The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MIQUEL Portes from Dominica and Diana Amaro from Puerto Rico closed out the XXI Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships by winning the five-kilometre open water swim race yesterday.

The race was the last event for the weeklong championships that included the swimming competition at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.

Portes, coming off his second place finish behind Bahamian Matthew Lowe in the 10K open water race on Sunday, pulled off the final victory in a time of one hour, 1 minute and 43.59 seconds.

“I feel so good. We had some great swimmers, so it was very good to finish in first place,” said Portes, who admitted that Lowe performed exceptionally well on Sunday. “It was good to come back and win this one.”

Portes, 24, said this is his first trip to the Bahamas and he has been quite impressed with what he saw from the hospitality of the people to the accommodations that they experienced at the Melia Hotel.

Portes’ victory came in the male 18-and-over division where he held off Calvin Ayala from Puerto Rico, who did 1:01:50.09 for second.

Jose Gadea, also from Puerto Rico, was third in 1:01:53.02.

While Lowe didn’t compete after celebrating his victory in the longer 10K race on Sunday, Meshach Roberts emerged as the first Bahamian finisher in yesterday’s 5K race in 1:06:10.52.

“I think I was more physically than mentally prepared for this race,” Roberts said.

“I dropped off training in February, but I came back last month and I really got back into it. The hardest part of the race was when the cruise ship was coming in, but after that, it was a good race.”

With the beautiful waters that the Bahamas is renowned for, 19-year-old Roberts said it was so surreal to see how the open water competition turned out.

Grand Bahamian Kristofer Smith was eighth in the boys 14-17 age group in 1:11:05.59, but he was just delighted to have been able to make a contribution to the success of Team Bahamas.

“It wasn’t what I expected when I went into it at first, but I still did my best time, even though I didn’t have my best swim,” said 16-year-old Smith, who did the 200m butterfly where he was also ninth in his age group.

The competition was more than what I expected. The way some people swum in the pool, I didn’t expect them to come out here in the open water and swim as fast as they did. I went to Jen (Davis) for four days after I swam in the pool and she really helped to get me prepared for this competition.”

On the girls’ side, Diana Amaro, who didn’t participate in the 10K on Sunday, clinched the 5K top spot yesterday when she crossed the finish line in 1:10:15.49.

“I think I did really great. I started after the men, but my concentration was to look for them,” said Amaro, 22. “My first lap, I was using more of my hands and then the second lap, I went with my kicking and I gave it everything I had.”

Competing in the 18-and-over division, Amaro won over Catriona from the Cayman Islands, who did 1:13:39.34. Shania David from Trinidad & Tobago was third in 1:16:25.17.

Like Portes, this is also Amaro’s initial trip here and she too acknowledged that it far surpassed her expectations from the hospitality to the organisation of the meet.

The first Bahamian female to complete the race was Anya MacPhail, who was fourth in the 14-17 girls’ division in 1:18:36.81. Paola Malo from Puerto Rico won the divisional title in 1:13:09.95.  Patricia Gonzalez from the Republic of Dominican clocked 1:16:17.24 and Teresa Otero from Trinidad & Tobago came in third in 1:17:46.51.

“This was really good. I was sick for the past few days, but I got better and I was able to come out and compete today, so it was nice,” MacPhail said. “It was really nice having the cruise ships out there and the star fish swimming around you.

“Usually we are the ones travelling, so it was so nice for them to come here and that gave us a chance to show the Bahamian public what we are capable of doing.”

MacPhail, a 13-year-old student of St Andrew’s School, said she was even more delighted with the Bahamas winning the overall title.

the 5k open water

swim race results

• RESULTS of the XXI CISC’s 5K open water swim race are as follows:

Girls 14-17

Paolo Malo, Puerto Rico, 1:13:09.95; Patricia Gonzalez, Rep Dominicana, 1:16:17.24; Teresa Otero, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:17:46.51; Jasmine Gibson, Bahamas, 1:18:365.81; Brianna Patterson, Bahamas, 1:18:58.16; Kristiana Ram, Barbados, 1:25:24.41; Lauren Albury, Bahamas, 1:25:24.41.

Boys 14-17

Christian Marsden, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:01:45.56; Osvaldo Burgos, Puerto Rico, 1:02:01.24; Raim Michiel, Curacao, 1:03:56.66; Kael yorke, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:06:02.70; Josiah Parag, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:06:03.97; Joshua Murray, Bahamas, 1:11:03.09; Darren Laing, Bahamas, 1:11:03.74; Kristofer Smith, Bahamas, 1:11:05.59; Nathaniel Roach, Barbados, 1:18:38.79.

Girls 18-and-over

Diana Amaro, Puerto Rico, 1:10:15.49; Catriona MacRae, Cayman Islands, 1:13:39.34; Shania Smith, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:16:25.217; Xiomara Getrouw, Suriname, 1:20:13.69; Valerie Gregoire, St Kitts & Nevis, 1:20:14.22.

Boys 18-and-over

Miquel Portes, Rep Dominicana, 1:01:43.59; Calvin Ayala, Puerto Rico, 1:01:50.09; Jose Gadea, Puerto Rico, 1:01:53.02; Jivan Chee Foon, Trinidad & Tobago, 1:04:21.44; Meshach Roberts, Bahamas, 1:06:10.52; Keith Lloyd, Bahamas, 1:10:43.19.