Defending champions, the Bahamas hauled in a total of 20 medals that includes eight golds, five silvers and seven bronze medals. medals on night one of the 2023 CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Curacao on Thursday.
Nigel Forbes swam to a new record 54.75 in the 15-17 Boys 100m Butterfly, breaking the previous record 54.85.
The Bahamas also finished top of the podium in the 11-12 Boys and Girls 200m Breaststroke races.
Jaylah Threadgill produced a personal best of 3:03.68 to win the girls category while Trace Russell swam 2:50.46 for gold in the boys division.
Emmanuel Gadson won the 15-17 boys 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:22.85. David Singh took gold in the 50m backstroke with a time of 31.15 seconds. Saleste Gibson secured the gold in the 11-12 girls 100m Butterfly when she stopped the clock on 1:09.11.
The Bahamians also took gold in the boys and girls 11-12 4x400m Freestyle relays.
Bahamas leads the overall points standings after day one with 262 ahead of the Cayman Islands (175), Barbados (135), Trinidad and Tobago (120) and Martinique (105.5).
Curacao secure League A promotion, Gold Cup berth after 4-1 win over St Lucia in Group B
Curacao secured promotion to League A and direct qualification for next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup after they topped Group B of League B in the Concacaf Nations League action on Monday.
The Dutch-speaking Caribbean Island bettered St Lucia 4-1 in their top-of-the-table clash at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curaçao.
Gervane Kastaneer opened the scoring in the 27th with a tidy finish on the volley as he connected well from Jearl Margaritha’s weighted cross.
St Lucia pulled level in the 29th courtesy of Ryan Charles, who won possession at the top of the penalty area and finished at close range.
However, Kastaneer grabbed his brace to put Curacao back on top as he produced another decent close range finish to make it 2-1 at the break.
Any hopes St Lucia had of a comeback were dashed in the 73rd when Juninho Bacuna displayed nippy footwork to dismiss markers and slot home.
Bacuna then completed his brace and Curacao’s rout when he fired home in the 79th to secure their promotion to League A and, by extension, a berth in the Gold Cup.
They topped the group with 13 points, four more than St Lucia (nine points), while Grenada, who were 3-0 winners over St Martin in the other group contest, ended on seven points.
Rahim Dennis (39th) and Keelan Lebon (87th and 90+3) sealed Grenada’s win against St Martin to ensure they stay up in League B for another edition.
By virtue of that loss, St Martin, who finished last on the four-team standings on six points, have been relegated to League C for the next edition of the Nations League.
Haiti secure League A promotion, Gold Cup spot with 8-0 win over Sint Marteen; Grenada, Curacao, Puerto Rico also victorious in League B
Haiti extended their unbeaten run in the Concacaf Nations League as they secured top spot in Group C of League B when they hammered Sint Marteen 8-0 Friday.
That win earned Haiti promotion to League A and, by extension, secured their participation in next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup.
Meanwhile, the race in Group B took a twist as Grenada defeated leaders Saint Lucia, while Curacao earned a victory to jump into the number one spot.
Saint Lucia vs. Grenada
Grenada knocked Saint Lucia out of the top spot in Group B with a 4-0 victory at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao.
After playing out a goalless first half, Grenada eventually broke the deadlock in the 50th through Jermaine Francis’ header.
Regan Charles-Cook doubled the lead six minutes later with a firm finish from deep inside the 18-yard box.
Trevon Williams added a third in the 74th, before Myles Hippolyte struck a blazing left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 86th to cap Grenada’s win.
With the victory, Grenada moved to seven points and assured itself at least a third-place finish to avoid relegation. Saint Lucia dropped to second place on nine points, one point behind Curacao, on 10 points.
Saint Martin vs. Curaçao
Curacao registered a 5-0 rout of Saint Martin in the feature game at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad.
Jearl Margaritha stole the show by scoring four goals, two in each half, in commanding fashion.
His first came in the 24th as he used good footwork to lose defenders and blast the opener.
He added a second 10 minutes later, when he pulled off an excellent backheel flick to put Curacao 2-0 up at the break.
In the 54th, Margaritha sprinted into the box and ripped a loose ball for his hat trick.
Juninho Bacuna scored a penalty kick in the 78th, before Margaritha finished off his outstanding performance with another tidy finish in the 80th.
With one point separating them, Curacao and Saint Lucia will lock horns in an intriguing clash to determine the group winners on Monday.
Sint Maarten vs. Haiti
A hat-trick from Frantzdy Pierrot and a Duckens Nazon brace laid the platform for Haiti’s 8-0 beating of Sint Maarten at Estadio Centroamericano de Mayagüez in Mayagüez in Puerto Rico.
It was Attys Christopher who fired home as Haiti made the most of a corner kick.
Pierrot struck a double blow in the 14th and 25th, with Markhus Lacroix adding a fourth in between in the 19th.
The onslaught continued in the second half as Haiti tallied three more goals in rapid fashion. Nazon struck in the 49th and 58th as Pierrot completed his hat trick in the 52nd.
Mondy Prunier capped the win with a 67th-minute strike.
Haiti, has now scored 26 goals in five matches. They will play second-placed Puerto Rico, who defeated Aruba 5-1 on Monday.
Puerto Rico remains in the hunt for a Gold Cup preliminary spot as one of the best runners-up.
Sint Maarten has been relegated.
Dylan Carter headlines T&T's team to World Short Course Championships
Trinidad and Tobago’s ace swimmer Dylan Carter headlines a three-member team that will represent the Twin Island Republic at the World Aquatics World Short Course (25m) Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The six-day event, scheduled for December 10–15, promises exciting prospects for aquatics enthusiasts as it will feature morning heats and evening semi-finals and finals.
Carter will enter the championship in rich form following his fairly successful World Aquatics Swimming World Cup outing recently, where he pocketed two gold medals and one bronze during the three-leg competition.
The decorated 28-year-old, who is a many-time World Short Course medallist and Olympian, is scheduled to swim the men’s 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 50m butterfly.
He will be joined by rising sensation Nikoli Blackman, who is currently in his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee. Blackman, a talented and versatile swimmer, will only contest the men’s 200m freestyle event.
Meanwhile, Zuri Ferguson, who paraded her skills at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, is the lone female member of the team. The University of Florida freshman will be targeting at least best times in the women’s 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events.
Another female swimmer, Ornella Walker, who recently shattered Trinidad and Tobago’s 50m and 100m backstroke records, also qualified to make the team but opted not to take up her spot on this occasion.
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