Swimming First To Compete in Glasgow

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SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM – A pair of semifinal appearances by Lamar Taylor highlighted Team Bahamas’ opening weekend at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Competing at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the Bahamian national record holder advanced to the semifinals of both the men’s 50 metre freestyle and 50 metre backstroke.

In the 50 metre freestyle, Taylor just missed a place in the final after finishing ninth overall in 22.30 seconds, less than three-tenths of a second off his national record of 22.05.

Earlier in the preliminaries, he was third in his heat in 22.20 seconds.

Teammate Marvin Johnson also delivered a strong performance, finishing 16th overall in 22.86 seconds after swimming 23.02 in the morning heats.

Taylor also reached the semifinals of the 50 metre backstroke, where he finished 12th overall in 25.35 seconds, improving from his morning swim of 25.91 seconds.

His Bahamian record in the event stands at 25.08 seconds.

Olympian Joanna Evans made a successful return to international competition, advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 100 metre freestyle.

Evans won her preliminary heat in 55.53 seconds before finishing 15th overall in 56.13 seconds in the semifinals.

Evans narrowly missed the final of the 200 metre freestyle, placing ninth overall in 1:59.81, while she was 14th overall in the 400 metre freestyle with a time of 4:17.20.

Other Bahamian performances included Elyse Wood, who clocked 56.85 seconds in the women’s 100 metre freestyle, 28.60 seconds in the 50 metre butterfly, and 1:05.01 in the 100 metre butterfly.

Johnson also just missed the semifinals of the men’s 100 metre butterfly, finishing 18th overall in 55.15 seconds, while Emmanuel Gadson posted times of 56.55 seconds in the 100 metre butterfly and 1:05.66 in the 100 metre breaststroke.

Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson finished 22nd overall in the women’s 100 metre breaststroke in 1:15.48.

In boxing, veteran Rashield Williams was eliminated in the round of 32, losing a tight 3-2 split decision to Papua New Guinea’s James Paul in the men’s 65-kilogram division.

Team Bahamas returns to action Monday with Carl Hield opening his campaign in the men’s 70-kilogram boxing competition, while athletics gets underway with Oscar Smith in the men’s 110-metre hurdles and Donald Thomas in the men’s high jump.

Swimming action will also continue with Taylor, Johnson and Thompson back in the pool.

A total of 20 Bahamian athletes are representing the country at the 23rd Commonwealth Games.

Sweeting Advances to World Masters Qualifiers

Rashad Sweeting closed the 2026 Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean (CDLC) Tour on a high note, claiming the event six title on home soil in Nassau.

The Bahamian defeated Trinidad and Tobago’s Joshua Balfour six legs to three in the championship match to secure his first CDLC Tour title since winning event four in The Bahamas last July.

After reaching three consecutive finals during the Nassau leg of the tour, Sweeting finally broke through after suffering back-to-back runner-up finishes to Argentina’s Jesus Salate.

Sweeting’s path to the title included a 6-2 quarterfinal win over Dean Persad, and a 6-4 semifinal victory over Guyana’s Norman Madhoo.

In the final, Sweeting trailed 2-1 early before winning three straight legs to take control of the match.

A clutch 106 checkout in the fifth leg proved to be the turning point, and after Balfour closed to within one leg at 4-3, Sweeting finished strongly to complete the 6-3 victory.

The Bahamian averaged 82.99 during the final, edging Balfour’s 80.96, to bring the 2026 CDLC Tour to a close.

The result also confirmed Sweeting as second on the final CDLC Tour points list, earning him a place in the qualifying rounds of the Winmau World Masters and complimentary entry into PDC Q-School as he continues his push toward professional darts.

Jones Reflects on Basketball Journey

Jonquel Jones has nothing left to prove, but she keeps making history anyway.

The Bahamian superstar added another milestone to her remarkable career this weekend, becoming the first player in WNBA history to win both a league most valuable player award and an All-Star game MVP as a member of the New York Liberty.

It is the latest achievement in a career that has already included a WNBA championship, league MVP, finals MVP, six All-Star selections, Defensive Player of the Year, and now All-Star Game MVP.

For The Bahamas, it also represents another historic first, as Jones becomes the country’s first player to earn the WNBA’s All-Star Game MVP honor.

Following the historic performance, Jones met with the media to reflect on the achievement, what the award means to her, and how she hopes it inspires the next generation of Bahamian athletes.