The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

For the second consecutive time, Grand Bahamian swim sensation Joanna Evans has qualified for the Olympic Games.

But unlike the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when she did it in the 400 and 800 metres freestyle events, Evans is heading to the postponed 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan in the 200/400m freestyle.

While she did the B standard in the 200m freestyle last week, Evans posted the A cut in the 400m freestyle to make it official last night at the Longhorn Aquatics Elite Invite at her alma mater at the University of Texas.

The 23-year-old did it by placing second in the women’s 400m freestyle in a time of four minutes and 07.33 seconds as she touched the wall behind American Katie Ledecky, who won in 4:00.37.

“I’m excited. My coach (Carol Capitani) and I discussed race plan and we’re learning every time we race,” Evans told The Tribune after the race.

“I’ve been working towards that time so that I can focus on the Olympics without having to worry about it at the last minute.”

In surpassing the A standard of 4:07.90, Evans turned in splits of 28.23 in the first 50, 30.49 for a time of 58.72 for 100m; 31.18 for 1:29.90 at 1:50m; 31.35 for 2:01.25 at 200m; 31.43 for 2:32.68 at 250m; 31.87 for 3:04.55 at 300m; 31.72 at 3:36.27 at 350m and 31.06 in her final 50m.

Coming off her performance at the 2021 TYR Pro Swim Series at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 12-15 where she finished 10th overall in hitting the B standard of 4:15.34 when she clocked 4:15.07. Evans said there were a “decent amount of people here” to push her over the A cut.

Today, she will be back in the pool where she will attempt to achieve the A standard of 1:57.28 in the 200m freestyle.

The B cut is 2:00.80. At her last meet, Evans clocked 2:02.43 for 16th place overall.

“The A cut is very fast, but we shall see,” said Evans, who has already done the B cut in the 200m freestyle.

Bahamas Aquatics’ president Algernon Cargill was the first to commend Evans on her fantastic feat.

“For her, that’s excellent. It’s the second consecutive Olympics that she’s qualified with an A time, so it’s exciting for us,” he stated.

“But it also means that any other female who wants to go to the Olympics will have to have an A time.

“She’s worked very hard and her commitment to the sport is evident in her performance tonight. I am excited about it. We are happy for her and hope that her performance will be an inspiration for other swimmers to also qualify for the Olympics.”

One of those swimmers is Laura Morley, who is the next Bahamian female closest to qualifying. At the same meet last week in Indiana, Morley fell shy of the women’s 200m breaststroke B cut of 2:29.89 when she got sixth in the A final in 2:30.97. She won’t be back in the pool until the Bahamas Aquatics holds its National Swim Championships June 24-27 at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex. However, as a result of Evans’ A qualifying standard, Morley will now have to do the A standard of 2:25.52 to make the team and follow in the footsteps of her father, David Morley, who represented the Bahamas in three events as a swimmer at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California and her sister, Emily Morley, who made history as the first Bahamian rower at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

With the change in events from Rio to Tokyo as she looks ahead to her second appearance at the games, Evans said she’s grown into the 200/400m combo as she’s “gotten older,” compared to the 400/800m duo she “enjoyed when I was younger.”

The games, postponed from 2020 because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, has been rescheduled for July 23 to August 8. Evans joins at least seven track and field athletes who have already qualified.

The Bahamas Olympic Committee is hoping that there will be others ratified before Cora Hepburn takes her maiden voyage as the first Bahamian female chef de mission of a national team.