By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas, through the first three days of competition, now has three medals at the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia, and they all belong to swimming record breaker Joanna Evans.

Evans, who turns 21 on July 24, missed out on her third gold medal yesterday at the Complejo Acuático. In a much anticipated showdown with Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson, Evans got a silver medal in the women’s 100 metre freestyle A final in a time of 55.29. The race was won by Isabella Arcila Hurtado of Colombia in 55.21 and Liliana Lopez of Mexico got the bronze in 55.39.

Atkinson, who like Evans had two record-breaking performances on the first two days of competition, was fourth in 55.41.

As a result of the outcome, retired Bahamian Olympian Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace still holds the Games’ record of 54.87 that she established on November 14, 2014 in Veracruz, Venezuela.

On Saturday, Evans added her second straight gold medal with her victory in the women’s 200m free when she clocked 1:58.03 for another record-breaking performance, erasing the previous mark of 2:00.19 set by Claudia Poll in Cartagena, Colombia, on July 1, 2006.

With her splits of 28.13 in the first 50m, 58.18 (30.05) in 100m; 1:28.19 (30.01) in 150m and 1:58.03 (29.84) in 200m, Evans beat out Elisbet Gamez Matos of Cuba, who got the silver in 1:58.55 and Mexico’s Lilana Ibanez Lopez, who was the bronze medallist in 2:01.36.

Earlier in the day, Evans posted the fastest qualifying time of 2:02.82.

In the final of the women’s 400 metre freestyle on Friday, Evans stopped the clock at four minutes and 11.15 seconds for the Bahamas’ first gold medal. She erased the meet record of 4:11.36 that was set by Andreina Pinto from Venezuela in Mayaguay, Puerto Rico on July 23, 2010.

Coming off her fastest qualifying time of 4:15.51 earlier in the day, Evans posted splits of 28.80 at the 50m, 59.59 (30.79) at 100m, 1:30.83 (31.24) at 1:50m, 2:02.48 (31.65) at 200m, 2:34.37 (31.89) at 250m, 3:06.91 (32.54) at 300m, 3:39.54 (32.63) at 350 and 4:11.15 (31.61) at 400m.

Allyson Macias of Mexico got the silver with 4:14.74 and Helena Moreno Hernandez of Costa Rica got the bronze with 4:15.51.

After she lost in the 100m free on Sunday, Atkinson came right back and got the victory in the women’s 50m breaststroke A final as she lowered her own meet record in a time of 30.19 in a race that featured Bahamian Lilly Higgs and Laura Morley.

Higgs got fourth in 32.59 and Morley was seventh in 33.50. Earlier in the day, Higgs won her heat in 32.30 and Lillian Morley was second in her heat in 33.33.

And N’Nyhn Fernander got fourth in the men’s 50m butterfly in 25.00 to advance to the B final. The outcome of his final was not available at press time.

Izaak Bastian, however, didn’t advance out of the hats of the men’s 50m butterfly after he finished sixth in 25.46.

In other events on Saturday, Izaak Bastian was seventh in the final of the men’s 100m breaststroke in 1:02.91, improving on his third place in his heat on 1:02.99 earlier in the day.

From the other events contested on Friday, in the final of the women’s 100m breaststroke, Lilly Higgs had to settle for fifth in 1:11.32 and Laura Morley was sixth in 1:12.34. Atkinson had a meet record time of 1:06.83 for the gold over the Mexican duo of Byanca Rodriquez, silver in 1:07.80 and Medina Gonzalez, bronze in 1:10.60.

Higgs won her heat in 1:13.32 and Morley was second in her heat in 1:11.79.

And Kohen Kerr placed sixth in his heat of the men’s 100m free in 52.58, but it wasn’t fast enough for him to advance.

Sailing

After the completion of the first six races in the Open Sunfish class, Paul de Souza is now sitting in ninth place with 39 points. He got 10th in the first race and was 13th after he retired on day one. He came back on Saturday and was ninth and eighth respectively. Yesterday he picked up a pair of sixth place finishes.

There are three more races left in the series.

Spencer Cartwright is now in ninth place overall with 49 points after the first five races in the men’s laser. He got 13th in the first race, 9th in the second, 10th in the third, ninth again in the fourth and eighth in the fifth races. There four more races in the nine race series.

And in the open sunfish class, the combo of Jimmy Lowe and Michael McSweeney are sitting in 12th place with 12 points. They didn’t start the two races held on Sunday. On Saturday as the series got started, they retired in 11th place in the first race and didn’t start the second race.

Team officials were unable to be contacted to ascertain what happened.

The rest of the Bahamas contingent in men’s basketball, men’s softball, track and field, tennis, judo, fencing and boxing will start seeing competition this week. The games will conclude on August 3.