The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace is having a big splash inside the Leyes de Reforma Aquatic Center at the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.

After Monday’s evening session was called off because of the cold weather, Vanderpool-Wallace was simply on fire as she made up the difference on Tuesday, shattering another meet record in picking up two more medals for Team Bahamas.

Her stellar performance, along with the other medal from Joanna Evans, has pushed Team Bahamas’ total to four for fourth place on the swimming medal table that is led by Venezuela with 16 - seven gold, two silver and seven bronze).

Colombia (five gold, eight silver, two bronze) and Mexico (three gold, four silver, six bronze) trail with 15 and 13 respectively.

Team Bahamas, however, is eighth overall in the total standings that is led by Mexico with a total of 91 medals.

In her first appearance in the evening session, Vanderpool-Wallace clocked 54.87 to win her second gold medal of the four-day old games in the women’s 100 metre freestyle, erasing the previous meet record of 55.00 that was held by Vanessa Garcia of Puerto Rico at the last CAC Mayagüez in 2010.

Also in the historic race where two Bahamians competed together at the games for the first time like they did at the Commonwealth Games, 23-year-old Ariel Weech got seventh in 57.80.

Vanderpool-Wallace, the most seasoned and senior member of the team at 24, posted the fastest qualifying time of 55.55, while Weech got second in her heat for fifth overall in 57.32.

About two hours later, Vanderpool-Wallace was back in the pool, closing out the Bahamas’ appearance with another victory in the 100m fly. Her time of 1:00.07 was good enough for her third gold, although she was shy of her meet and national record of 59.74 that she set at the last games.

Vanderpool-Wallace, who continued from her success at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July where she won two medals for the Bahamas, opened the games on Sunday by snatching the gold in the 50 fly in 24.46 to lower her own meet mark of 26.92 in Mayagüez.

In the other final that was postponed on Monday, Elvis Burrows had to settle for sixth place in the men’s 50m fly in 24.80, well off his national record of 23.5 that he set in 2009 in Rome.

The gold was won by Albert Subirates of Venezuela in 24.01. Luis Carlos Martinez of Guatemala got the silver in 24.31 and the bronze went to Renzo Tjon-A-Joe from Suriname in 24.53.

Margaret Higgs also had double duties Tuesday night as she competed in a pair of finals, having qualified out of the preliminaries in the morning session.

The 15-year-old began with the 200m breast where she was fourth in 2:38.67, just missing out on becoming the third Bahamian to ascend the medal podium at the games.

She was beaten out by Mercedes Toledo of Venezuela, who clinched the bronze in 2:32.95. The gold went to Byanca Melissa Rodriquez of Mexico in a new games record of 2:29.37. Esther Gonzalez of Mexico won the silver in 2:32.62.

Higgs finished fifth overall in the heats in 2:43.23. Rodriguez had the fastest qualifying time of 2:31.09.

Less than one hour after her first final, Higgs came back in the 400m IM where she ended up fifth in 5:09.14. Andreina Pinto of Venezuela went on to take the gold in a meet record time of 5:09.14. The silver went to Natalia Jaspeado of Mexico in 4:53.81 and Maria Gabriela Jimenez of Mexico got the bronze in 5:01.16.

Higgs qualified with the sixth fastest time of 5:23.88, while Pinto had the fastest time of 4:58.61.

The Bahamas’ first medal at the games came from Joanna Evans in the women’s 400m free. She clocked 4:16.82 for the silver. The 17-year-old Grand Bahamian came back on Sunday and was sixth in the 200m free final in 2:04.07 for a new national record, erasing her previous mark of 2:04.19 that she set at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Tonight, Evans will be contesting her third final in the 800m free when she swims out of lane five.

In the preliminaries during the morning session, Higgs will be in lane one in heat one of the women’s 200m IM and Burrows will be in lane seven of heat two of the men’s 100m fly. If they both advance, they will join Evans in the final session.

Team Bahamas is also represented in the games in eight other disciplines. So far, only cycling has competed with Anthony ‘Biggie’ Colebrook placing 15th overall in the men’s individual time trials final on Sunday.

The schedule of events for men and women tennis, boxing, judo, men’s volleyball, sailing, bowling, track and field and rowing has not yet been released. Most of those disciplines are currently heading to Mexico where they will be in action starting this weekend.

A total of 58 athletes, inclusive of 42 men and 16 women, are representing Team Bahamas.

The games, which got started on Saturday, November 15, are scheduled to wrap up on Sunday, November 30.