Sports

GB CARIFTA Swimmers Return Home After 7-Peat

GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Following their seventh consecutive CARIFTA Aquatics title, swimmers from Grand Bahama returned home Thursday to much fanfare and celebration.

Published

12 months ago

April 26, 2025

Sasha Lightbourne

GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Following their seventh consecutive CARIFTA Aquatics title, swimmers from Grand Bahama returned home Thursday to much fanfare and celebration.

The Grand Bahama athletes were given a hero’s welcome after their stellar performance at the 2025 CARIFTA Games held in Trinidad and Tobago.

Team Bahamas secured their seventh straight title at the games, amassing an impressive 979 points and winning 74 medals, 27 of them gold. Dexter Russell alone claimed nine of those gold medals.

Dexter Russell – Swimmer, Team Bahamas
“I had a good meet. I dropped time in all of my events, and I had a lot of fun.”

But Dexter isn’t stopping there; he has even bigger goals ahead.

Dexter Russell – Swimmer, Team Bahamas
“Hopefully breaking more records, winning more medals, and continuing to make The Bahamas and my family proud.”

Kimaya Saunders was another standout performer for Team Bahamas.

Kimaya Saunders – Swimmer, Team Bahamas
“The experience was really good. Most of the team bonded together like a family. It was a really fun experience. Trinidad was also a very beautiful place, and we all swam pretty great, the whole team did.”

Grand Bahama contributed 11 swimmers to Team Bahamas. One of the team’s assistant coaches, Jasmine Gibson, also hails from Grand Bahama.

Jasmine Gibson – Assistant Coach, Team Bahamas
“We knew what we had to do once we got over there. We were determined to bring back that seventh straight title, and that’s exactly what we did. What’s next? Eight straight! Just wait.”

Also on hand to greet the athletes was Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey, who praised the team’s resilience and determination.

Ginger Moxey – Minister for Grand Bahama
“I think the coaches and team members deserve a rousing round of applause because they have worked under incredible conditions. We’ve gone through so much on Grand Bahama Island, and with our limited resources for training, they still always pull it off.”

The spirit, strength, and success of Grand Bahama’s swimmers continue to inspire the nation, with no signs of slowing down.