No medals but athletes look to better results at Games
(CNS Local Life): Three of Cayman’s athletes were competing on land and in the water on Tuesday, 6 August, the 14th day of action at the Pam Am Games in Lima, Peru. While no one came away with a medal, there were some personal bests achieved and still opportunities for better finishes at upcoming races.
Swimmer John Bodden started out well, winning his heat against Graham Chartoor of Trinidad & Tobago and Daniel Scott of Guyana in the 400m freestyle while setting a new personal best of 4:04.34.
He was back in the water only 30 minutes later for the 200m butterfly heat, and though he set another personal best, clocking 2:08.22, that wasn’t enough to qualify for the finals.
Later in the evening, Bodden raced in the 400m freestyle final B, finishing in 4;10.70, placing him 16th overall in that event. Next up on 10 August is the 1,500m freestyle, an event that he feels is more “natural” for him, as he has been swimming longer distances for the last four or five years.
After a slow start to the laser standard event with two days of cancellations due to lack of wind, and delayed races Monday, which was originally scheduled as a rest day, Jesse Jackson completed three races Tuesday, finishing 18th in the first one of the day, and 22nd in the final two in his group of 22 sailors.
Three more races are set for Wednesday and two the following day, with 50% of the fleet progressing to the medal race on Friday.
Sprinter Kemar Hyman, not feeling his best in the cold weather, was unable to qualify for the men’s 100m final, finishing third in his heat in 10:44, just .04 seconds slower than the final qualifier.
Despite the cold, Hyman said, “I was just trying to keep a positive mind and just trying to go out there and see if I could qualify anyway.” Though disappointed about not making it to the finals, he said he has to “keep pushing forward and get back to work. I still have World Championships so there is still another chance for me to do something amazing for my country and me.”
Swimmer Lauren Hew, who is fresh off competing in the World Championships in South Korea with only one day in Cayman before heading to Lima, will see her first action in the pool Wednesday, in the 200m freestyle heat, as she tries to qualify for the final that evening. The following day she will be competing in the 100m freestyle heats in the morning, again with an evening final. Hew’s last event is the 50m freestyle on Friday.
Even though the Pan Am Games count as an Olympic qualifier, Hew isn’t feeling pressured, saying she “focusing on what I can do and being the best I can be, so I’m really focused on doing my best time rather than qualifying”.
Brett Fraser will be racing Thursday in the 100m freestyle and Friday in the 50m freestyle. He was also entered in the 100m butterfly Wednesday but has withdrawn from that race. Fraser explained that going into the Pan Am Games he originally wanted to have that option but chose instead to stick to those races that “simulate…most closely to what I’ve swum in the Olympics and the 100 fly hasn’t really been a part of that, so I’ve decided to just invest in the events that I originally qualified in and focus on those”.
Category: Sports
