05272024 MAIN AND SPORT

MINNIS: I’M NOT QUITTING RACE

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff

Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is unfazed by the number of his former Cabinet colleagues endorsing Michael Pintard in the upcoming Free National Movement leadership race and insisted he will contest the race despite unfounded rumours that he was considering dropping out.

Dr Minnis noted he has the support of former Deputy Prime Minister Desmond Bannister and former Minister of Health Renward Wells.

“There are many who have endorsed neither,” he said yesterday. “They’re just observing, but those who have endorsed me should be asked the same question you ask of those who endorsed Pintard.” Brensil Rolle, Pakeisa Parker-Edgecombe, Darren Henfield, Dion Foulkes, and Elsworth Johnson told The Tribune last week that they support Mr Pintard. During an endorsement event on Thursday, Dionisio D’Aguilar and Marvin Dames also said they back Mr Pintard.

SEE PAGE THREE

HALKITIS: GOVT COMMITTED TO AVOIDING TAX INCREASES

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration will present its budget for the next fiscal year this week, and Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis says the administration is maintaining its commitment to not raising taxes. The administration pledged not to raise taxes

last year as well, but the government still introduced a budget that increased numerous fees.

Mr Halkitis, during an Office of the Prime Minister press briefing last week, said the government will not cut expenses, but will find new sources of revenue and improve revenue administration to get optimal results.

CONCERN OVER FAMILY ISLAND HEALTH CARE

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

NURSES on two Family Islands highlighted on Friday some challenges they face providing healthcare with minimal resources.

The Tribune travelled to Mayaguana and Cat

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

The Office of the Prime Minister will continue to monitor allegations that FTX and its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried paid $675,000 to entities

Island with assessors who deemed the facilities subpar based on international standards.

A group of inspectors comprised representatives of the Airport Authority, Public Hospitals Authority (PHA), and the Bahamas Aviation, Climate

affiliated with high-ranking Bahamian government officials and their families. Acting Press Secretary Keishla Adderley expressed

and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN).

Two of three clinics were operational in Mayaguana, located in Betsy Bay and Abrahams Bay. The island has one doctor and three nurses.

difficulty in commenting on the report at a press conference yesterday.

“We’re aware of that report. I read that report in your paper this morning. They weren’t exactly any specifics, or any names called, no direct allegations.”

By NEIL HARTNELL

FTX’s $256m Bahamian property empire is set to “hit the market within the next 30 days” after five to seven local realtors were selected to handle their disposal.

Realtors said the highend international market for Bahamian real estate is more than capable of absorbing the one-time influx of 34 properties purchased by the collapsed crypto exchange.

skills at

All Boys Concert held by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture on Friday in Rawson Square.

HALKITIS: GOVT IS COMMITTED TO AVOIDING TAX INCREASES

from page one

“We felt that over a multiyear period, we will see our deficits go down, and borrowing requirements go down, and our debt-toGDP ratio go down,” he said. “I can happily say that we have seen the positive results of that so far in the last two budgets that we have presented.”

“I can say, without speaking out of school or pre-empting anything, that we will see that positive trend continue. So you, the Bahamian public, will be able to see the progress that has been made over the last two and a half years in terms of, as we say, getting the fiscal house in order.”

“The next two years and going forward will be a critical period in our country in terms of the economy because there was a very rapid recovery as we came out of COVID. We saw growth rates in the double digits, and the economy grew coming off that low base.”

“Now, as we normalise and move into the medium and longer term, we should see those growth rates get

back to normal, but we are very happy about the forecasts in terms of growth rates around 2 percent, two and a half per cent, which are much better than we have been experiencing over the last 20 years pre COVID and so this is a very, very critical period, we will take the opportunity to inform the public about the improvements, but always mindful that we have to maintain the discipline.”

Mr Halkitis also confirmed that the government is still engaging Rothschild and Co, a company advising the administration on how to refinance the country’s debt. Mr Halkitis said the contract with the company has been extended for “maybe another year or so”.

“Working together, I think the savings has been phenomenal,” he said. “I mean, we’re talking about into the tens of millions of dollars in terms of the improvement on how your your debt is trading.” The government intends to implement a 15 percent global minimum corporate tax on multinational corporations during the upcoming budget cycle.

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis at the Office of the Prime Minister press conference on Friday.

Minnis: I’m not quitting race

Peter Turnquest, Dr Duane Sands and Brent Symonette previously endorsed Mr Pintard.

Carl Bethel, Romauld Ferreira, Frankie Campbell, Iram Lewis and Lanisha Rolle are among those who have not publicly declared a side.

“Individuals can go and endorse or work with someone else and subsequently come back,” Dr Minnis said. “When you look at the parliamentary system, there were many who were with the PLP, subsequently left, went with the FNM and then left and came back with the PLP and vice versa, so that’s the beauty of democracy. They have their democratic right and democratic choice, but people left from both sides.”

Mr Pintard has struggled to unify the FNM since being elected leader in 2021. Nonetheless, his overwhelming support from members of the former Minnis administration likely shows he is the favourite to win the race.

Dr Minnis said he had no issues with members of his Cabinet.

“They never mentioned that to me,” he said of the idea that some did not

approve of him. “They may have mentioned it to you or others, but in Cabinet, we discussed, we disagreed, we agreed and came out with a consensus, which was a Cabinet conclusion.”

Some FNMs, including Dr Sands and former Bain and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson have knocked former Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Branville McCartney, who endorsed Dr Minnis and said he would return to the FNM if Dr Minnis wins the June 1 convention leadership race.

Dr Minnis said he believes Mr McCartney would be a great asset to the FNM.

“When I was opposition leader, there was a great push for amalgamation,” he said. “Well, a coalition government basically with the FNM as government and Branville. There was a great push from many others and we felt that the FNM had the force and support to win the election without a coalition government.”

“We had invited Branville at that particular time. He has a lot to offer. He is of leadership quality. He has demonstrated that with DNA and he has demonstrated that when he was in Cabinet also.”

‘UNFAIR’ CLAIM BY CAMPAIGN

THE campaign to elect

Dr Hubert Minnis as leader of the FNM has made a number of allegationsincluding an unfair process and breaches of the party’s constitution.

A statement issued last night questioned why an election of officers was allowed in Free Town, and raised concerns over appointments to the convention committee.

The statement, issued by Minnis campaign chairman Burton Miller, said:

“A meeting was called by (party chairman) Dr Sands at FNM headquarters on Thursday, May 23, that included party leader Michael Pintard and three of his campaign executives, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and three of his campaign executives, FNM secretary general Serfent Rolle, FNM deputy treasurer Inga Bostwick as well as two observers, former Cabinet Minister Dion Foulkes and former Cabinet Minister Renward Wells.

“One of the issues we presented during this meeting was the decision of the

leader and the chairman to organise and supervise the election of officers in a number of constituency associations after the Central Council of the FNM had ratified the date of the one-day voting convention and after the close of official nominations.

After writing the chairman regarding this matter, the chairman assured the media as well as our campaign that all such elections would cease with the exception of Free Town. We could not understand why elections would be allowed in Free Town if they were being discontinued in all other constituencies. We could only conclude that the leader and chairman felt comfortable that these new officers in Free Town will all vote in favour of Mr Pintard.”

The statement added: “We were further shocked to learn the party went ahead and scheduled constituency association meetings where a number of candidates running for national office on June 1 were allowed to serve as speakers directly to election

delegates to the disadvantage of all other candidates who are also running.

“We expressed that we found this decision deeply troubling as these guest speakers were all known supporters of Michael Pintard, some of whom would have subsequently publicly endorsed Mr Pintard.”

Mr Miller added: “Another very serious matter our campaign presented involved the appointed members to the official campaign convention committee, whose names had not been disclosed to us. When asked for the names of the individuals that comprise this committee, we were once again confronted with the fact that many of these committee members are also candidates running for office and that many if not all are known supporters of Michael Pintard.”

Mr Miller said this would mean that Mr Pintard’s supporters would be the only ones to have firsthand access to information regarding the convention including its venue, budget and schedule.

Mr Miller added: “Some of this information was released to us upon our request at the meeting, but many candidates may not know to this date.”

He alleged this was “a deliberate attempt to keep Dr Minnis’ campaign and the campaigns of all other candidates who did not support Mr Pintard in the dark”.

He added: “To date we have also not been informed as to who will serve as the returning officers and who will oversee the count of ballots. We have also not been informed as to how many ballots are being prepared and printed”.

Mr Miller said: “One of the major concerns we expressed was our disappointment of the leadership of the party’s acknowledgement of their decision to deliberately breach the party’s constitution. The framers of the constitution clearly defined the important role that all categories of members play in the party. The chairman has, however, made it clear in the meeting that despite our presentation of the facts

and the party’s constitution, that the leadership of the party will forge ahead and deliberately ignore the very clear words in the party’s constitution and permit legal ballots to be cast. This decision will greatly impact the integrity of the vote.”

Mr Miller said there was no official list of delegates submitted to the Minnis campaign which was “odd and unfair”.

He added: “The Secretary General Serfent Rolle promised to email us an unofficial list and did so but we are now less than a week away from this very important one day convention and we have yet to receive the official list of delegates. This inaction is a clear breach of Article 30(e) of the party’s Constitution, which guarantees fairness in the electoral process. It puts our campaign at a severe disadvantage and could only mean that Mr Pintard and his team have access to this list when no other candidates running including our team do not. This is a breach of trust, unconstitutional, biased, unacceptable and grossly unfair.”

He added: “We find this unbelievable that we are just days away from the vote and the party under the leadership of Michael Pintard and Duane Sands have not been able to confirm and ratify the official list of delegates who will be voting on June 1. There is considerable evidence the delegate list is in a terrible and confusing mess. We have seen this in North Andros, Fox Hill and other critical constituencies, and the evidence points to unfair interference in the delegate selection process.”

Mr Miller said: “This is a mess and this has never happened to our knowledge in recent history in the FNM.

“The upcoming Free National Movement One Day National Convention scheduled for Saturday June 1, should be a free and fair exercise in democracy and there should be no perceived or real evidence of unfairness in the voting process and any act of padding or fixing the register of voters should be discouraged.”

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A TOUR of aviation facilities in Mayaguana, Cat Island and Eleuthera saw a number of concerns being raised.

The Tribune joined a group inspecting facilities, including representatives from the Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN), the Airport Authority and the Public Hospital Authority (PHA). Adam Darville, vice president of infrastructure for BACSWN, deemed the airport facilities “very lacking” and the health facilities “very poor”, but said the government is doing what it can. He said the inspection was to show their collaborative partners the conditions of the facilities to “help them

help us” – particularly in the southern Bahamas.

He said: “You cannot have an airport without a trauma centre nearby. You have to have fire engines, you have to have ambulances available –but not just the ones you see on the streets. They’re very specialised ambulances, and currently, we have none of those here in the Bahamas, not even here at Nassau international.”

He added: “It’s very hard for the government to maintain at the highest level 26 airports, so we can’t really blame the government for this problem, it’s an ongoing problem that’s existed since we’ve been independent.”

He said Cat Island has no ambulances or fire trucks while in Governor’s Harbour there was only one ambulance. He acknowledged improvements are being made to Governor’s

Harbour Airport, while improvements were observed to be ongoing at aviation facilities on Cat Island. He said BACSWN hopes to help the government to collect fees from airlines overflying Bahamian airspace to help pay for improvements.

Dr Roelof Bruintjes, a project scientist for the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), said if any major incident were to happen at any of the airports the inspection team visited “there’s big problems”.

He said: “We saw basically the one extreme like Mayaguana which doesn’t have any type of facilities really and, including any clinics that we visited, although there are some dedicated nurses and people that want to do better, but they don’t have the facilities to do the work.”

Dr Bruintjes said it will take a large investment by the government to improve facilities.

from page one

KILLARNEY MP and former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaks during his campaign launch for Free National Movement (FNM) Party Leader at Baha Mar on May 17.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

Optimism over plans for renewable energy

By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

STAKEHOLDERS in

the renewable energy sector are cautiously optimistic about the government’s plans to move towards cleaner fuels for power generation, particularly solar, as Attorney General Ryan Pinder revealed earlier this month they are reviewing requests for proposals (RFP) for solar panel projects on the family islands. Former chair for the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation’s energy and environment division Debbie Deal said she believes that the

government’s changes to the energy sector are in preparation to use alternative energy in the future.

“Right now, we don’t have enough energy being created. And the projects that they’re talking about are two or three years away, before they get going to the point where they can be used instead of the diesel, the diesel generators that are there now. That’s what I’m thinking that they’re planning on doing,” she said.

Mrs Deal said that no one will buy Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) outright listing BPL’s $1bn debt and its ageing equipment which needs imminent replacing,

therefore, the government is utilising public-private partnerships (PPP).

She cautioned against the government “catering and pandering to big developers” and permitting projects that will build the country rather than simply provide jobs.

Mrs Deal said: “We have to stop these large entities coming in and draining from BPL, the government just has to stand firm and say, You know what, you want to build that - great. And guess what? You’re going to build with it, you’re going to build an energy plant of your own to take care of yourself, and you’re also going to take

care of 50 houses, or three other businesses besides you. You’re gonna create an extra megawatt to take care of the surrounding area.”

She believes that a foreign entity could help run BPL to make a profit while providing “reliable, safe, clean energy”.

Guilden Gilbert, vice president of Alternative Power Solutions, said while his company was too busy to respond to the government’s RFP, he supports the initiative so long as the government follows through with the initiative.

Mr Gilbert acknowledged The Bahamas will use fossil fuels “for the foreseeable future” and

solar can be used as a supplement. “I think the conversation comes up more frequently when we have the situation we have this past weekend with BPL load shedding,” he said. “When power is out, power becomes a priority, so people are more likely to discuss renewables.”

He acknowledged the apprehension by some against solar energy particularly due to the initial outlay costs, however, the returns over time and more secure energy reliability make it worth the investment.

He was cautious against believing that renewable power generation will solve all the issues of the country’s power problems. When speaking on making up the energy deficit, Mr Gilbert said: “I think we’re at a point now where why wouldn’t the government consider allowing BPL to own the distribution of the power on the Family Islands, but let independent power producers operate on the Family Islands. Instead of BPL operating or generating the power, let independent power producers produce that power, BPL can distribute the power but those independent power producers operate under very strict regulations.”

HALKITIS IS HOPEFUL OF DEAL WITH FUEL RETAILERS

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ECONOMIC Affairs

Minister Michael Halkitis said officials are hopeful they will be able to announce a solution or compromise with fuel retailers over the next few weeks.

Retailers are asking for increases to margins of 54 cents per gallon of gasoline, and 34 cents per gallon of diesel, stating that its “desperately needed” to cover costs.

Halkitis said on Friday the government is sympathetic to their plight and continue to talk with retailers.

“We’re moving closer and, so I think we can, without sort of promising anything I think we’re moving closer. I understand that they are very anxious. They have been very patient and they’ve continued to endure in a difficult environment.”

“We are not unsympathetic and, so, we are looking and hopefully within the coming weeks, we will be able to announce some solution or some compromise.”

The minister underscored

the balancing act of not having Bahamians pay higher prices at the pump while also not having Bahamian entrepreneurs struggle.

“We are tweaking some proposals where we can minimise the increase, and we want to get that resolved and out of the way within the next couple weeks.”

In March, Acting Press Secretary Keishla Adderly said the government is trying to reach a “create a happy medium” with Bahamas Petroleum Retailers Association (BPRA).

The Association, in its February 26, 2024, letter to the Prime Minister, said increases to the 54 cents per gallon of gasoline, and 34 cents per gallon of diesel, margins are “so desperately needed” because it is impossible for them to cover costs that have escalated significantly over the past decade-plus.

“Prime Minister, on behalf of our members, I wish to request an urgent meeting with you to discuss the dire straits that petroleum retailers find themselves. With your leadership, we must come to a final resolution on the margin adjustment,” Mr

Raymond Jones BPRA president wrote for the Association.

“Many petroleum retailers are at the point of closing their doors as costs continue to mount against the current margin. These businesses affect the livelihoods of countless Bahamian entrepreneurs and their employees, and a closure of any of these sites has a ripple effect in our economy,” he continued.

“We are Bahamian entrepreneurs and need immediate relief via a margin adjustment which is established by the Government. It has been more than a decade since a margin adjustment was made, clearly not keeping pace with the rising costs.

“Prime Minister, we were told over and repeatedly ‘wait for the price to go down, then the Government will take action’. Last year, 2023, and in 2022, between July and September, a significant price decrease [in global oil costs] was realised, yet despite our appeals for a mere $25 cents per gallon [increase] no action was taken. We are respectfully calling on you to take decisive action with this matter.”

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis at Friday’s press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Tribune Limited

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972

Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.

Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

TELEPHONES

News & General Information

PICTURE OF THE DAY

(242) 502-2350

Advertising Manager (242) 502-2394

Circulation Department (242) 502-2386

Nassau fax (242) 328-2398

Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608

Freeport fax (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK

www.tribune242.com

@tribune242 tribune news network

Dangerous hurricane season forecast

THE 2024 Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and forecasters are predicting an exceptionally active season. If the National Hurricane Center’s early forecast, released May 23, is right, the North Atlantic could see 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven major hurricanes by the end of November. That’s the highest number of named storms in any NOAA preseason forecast.

Other forecasts for the season have been just as intense. Colorado State University’s early outlook, released in April, predicted an average of 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts anticipates 21 named storms.

Colorado State also forecasts a whopping 210 accumulated cyclone energy units for 2024, and NOAA forecasts the second-highest ACE on record. Accumulated cyclone energy is a score for how active a given season is by combining intensity and duration of all storms occurring within a given season. Anything over 103 is considered above normal.

These outlooks place the 2024 season in league with 2020, when so many tropical cyclones formed in the Atlantic that they exhausted the usual list of storm names: A record 30 named storms, 13 hurricanes and six major hurricanes formed that year, combining for 245 accumulated cyclone energy units.

So, what makes for a highly active Atlantic hurricane season?

I am a climate scientist who has worked on seasonal hurricane outlooks and examined how climate change affects our ability to predict hurricanes. Forecasters and climatologists look for two main clues when assessing the risks from upcoming Atlantic hurricane seasons: a warm tropical Atlantic Ocean and a cool tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.

Warm Atlantic water can fuel hurricanes

During the summer, the Atlantic Ocean warms up, resulting in generally favorable conditions for hurricanes to form.

Warm ocean surface water – about 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) and above – provides increasing heat energy, or latent heat, that is released through evaporation. That latent heat triggers an upward motion, helping form clusters of storm clouds and the rotating circulation that can bring these storm together to form rainbands around a vortex.

Ocean heat in 2024 is a big reason why forecasters are warning of a busy hurricane season.

The North Atlantic sea surface temperature has been shattering heat records for most of the past year, so temperatures are starting out high already and are expected to remain high during the summer. Globally, ocean temperatures have been rising as the planet warms.

A long-term temperature pattern known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO, also comes into play. The summer Atlantic ocean surface can be warmer or cooler than usual for several seasons in a row, sometimes lasing decades.

Warm phases of the AMO mean more energy for hurricanes, while cold phases help suppress hurricane activity by increasing trade wind strength and

vertical wind shear. The Atlantic Ocean has been in a warm phase AMO since 1995, which has coincided with an era of highly active Atlantic hurricane seasons.

How the Pacific can interfere with Atlantic storms

It might seem odd to look to the Pacific for clues about Atlantic hurricanes, but Pacific Ocean temperatures also play an important role in the winds that can affect hurricanes.

Like the Atlantic, water temperatures in the eastern Pacific oscillate between warm and cold phases, but on shorter time spans. Scientists call this the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. The warm phases are known as El Niño; cold phases are called La Niña.

La Niña promotes the upward motion of air over the Atlantic, which fuels deeper rain clouds and more intense rainfall.

La Niña’s effects also weaken the trade winds, reducing vertical wind shear. Vertical wind shear, a difference in wind strength and direction between the upper atmosphere and the atmosphere near Earth’s surface, makes it harder for hurricanes to form and can pull apart a storm’s vortex.

In contrast, El Niño promotes stronger trade winds, increasing wind shear. It also centers the upward motion and rainfall in the Pacific, triggering a downward motion that promotes fair weather over the Atlantic.

El Niño was strong during the winter of 2023-24, but it was expected to dissipate by June, meaning less wind shear to keep hurricanes in check. La Niña conditions are likely by late summer.

Where ENSO is in its transition may determine how early in the season tropical storms form – and how late. A quick transition to La Niña may indicate an early start to the season as well as a longer season, as La Niña – along with a warm Atlantic – maintains a hurricanefriendly environment earlier and longer within the year.

This ocean tag team controls hurricane activity

The Atlantic and eastern Pacific ocean temperatures together control Atlantic hurricane activity. This is like bouncing in a bounce house or on a trampoline. You get a good bounce when you’re jumping on your own but reach far greater heights when you have one or two more people jumping with you.

When the eastern Pacific is in its cold phase (La Niña) and the Atlantic waters are warm, Atlantic hurricane activity tends to be more frequent, with a higher likelihood of more intense and longerlived storms.

The record 2020 hurricane season had the influence of both La Niña and high Atlantic ocean temperatures, and that’s what forecasters expect to see in 2024. It is also important to remember that storms can also intensify under moderately unfavorable environments as long as there is a warm ocean to fuel them. For example, the storm that eventually became Hurricane Dorian in 2019 was surrounded by dry air as it headed into the Caribbean, but it rapidly intensified into an extremely destructive Category 5 hurricane over The Bahamas.

• Originally published on www.theconversation.com.

By Jhordanne Jones Purdue University

The race for FNM leadership

EDITOR, The Tribune. THANKS as always for space in your valuable publication.

Well, the Free National Movement leadership battle was officially joined with the official endorsement of leader Michael Pintard last Thursday and supporters and surrogates for both him and Dr Minnis are manning their stations spinning the most enticing tales of wonders to come!

While elections are a necessary part of the political process we have always cringed at the intra-party races and the invective unleashed by people expecting to work together after the votes have been counted.

Unfortunately in this instance the insults have been flying left and right well before the one day convention slated for June 1st was announced.

Evidence suggests that many FNMs (maybe as many as 20,000 of them) refused to vote in the September 2021 General Elections because of their disaffection with Dr Minnis, which had more to do with his management style and treatment of traditional

than his mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic or the Hurricane Dorian aftermath.

That animus was so palpable that Dr Minnis did not even offer for re-election as Leader of the party at a one-day convention in November 2021 during which Michael Pintard was elected leader. It continued unabated until a Supreme Court judge intervened and called a timeout between the FNM and surrogates of Dr Minnis.

To make matters worse, FNM party politics are not immune from outside influences and interests, including a former leader of the DNA and a PLP associated online publication that seems intent on getting the former prime minister reelected, with the belief that a Minnis-led FNM cannot possibly win a General Election.

With a little less than a week until the FNM leadership convention we admonish both sides to dial down the insults

and abusive language that, if both men are to be believed, will be set aside as they work together after the election is over.

How does someone who is incompetent, a bad leader and claimed to be dishonest suddenly become so acceptable that you are not only prepared to work with him but also encourage voters to support him as well?

Switching lanes like this is what voters call political expediency, hypocrisy, dishonesty, a lack of principles and reason not to trust any politician. We are given a prime example of this from our neighbour to the north where a former presidential candidate who took great pains to vilify and highlight the shortcomings of the former president is now pledging her vote to him!

To their credit, both Mr Pintard and Dr Minnis have limited their direct attacks on each other. At this point the records and characters of both men are well known and only a gaffe the size of the tongue of the ocean will turn the tides either way.

ED MURROW II

New Providence, May 26, 2024

Hospital feasibility

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHEN you propose a new commercial business centre you do feasibility studies - studies of who will use the facility, location on this 7x21 island is all important as the density of traffic is growing weekly, if not daily where a trip would in the past take 15 minutes now normally takes 20-30 easy. So moving Paediatrics

EDITOR, The Tribune.

to the new hospital - has Ministry determined who will be their patrons based on current use? Any other specialty part of the new facility as modern as it will be who are the potential patrons? Location off Saunders Beach connector to Oakes Field … busy already. Noise-pollution, oh those sirens through the night, sorry for those

EGO and politics don’t mix… critical comment of the glitzy launch of a campaign means nothing...all those pretty things are not delegates means absolutely nothing. Surely the FNM Women’s Association elections indicated the support for the current leader? The Pintard camp won out - surely any other candidate rationally would have seen that and changed their plans to nominate...no, ego won out. Then read Constitution... Prime Minister must be a Leader of a political party and hold the majority support of MPs, but not so for the Leader of the

existing residents whose peace and quiet will be gone forever. Will Government re-assess loss of property value?

Who do they estimate will use the facility? We all know the percentage of the nationality who use maternity in PMH now...

JACOB SMITH Nassau, May 15, 2024.

Opposition … simply he/ she must have the support of most of the MPs who don’t support the Prime Minister in the House. Current support Hon Michael Pintard has that in the bag.

P MURPHY Nassau, May 19, 2024.

FNMs

A PERFORMER at the All Boys Concert on Friday in Rawson Square.

SPORTS

14

MONDAY, MAY 27, 2024

Denisha crowned double champion

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

In pulling down the curtain on what has been one of the most decorated collegiate performances at Minnesota State, Denisha Cartwright wrapped up her final appearance for the Mavericks on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships with some stellar accolades. At the Francis G Welsh Stadium in Emporia, Kansas State, Cartwright was crowned a double champion and a runner up in three of the four events she competed in to lead a host of Bahamians competing throughout the United States, including her new rival on the horizon on the professional ranks, in national record holder Devynne Charlton.

NCAA Division II Championships Cartwright completed her Hall-of-Fame career as a recent graduate of Minnesota State as she won both the 100 metre hurdles and the 200m and was second in the 100m. She helped the Mavericks to eighth place in the women’s 4 x 100m relay to leave her résumé with 16 career outdoor AllAmerican trophies and five career National titles. After the Mavericks had their share of difficulties on the first exchange of the relay that saw them finish a disappointing eighth, Cartwright came back and captured her third straight 100m title in a wind-aided time of 12.37 seconds. It could have been a new national record, replacing the mark of 12.44 held by Charlton, but it was well

above the allowable 2-0 miles per second reading. But it was also the second fastest time in all NCAA levels behind Kentucky’s Masai Russell’s collegiate record of 12.35.

Cartwright, who has also joined Charlton and Charisma Taylor in qualifying for the 2024 Olympic

Games in Paris, France this summer, had the fastest qualifying time of 13.01. With little rest in between, Cartwright came back in the 100m and dropped her lifetime best time of 11.14 for her second and her fourth straight first

SEE PAGE 18

Sydney Clarke: ‘It’s a great way to get my professional career started after college’

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SYDNEY Clarke, in launching her professional tennis career after graduating from the University of Arlington at Birmingham, is currently competing in the Herrner Tennis-Turnier um den St Elizabeth-Cup.

The German club league runs for seven weeks and matches are played every Sunday. Clarke is playing as the top seed in both singles and doubles.

“It’s a great way to get my professional career started after college,” Clarke said. “I got this opportunity to travel here to compete in the tournament and I’m glad that I did.”

Having been there for the past three weeks since she graduated from UAB, the team she is playing for has not enjoyed that much success, losing their first three matches in what has turned out to be a “tough” start to her pro career.

But Clarke said it’s not so much the win-loss record, but rather the experience she is gaining playing overseas.

“At some point, I have to get my pro career started, so this type of tournament is ideal for me to get my feet wet,” Clarke said. “I am happy to be here because it’s a totally different experience than playing in college.”

While she’s not playing on the weekend, Clarke said she’s taking advantage

THE SPORTS CALENDAR

of an opportunity during the week to teach some tennis lessons to some of the young players in the club.

“The experience has been great so far,” Clarke said. “I am enjoying myself playing tennis at the same time. I think this is what I need to get my career going.”

Clarke said before she graduated from UAB, she played extremely well for the Blazers women’s tennis team as they closed out their season with a 4-2 loss to FAU at the ACC Tournament in Dallas, Texas.

While Clarke won her final singles match, but lost in doubles as she teamed up with Adela

SEE PAGE 18

SOCCER HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL CLASSIC

THE Bahamas Football Association, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Technical & Vocational Training, is hosting the Samuel P Haven Jr High School Soccer Nationals 2024 at the Roscow AL Davies Fields.

May 27 - 10am - Draw for Semi Finals pairings at the Roscow AL Davies Field. May 30 - Semi-finals

4:30 and 6pm. May 30 - Finals.

4pm - 3rd Place Boys and Girls. 5:30pm - Girls Championship game.

7pm - Boys Championship game.

May, 2024

JOHNSON’S BASKETBALL CAMP

GET ready for the annual Coach Kevin Johnson’s Basketball Camp 2024.

Coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson has announced that his camp will run from June 24 to July 12 at the CI Gibson Secondary High School and will run daily from 9am to 1pm. For $120 for three weeks, campers will get a chance to play and learn the fundamentals of the game of basketball from professional instructors. Interested persons can sign up by contacting coach Johnson at 636-9350 or email: coachkjjohnson@gmail.com

SEE PAGE 15

SYDNEY CLARKE, launching her professional tennis career after graduating from the University of Arlington at Birmingham, is currently competing in the Herrner Tennis-Turnier um den St Elizabeth-Cup in Germany.

THE Mako Aquatics Club emerged as the champions of the Barracudas’ ninth Annual CG Atlantic Medical Invitational over the weekend at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. The two-day meet, staged on Friday and Saturday, was held in memory of the late coach Sue Coleby and featured clubs from New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Mako, coached by Travano McPhee, accumulated a total of 1,372 points, holding the Barracudas, coached by Camron Bruney, who ended up second with 1,115 points. The Blue Waves Swim Club got third with 770.50, followed by the Alpha Aquatics in fourth with 505.50 and the Black Marlins Swim Club rounded out the top five with 348.50.

The other clubs in order of finish were the Lyford Cay Club with 194; Mantas Swim & Water Polo Club with 88; Lightning Aquatics with 75; Freeport Aquatic Club with 42.,50 and the Sea Waves Aquatic Club with 10.

The high point winners in the various age groups are as follows: Girls 8-and-underAnthonique Rolle, Blue Waves, with 51, followed by Skyrah Chambers of Mako Aquatics with 47. Zeni Dorsett of the Blue Waves was third with 44.

Boys 8-and-under - It was a clean sweep of the top three spots for Mako Aquatic as Mason Hanna took the top spot with 60 points with Avyn MvKenzie second with 43 and Kyrie Smith third with 42.

Girls 9-10 - Mako Aquatics’ Isabella Munroe was the

SPECIAL Olympics Bahamas continues to excel in local, regional and international competition. Recently, athletes Colette Grant and Krystal Clarke travelled to the first Caribbean Regional Bocce Tournament, hosted by Special Olympics Cayman Islands in Grand Cayman at the Lions Centre, and racked up three medals in the process. The duo were joined by coach Cynthia Rolle and HOD Johneice Blyden over the weekend. Grant and Clarke teamed up in doubles action and ended with a bronze medal finish in the female doubles division (F2).

In singles action, it would be Clarke who would win the silver medal for The Bahamas in the female division (F4) and Grant picked up another bronze in the female division (F2).

By

THE third edition of the Red-Line Youth Track Classic brought out multiple record-breaking performances this past weekend at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Division Scores The Hurry Murray track club rounded up victories in three out of eight divisions at the two-day meet and last club meet for the season. They won the under-7 division with a total of 52 points. The host club was second with 39 points and Speed Capacity Maximised finished third at 34 points.

SEE PAGE 15

winner with 63; Delnia Hamolton of the Barracuda’s was second with 44 and Cailyn Dean of the Blue Waves was third with 36.

Boys 9-10 - Dylan Musgrove of the Blue Waves was the winner with 56 points. Cole Albury of the Barracuda’s was second with 42 and Benjamin Cartwright of the Black Marlins was third with 38.

Girls 11-12 - Alissa Ferguson of the Barracuda’s won with 57. Taylen Nicolls of Mako Aquatics was second with 47 and Noel Pratt of the Barracuda’s was third with 46.

Boys 11-12 - Benecio Robinson of Mako SAquatics took the win with 61. Tyler Cartwright of the Blue Waves was second with 46.50 and Dexter Russell of SEE PAGE 15

DENISHA CARTWRIGHT, center, receives her winning trophy for thed 200m along with third place finisher Alexis Brown at left and second place fini.jpg

CHISHOLM JR AND MARLINS BEAT DIAMONDBACKS 3-1, WIN SERIES

By DAVID BRANDT AP Baseball Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Ryan

Weathers threw six dominant innings, Jake Burger hit a two-run single with two outs in the seventh and the Miami Marlins beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 yesterday.

The surging Marlins took two of three from the Diamondbacks for their fourth consecutive series win. Miami has won nine of 13 after starting the season 10-31.

Weathers (3-4) continued his breakout season with another stellar performance, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out seven. The 24-year-old left-hander has allowed just one earned run in his past three starts, spanning 21 innings.

“I think I’m just believing in myself and trusting my pitches over the heart of the plate early in the count,” Weathers said. “It gives me some options later in the count.”

Tanner Scott worked the ninth for his seventh save in eight chances.

“It always starts with pitching,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “Weathers had another outstanding performance. Five walks in all of May, which shows you his growth.”

The Marlins took a 3-0 lead in the seventh, taking advantage of shortstop Kevin Newman’s throwing error that allowed Nick Fortes to score the first run. With runners on first and second and one out, Newman fielded a hard grounder to his backhand side. The shortstop tried to

start a double play, but his throw to second baseman Blaze Alexander was off the mark, allowing Fortes to easily make it home.

Burger pushed the advantage to three runs with a liner to left, scoring Jesús Sánchez and Bryan De La Cruz. The first baseman had six hits in the series, helping him shake loose of an extended slump.

“We’ve always known how nasty our starting rotation is,” Burger said. “It’s always fun playing behind our guys, making plays behind them.”

Arizona cut the margin to 3-1 in the eighth after Corbin Carroll hit a triple and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. brought him home on a groundout. The D-backs scored just four runs on 15 hits over the three-game series.

D-backs rookie Blake Walston threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his first big league start, giving up four hits and a walk.

Manager Torey Lovullo had a quick hook in the fifth after Walston got into a first-and-third jam with two outs, and reliever Justin Martinez coaxed a fly ball to center from Josh Bell to end the inning. It was Walston’s second MLB appearance. He made his debut earlier this season, giving up two runs in 3 2/3 innings of relief.

Kevin Ginkel (2-1) took the loss after giving up three unearned runs in the

Hurry Murray, Fast Forward claim three divisions at the Red-Line Youth Track Classic

Hurry Murray took control in the under-13 division, winning with 85 points. The second best club was Swift Athletics with 64 points and Unique Athletics came out with a combined team score of 54 points.

Hurry Murray was also positioned atop the open division with a total score of 54 points. Red-Line Athletics was in the second position with 38 points and Swift Athletics came up two points behind with 36 overall.

Fast Forward prevailed in the under-15 division with a total of 82 points. Swift Athletics pooled together 78 points for second and Roadrunners settled for third with 74 points.

Fast Forward was also the top performer in the under-17 division, totalling 180 points overall. RedLine Athletics wrapped up the division with 89 points and the T-Bird Flyers notched 62 points in total. It was all Red-Line Athletics in the under-9 division. They dominated the category with an overall score of 100 points. Finishing second best in the category was Blue Steel Athletics with 50 points and Hurry Murray came third in this division with 30 points. Additionally, Red-Line along with Fast Forward both notched a total of 96 points apiece in the under20 division. Swift Athletics trailed both clubs with 63 points to round out the top three of this age group. Swift Athletes turned in the best performances in the under-11 division, good enough for an overall score of 102 points. Hurry Murray placed second in

the division with 50 points and Jumpers Inc totalled 45 points over the weekend. Performances Carlos Brown Jr, representing Swift Athletics, seems to be hitting his stride at the perfect time with the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) Junior and Senior Nationals looming. He clocked a new personal best and meet record of 10.34 seconds in winning fashion for the under-20 boys’ 100m finals. The former record was 10.52 seconds set by Johnathan Fowler last year. Star Elite’s Nijae McBride was a few steps behind clocking 10.71 seconds. Taryll Thompson, of Fast Forward, closed in at 10.73 seconds for a third place finish. Brown Jr returned on Sunday and took home bragging rights in the 200m finals as well with a winning time of 21.10 seconds. Thompson was once again in the second spot this time with a time of 21.80 seconds. Red-Line Athletics’ Tumani Skinner finished third overall, crossing the line at 22.05 seconds. The multiple time CARIFTA medallist was just happy to be back to his usual self.

“It wasn’t easy because I had to train hard to prepare for this and get back to the level where I was at. I just want to thank God for allowing me to get back on this level,” he said.

The BAAAs junior and senior nationals are set for June 27-29 and Brown is ready. “I feel really good. I am expecting to run some big times and hopefully I will and I can stay healthy,” he said.

One week prior, Bayli Major was awarded as the

champion of the under-20 girls’ long jump event at the inaugural Red-Line Field Events Classic.

One week later, she ran ahead of the pack in the under-20 girls’ 200m finals with a personal best time of 24.78 seconds. Her clubmate Nya Wright kept it close finishing second in 24.79 seconds and Brihonne Cargill, of Unique Athletics, was third overall.

Major also secured a third place spot in the under-20 girls’ 100m finals. She capped off the event with a time of 12.18 seconds well below Melvinique Gibson’s former meet record of 12.33 seconds.

“It feels great seeing as though I made a big PR so I am excited. Running with my teammate I knew I had to get out so I basically just got out and tried to hold my speed until the finish line and I came first,” she said.

With this being the last club meet of the season, Major evaluated how she felt about her performances up to this point.

“I feel like my season was okay but this really showed me that I could do it because I haven’t ran a 200m since last season so this is a big improvement,” she said.

Rohman Rolle, along with Delvon Barton, came first and second respectively for Fast Forward in the under-17 boys’ 110m hurdles event. Rolle came away with the victory in 15.72 seconds. Meanwhile, Barton trailed behind at 16.32 seconds. Simon Sands, representing Sun Blazers, was third with a time of 16.64 seconds.

On day two, it was Rolle crossing the finish line first once again. He bested competitors in the under-17

boys 200m finals with a new personal best time of 22.48 seconds. Rolle got a push from Red-Line Athletics’ Shavano Nixon but it was not enough. Nixon ran 22.82 seconds for second narrowly finishing before Swift Athletics’ Tiko Hanna who posted 22.83 seconds.

The double champion said he had a plan, stuck to it and executed it in the end.

“It feels good. I had a plan in mind and tried to execute that plan and I did. I made a PR and it was a good race,” he said.

He spoke about the close race to the finish down the stretch with Nixon on his heels.

“He pushed me hard but I still had a little bit of power so I tried to push and I got through,” he said.

Hurry Murray’s Raywind Winder shattered the previous meet record of 2:06.44 in the under-20 boys’ 800m finals and replaced it with a new time of 1:58.12. It was a fight to the finish as his fellow clubmate Breck Kemp was close at 1:58.20. Sharan Roker, the previous record holder, trailed both competitors for third.

Winder spoke on how it felt to come out with the win and meet record.

“It feels very good. I loved it and I have been doing this since I was in grade four. I was trying to get out and relax for my second lap but my teammate tried to push it so I just had to run and follow through,” he said.

He added that the camaraderie shared with his clubmates makes him appreciate them more.

“It feels good. I am happy I pushed him to PB. They are like my brothers and I really appreciate it

seventh. It was a disappointing series loss for the D-backs, who were riding high coming into the series after taking two of three games from the Dodgers in Los Angeles. “We came out and had a couple of duds,” Lovullo said. “I think we’re better than that.”

BASKETBALL NEX-GEN THE third annual Nex-Gen Elite Training Basketball Camp, hosted by JR Basketball Academy, is all set for June 24 to July 13 from 9am to noon at the Telios

because I really did it for them,” he said.

Hurry Murray’s Breyniece Kemp and the T-Bird Flyers’ Fabian Sauntil were successful in the men and women’s 1600m open event respectively. The former finished with a time of 6:11.13 and latter ended in 5:02.74.

Fast Forward track club picked up wins in two out of the six relay events. They were first place finishers in the boys 4x400m open relay and the under15 mixed 4x200m events. For additional meet results, visit: www.tekresults.net

SWIM MEET

FROM PAGE 14

the Freeport Aquatic Club was third with 42.50. Girls 13-14 - Saleste Gibson of the Barracua’ds won the title with 60. DFNF McKenzie of Mako Aquatic was second with 50 and Madison Gilbert of the Barracuda’s was third with 46. Boys 13-14 - David Singh secured the win for the Barrcuada’s Swim Club with 61. He held off a pair of Mako Aquatics competitors as Damari Butler was second with 48 and Maxwell Daniels got third with 46. Girls 15-and-over - Kyana Higgs of the Varracuda’s Swim Club was the winner with 56. Alanna Murray of the Black Marlins Swim Club was second with 43 and Bianca Johndon of the Alpha Aquatics got third with 33. Boys 15-and-over - Black Marlins’ Joshua Murray won with 54. Kieran Sealy of the Barracuda’s was second with 40 and Tristin Ferguson of Mako Aquatics was third 38.

MIAMI Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. celebrates after his ground rule double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning of a baseball game yesterday in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Wawrinka beats Murray at French Open, Alcaraz and Osaka win

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

PARIS (AP) — After Stan Wawrinka ended Andy Murray’s stay at the French Open yet again — and this time, it was perhaps Murray’s last singles appearance at Roland Garros — the two long-time opponents, both in their late 30s, met at the net for a handshake, an embrace and a lengthy chat.

Wawrinka, whose trademark one-handed backhand helped him put together a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory in the first-round contest last night, then joined fans in applauding for Murray as he headed toward the locker room.

“It was emotional, for sure. We’re getting closer to the end,” said Wawrinka, who has won 10 of their 23 meetings since the first in 2005. “We have a lot of respect for each other.”

Wawrinka, at 39, is just the third man of at least that age to win a match at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament since 1980.

Murray just turned 37, and this contest had the secondoldest combined age for two men in Paris since 2000.

“Obviously disappointed. ... He gave me very few opportunities,” said Murray, who was broken early in each set while going 0 for 2 on his break chances.

“Physically, tennis is not easy for me nowadays.”

By the end, his movement was not what it

usually is, even after having hip replacement surgery several years ago. Murray recently returned after tearing ankle ligaments at the Miami Open in March and is 1-3 since coming back.

“My body isn’t what it was 10 years ago. I’m fully aware of that,” he said. Theirs was by far the most eagerly anticipated match of Day 1 at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament, featuring a pair of guys who each own a trio of major trophies.

It was not quite on the level of the Day 2 showcase — Rafael Nadal vs. Alexander Zverev — but it earned the high-profile spot in the night session at Court Philippe Chatrier and drew a crowd that loudly cheered when they stepped out under the lights.

Before play began Sunday, tournament

director Amélie Mauresmo

said she was putting off a planned farewell ceremony for Nadal, who most everyone figured would be competing at the French Open for the final time but said this weekend he didn’t want to close the door on a return.

Similarly, Mauresmo said there wouldn’t be that sort of adieu to Murray, who has indicated he might retire after this summer.

As it is, he is not done in Paris, because he and Dan Evans received a wild-card entry for doubles. This was his fourth consecutive appearance at the French Open that included a match against Wawrinka, who is 6-1 head-to-head on clay.

Wawrinka won their 2015 semifinal in Paris, Murray won a five-set semifinal the next year, and Wawrinka won their first-round

contest in 2020. Murray missed the event in 2021-23.

Both men drew gasps with hard-hit groundstrokes and both tossed in a bit of guile, too, including an early serve-and-volley from Wawrinka and a half-dozen drop shots from Murray in the second set alone.

Wawrinka, who has dealt with his own series of health issues over the years, goes on to meet No. 32 Cam Norrie or Pavel Kotov in the second round.

Other major titles champions who won yesterday included Carlos Alcaraz, Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin and Jelena Ostapenko. But 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova lost 7-6 (3), 6-4 to Viktorija Golubic — making the 24th-seeded Krejcikova 0-3 in Paris since going 7-0 three years ago to take the title.

Alcaraz arrived having missed time because of a forearm problem that made him afraid to hit his big forehands at full strength, but that did not appear to be an issue during a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 victory over J.J. Wolf, an American who lost in qualifying and got into the field when another player withdrew.

Indeed, Alcaraz pronounced his arm “fully recovered,” although still “feeling weird.”

From Wolf’s vantage point across the net?

“He hit his forehand very well. It felt heavy to me,” Wolf said. “It had plenty on it.”

Osaka picked up her first victory at a Grand Slam tournament in more than two years, steadying herself after wasting a 4-0 lead in the third set to pull out a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 win over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy.

Amanda Anisimova, an American who reached

Sha’Carri Richardson wins 100 at Prefontaine Classic

By ANNE M PETERSON AP Sports Writer

EUGENE, Oregon (AP)

— Sha’Carri Richardson continued her march toward the Paris Olympics on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic, winning the women’s 100 metres in 10.83 seconds.

American Christian Coleman won the day’s other notable event, the men’s 100, in a seasonbest 9.95. But the spotlight was on the battle between Richardson, the 2023 world champion, and Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in both the 100 and 200 metres.

Thompson-Herah faded at the Pre, finishing last in the field of nine.

The charismatic Richardson, wearing her long hair tied back in a ponytail, muscled her way to the finish and dramatically pushed off the tape remnants. After crouching for a moment while her time was announced, Richardson rose to give the crowd at Hayward field a smile and a wave. Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia finished second in 10.93.

“I feel like I’m continuing to grow and develop into a mature young lady, a mature athlete, as well as a vessel that I am put on earth to continue to grow,” Richardson said. Richardson will get her shot at a spot on the U.S. team for Paris at the Olympic trials next month in Eugene. She was denied a chance to run in the Tokyo Games because of a positive drug test for marijuana following her first-place finish in the 100 at the trials.

Richardson fell to ninth in the 100 at the 2021 Prefontaine, her first competition following the Olympics disappointment. She did not qualify for the

Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Eugene, Ore.

world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. But since then, she has steadily made a comeback. In 2023, she won her first Diamond League event in Doha.

Then she blazed to a title in the U.S. national championships before winning the gold medal at the worlds in Budapest. Asked if she would race again before the Olympic trials, she said: “We’ll see. Watch.” The Prefontaine Classic was the fifth stop of the year on the elite international Diamond League series. For the Americans vying for a spot on the Olympic team, it served as key tune-up.

Athing Mu, the defending Olympic gold medallist, withdrew from the 800 metres because of lingering hamstring soreness and will instead focus on the trials. Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson won the 800 in 1:55.78 under cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s.

The Prefontaine’s signature event, the Bowerman mile, featured a field that included seven athletes with lifetime bests under 3:50. The race did not disappoint, with Britain’s Josh Kerr finishing in 3:45.34, the best time in the world this year. Coleman, the world indoor champion in the 60 this year, won the 100 at

the 2019 worlds in Doha. His finish at the Pre was his first sub-10 second finish in the 100 this year. Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala was second in 9.98.

“I feel good. I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in and I feel like now it’s just mentally putting it all together and doing what I know I’m capable of on race day,” Coleman said. American Kenneth Bednarkek won the men’s 200 in 19.89. Fellow American Grant Holloway, a threetime world champion in the 110 hurdles who has won all of the races he has run this year, finished his event in 13.03, a world best this season.

In the men’s 10,000, Kenyan Daniel Matieko won in 26:50.81, a world best so far this season. Gerald Drummond of Costa Rica topped the field in the 400 hurdles in 48.56. American Joe Kovacs won he shot put. In the women’s 100 hurdles, Cyrena SambaMayela of France won with a personal-best finish in 12.52. Ethiopia’s Diribe Weleji won the women’s 1,500. Other top finishers included Valarie Allman in the discus and fellow American Emily Grove in the pole vault. Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez won the triple jump and Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai won the steeple chase.

the 2019

defeated

Anisimova had been 1-3 since returning from a groin muscle injury that sidelined her since she reached the Australian Open’s fourth round in January.

“Not having the best start to my Europe swing wasn’t great.

“But I was going into it trying to really learn what I did wrong in those tournaments and see what I can adjust,” Anisimova said.

“I’m just happy with the way I played and I fought.”

By ANNE M PETERSON AP Sports Writer

EUGENE, Oregon (AP)

— Beatrice Chebet of Kenya set a world record in the 10,000 metres at the Prefontaine Classic meet on Saturday, finishing in 28 minutes, 54.14 seconds.

Chebet bested the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on June 8, 2021.

Chebet finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29:05.92 in cloudy and cool temperatures at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

Chebet started to pull away with three laps to go, then poured herself into the final lap.

“My body was responding good and I felt strong,” she said. “I felt like I was very comfortable.”

It was her first 10,000 race since 2020 in Nairobi.

Chebet, 24, won the silver medal in the 5,000 metres at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the worlds last year in Budapest.

The finish qualified her for her first Olympics this summer in Paris. She said Saturday she hopes to double in the 5,000 and 10,000.

“But my target is to run 5,000 first, then 10,000 comes second,” she said.

“Because this is my first 10,000 outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”

The Prefontaine Classic is the lone American stop on the international Diamond League series.

SHA’Carri Richardson holds a piece of the tape after winning the women’s 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic track and field meet

(AP Photo/Thomas Boyd)

semifinals at Roland Garros as a teenager,

Rebecca Šramková 7-6, 6-4.

JAPAN’s Naomi Osaka serves against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris yesterday. (AP Photos/Christophe Ena)

STAN WAWRINKA, left, and Andy Murray. (AP Photos/Thibault Camus)

SPAIN’s Carlos Alcaraz slides to play shot against Jeffrey John Wolf of the U.S. during their first round match yesterday.

Doncic and Irving each score 33 as Mavericks beat Wolves for 3-0 lead

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer

DALLAS (AP) — Luka

Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored 33 points apiece and the Dallas Mavericks made all the big plays late again, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 last night for a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

The Mavericks closed with a 12-3 run, winning their fifth consecutive playoff game after rookie centre

Dereck Lively II left with a sprained neck after taking an accidental shot to the back of the head from KarlAnthony Towns’ knee.

No team in NBA playoff history has rallied from 3-0 down.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Dallas.

P.J. Washington started the decisive run with a corner 3-pointer after Doncic passed to Irving, who sent the ball to Washington. from there.

lane for a four-point lead, Irving sent the crowd into a frenzy with on a fallingdown jumper and Doncic found Daniel Gafford for an alley-oop dunk and a 113-105 lead with 34 seconds left after Gafford blocked Mike Conley’s layup attempt at the other end.

Anthony Edwards had 26 points for the Wolves, but just four after scoring eight consecutive points for Minnesota to get the Wolves even in the third quarter.

Towns scored 14 points but missed all eight 3s, including one when the deficit was four with 1:25 Doncic, whose game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Game 2 in Minnesota put Dallas firmly in control of the series, was 10 of 20 and 5 of 11 from deep. Irving made 12 of 20 and 3 of 6 from long range to get the Mavs within a victory of their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2011, when they won the franchise’s only championship. In the second quarter, Lively absorbed the kind

of contact normally found on football fields not far from Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the quarterback-tight end pair sitting courtside.

The rookie from Duke stayed on the court holding his head after it snapped forward on the accidental contact.

Lively was down for several minutes before appearing dazed as he was helped off the court and taken to the locker room.

Lively fell as Mike Conley was driving for a missed shot, and Towns was pursuing an offensive rebound when his knee hit Lively’s head in the second quarter.

The 20-year-old Lively and starting centre Daniel Gafford played a big role in helping Dallas take a 2-0 lead. Lively is 12 of 12 from the field in the series, including three makes in Game 3.

Holiday’s finishing flurry helps Celtics defeat Pacers 114-111 for 3-0 lead

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

— Jrue Holiday didn’t feel well all day. He even missed the team’s morning shootaround. When it mattered most, though, the Celtics guard looked just fine.

Holiday converted a three-point play with 38.9 seconds left to give Boston its first lead in nearly 36 minutes, followed that with the game-saving steal and then clinched the 114-111 victory at Indiana with two free throws Saturday night to give Celtics a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

up with a big play to win the game, we’ve got a hell of a

The Pacers were already facing a formidable road back in this series — even before they learned All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton would not play in Game 3 because of a left hamstring injury. It’s not clear if he’ll be available for

Still, the Pacers refused to break.

The Celtics overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half and can earn their second NBA Finals trip in three years with another win tonight at Indiana.

“I’m all right, had a fever, slept a lot. But I feel OK,” Holiday said. “I just made a play (at the end). He’s a great player, had a great game. I just made a play.”

Holiday finished with 14 points, five in the final 39 seconds, and had nine rebounds on a night that, at times, he appeared to be under the weather. Afterward, though, he sounded like himself and felt well enough to balance his children on his lap.

As Holiday struggled to find his footing, Boston’s other players got the job done.

Jayson Tatum matched his playoff career high with 36 points and had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylen Brown added 24 points, and 37-year-old Al Horford had 23 points and was 7-of-12 on 3-pointers.

But it was Holiday’s lategame heroics that silenced Indiana’s raucous crowd and kept Boston a perfect 5-0 on the road in this season’s playoffs.

“I’m glad we got him, Jrue’s a hell of a competitor,” Tatum said.

“Obviously, he’s won a championship. For him to come out here and put it all on the line for us and come

Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with a careerhigh 32 points before Holiday stole the ball from him with 3.3 seconds remaining. T.J. McConnell finished with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam each had 22 points. Turner also had 10 rebounds.

Indiana had a chance to force overtime but Aaron Nesmith’s 3-pointer was off the mark.

As well as the Pacers played, scoring 69 points in the first half, twice taking 18-point leads and still holding a 107-99 advantage with three minutes to go against the NBA’s top team, it was clear the Pacers missed having Haliburton on the court.

“Courageous. Our guys played a great game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We came up a little short tonight, but we will be back Monday and we will be punching even harder.” Still, a sellout crowd decked primarily in gold checkered flag shirts featuring dozens of individual stamps of Indiana’s state outline and filled with actors here for the Indianapolis 500 weekend celebration, helped energise the Pacers as they had through the first playoff home games, all wins. But Holiday’s finishing flurry — a big layup, the go-ahead free throw, the defensive play of the game and two free throws to seal it with 1.1 left — quieted the crowd on a wild night.

Indiana built an 18-point lead midway through the second quarter and matched that margin again

midway through the third.

The second time, Boston used a series of Indiana turnovers to spur a 13-4 spurt that got them within 90-81 after three.

The Celtics then opened the fourth on a 9-3 run that got them within 93-90 on Horford’s 3 with 8:29 to go. Indiana answered by rebuilding a 107-99 cushion

with 3:05 left, only to watch Boston go on a 13-2 run fuelled by Holiday.

“We’ve met every challenge,” Tatum said. “We’re in great position right now,

one

the finals.”

DALLAS Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) during the second half in Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals last night n Dallas.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

win away from the finals. But we can’t look past Monday or anything like that and we have a special opportunity to go back to

BOSTON Celtics centre Al Horford (42) celebrates with teammate guard Jrue Holiday (4) after Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday in Indianapolis.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Special Olympics Bahamas athletes pick up 3 medals

FROM PAGE 14

Blyden expressed that she was very impressed with the performances of both ladies.

“I was very impressed with their performances. The team’s ability to successfully adjust from grass/sand courts to artificial carpet courts was remarkable.

“As individuals, they did wonderfully, and as a team, they did excellent. Their resilience was on full display as they regrouped after their first loss to become bronze medallists. This shows the strength of our local bocce programme and the dedication of its coaches,” she said.

Up to 40 Special Olympians from over 20 countries were in attendance at the regional tournament and, according to Blyden, the overall experience was second to none.

“The overall team experience was a good one. The hospitality shown by the host, the Cayman Islands, was nothing short of a World Games experience.

“This is the quality we’ve come to expect at an international competition.

“Providing our athletes with more opportunities for competition is our aim in Special Olympics.

“Being able to see other athletes and comrades from across the region is always a plus.

“Special Olympics is family. This tournament keeps in line with the mission statement experience where athletes experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other athletes and the community,” she stated.

In the opening round of competition, Grant was edged out by Special Olympics St Kitts and Nevis 4-3 but managed to bounce back the rest of the way.

However, Clarke brought out her best efforts against Special Olympics

team All-America post. Alexis Brown, a sophomore at Lenoir-Rhyne, won the race in a blistering 10.96. Cartwright posted the second fastest qualifying time of 11.26, which was her previous personal best as she trailed Brown with a leading time of 11.24.

In avenging her loss, Cartwright accelerated quickly out of the blocks like she did in the 100m hurdles and was no match for her rival coming off the curve as she coasted to victory in the 200m in another lifetime achievement of 22.91. She left her mark on another major accomplishment as she erased Lorraine Graham of Lincoln’s facility record of 23.06 she established in 1997. Sariyah Copeland, a junior at Fresno State, was second in 22.97 and Brown had to settle for third in 22.98. While Cartwirght was ending her collegiate season and career on a high note, a few Bahamian athletes were attempting to book their tickets to the NCAA Division One Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 5-8. Eugene, Oregon, by the way, was the site for the Wanda Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic at the Hayward Field on Saturday where Charlton, the world indoor 60m hurdles record holder, placed fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.63.

Guadeloupe and prevailed 9-0.

Gilbert Williams, programme director of Special Olympics Bahamas, praised the work ethic of the Special Olympians when it comes to the big stage.

“Our athletes always step up on the international stage and perform to the best of their abilities.

Their confidence level allows them to compete on any stage and demonstrate their courage, which speaks volumes to their talent and to the hard work and preparation of the athletes and our dedicated coaches.

“All of this is made possible through donations received from the general public. “Imagine just how much more we could

Cyrena Samba-Mayela ran a national record for France in her personal best of 12.52. Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took second in 12.54 and American Tonea Marshall was third in 12.55. Also competing at the meet was Ian Kerr, who had to settle for ninth place in the men’s 200m in 20.87. American Kenneth Bednarek led an American sweep of the top four positions in 19.89. Back to the NCAA ranks, two halves of the qualifying meets took place with Bahamians making their performance felt.

NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas Fresh off her graduation ceremony at Nebraska, Rhema Otabor came out

on the field and tossed the women’s javelin 186-10 (56.94m) on her second attempt to book her ticket to the NCAA Championships. She did 186-10 (56.94m) on her first attempt, but scratched her second.

Antoine Andrews, a sophomore at Texas Tech, was fourth in his heat of the men’s 100m hurdles quarterfinals for 16th place in 13.60 and shy of a spot in the NCAA Championships. Andrews had the 19th best time of 13.68 in the preliminaries after he was third in his heat.

NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Kentucky

Wanya McCoy, a junior at Florida, was second in his heat for seventh overall in the men’s 100m in 10.06

achieve with a greater level of support and much-needed government funding.

SYDNEY CLARKE GAINING EXPERIENCE PLAYING IN GERMANY

FROM PAGE 14

Wasserbauerova, the Blazers ended the year at 13-11.

The 5-foot, 1-inch Clarke, the oldest daughter of Shayvon and Bernard Clarke and sibling to sister Sarai Clarke, said she was pleased with her four-year stint at UAB, graduating with her degree in mass communication - broadcasting.

“It’s been good. I think we had a pretty good team and I’m pleased with what I was able to achieve playing with my team-mates and the coaches,” Clarke said. Now that she’s done with her collegiate career, the former student of CR Walker, who went on to graduate from Windsor High School while playing at the Albany Tennis Academy, will be returning home to prepare for the Billie Jean King Cup. Clarke was named to the team, announced by the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association, that includes Simone Pratt, Danielle Thompson and Tatyana Madu with Kim O’Kelley as the captain.

The team will compete in the Americas Zone III tie, scheduled for August 5-10 in Trinidad and Tobago at the National Racquet Centre where two teams will be promoted at the end of the tournament.

Special Olympics Bahamas now has plans to stage a national basketball tournament for athletes from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco in the upcoming months.

The non-profit organisation will need some assistance from the public in these efforts.

“Our athletes continue to shine and make The Bahamas proud. Just as our Athletes’ Oath states, Special Olympics athletes always go into competition with a mind to win, but whatever the outcome you can rest assured that they would have given their very best effort,” he said.

to advance to the NCAA finals. He won his heat in 10.29 for the seventh fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries.

McCoy won his heat in the second fastest qualifying time for NCAA Championships in 19.95. He was tied with Robert Gregroy, a senior at Florida, with the sixth fastest time of 20.34 in the preliminaries.

Anthaya Chartlon had the second best leap of 21-1 1/2 (6.44m) to qualify for the quarterfinals. Her feat came on her first attempt as she trailed her Florida’s team-mate, senior Claire Bryant, who had the leading performance of 21-5 1/4 (6.53m) on her first try, Charlton, in her sophomore year having transferred from /Kentucky, scratched her second try and closed out her ledger with 20-10 1/4 (6.36m) on her third and final attempt.

Strongman Keyshawn Strachan, a sophomore at Auburn University, had the third best qualifying throw of 244-10 (74.63m) to qualify for NCAA Championships.

The national record holder, rebounding from an injury that hampered his appearance in his freshman season, came through with his best throw on his third attempt after he did 231-5 (70.54m) on his first and 71.37m (234-2m) on his second.

Javonya Valcourt, a sophomore at Tennessee, also advanced to the NCAA Championships as she came in third in her heat of the women’s 400m in 51.62 for ninth place overall. She won her heat for seventh overall in 51.82.

Shaun Miller Jr, a junior at Ohio State, was tied for 13th place with Arvesta Troupe, a sophomore at Ole Miss, in the men’s high jump after they both cleared the with 7-3 1/4 (2.14m). Their performances were one shot shy of making the NCAA Championship cut.

Cassie Thompdon, a junior at Jacksonville, was seventh in her heat of the women’s 200m quarterfinals in 23.30 for 18th overall as she missed a trip to the

“It’s always good when you can play for the Bahamas,” Clarke said. “So I’m really excited that I will get another chance to represent the country.

“I think we have a good team and we should do very well. I’m looking forward to playing with these girls, especially Tatyana, who is playing with us for the first time.”

Hopefully before she comes home, Clarke can secure a win in Germany.

NCAA Championships. She qualified out of the first round with fourth in her heat in 23.22 for 18th overall.

Grand Bahamian Shatalya Dorsett, a freshman at Louisiana Tech, was sixth in her heat of the women’s 200m for 45th overall in 23.86, but she didn’t advance to the quarterfinals for a chance to make the NCAA Championship cut as well.

Tarajh Hudson, a junior at Northwestern State, was 26th in the men’s discus with a toss of 175-5 (53.48m). His best throw came on his third attempt. He opened with 171-6 (52.27m), but scratched his second try.

Calea Jackson, a freshman at the University of Miami, was 31st in the women’s discus with her heave of 162-7 (49.57m), but it wasn’t enough to get her to the NCAA Championships. Otto Laing, a freshman at Howard University, was sixth in his heat of the men’s 110m hurdles in 14.03 and he ended up 34th overall, which didn’t allow him to advance to the quarterfinals for a shot at making the cut for the NCAA Championships.

NCAA West First Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas Fresh off her graduation ceremony at Nebraska, Rhema Otabor came out on the field and tossed the women’s javelin 186-10 (56.94m) on her second attempt to book her ticket to the NCAA Championships. She did 186-10 (56.94m) on her first attempt, but scratched her second.

Antoine Andrews, a sophomore at Texas Tech, was fourth in his heat of the men’s 100m hurdles quarterfinals for 16th place in 13.60. He didn’t advance to the NCAA Championships, but had the 19th best time of 13.68 in the preliminaries after he was third in his heat.

THE TRIFECTA: Special Olympics Bahamas claimed three medals at the Caribbean Regional BOCCE Tournament hosted by Special Olympics Cayman Islands over the weekend.

DENISHA Cartwright at graduation.

RHEMA Otabor after graduation.