By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Florida State’s Izaak Bastian led the Bahamas’ three-member team yesterday at the 7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, by advancing to the semi-final of the men’s 100m breaststroke.

Swimming out of the last of eight heats, 18-year-old Bastian got a sixth place in a time of one minute and 02.55 seconds with splits of 29.30 and 33.25 for sixth place and 14th overall to secure a berth into the semi-finals.

In the semis, he ended up sixth in the first of two heats for 11th place overall in his time of 1:01.99, producing splits of 28.96 and 33,03. However, it wasn’t fast enough to get him into the top eight spots for the final.

The two other members of the team contested the men’s 100m backstroke preliminaries.

Davante Carey, a sophomore at McKendree University from Queen’s College, placed 51st overall in a time on 59.03 seconds with splits of 28.19 in the first 50m and 30.84 in the final 50m of the men’s 100m backstroke.

Grand Bahamian Lamar Taylor is the youngest member of the team at age 17.

He also competed in the 100m backstroke preliminaries.

However, he got disqualified as he contested the fourth of nine heats.

Today, Taylor and Bastian will be back in the pool in the preliminaries of the men’s 50m freestyle. While Taylor will come out in lane one in heat 10, Bastian will swim out of lane eight out of the 12th and final heat.

Both Taylor and Carey will also be entered in the men’s 50m backstroke. Taylor will compete out of heat six and Carey will be in heat eight. Carey will also contest the men’s 100m butterfly in lane two in heat six.

On Thursday, Taylor will be in heat six of the men’s 50m butterfly and Carey will be in heat seven.

And in the men’s 200m breaststroke, Bastian will occupy lane one in heat seven. Bastian will then compete out of lane four in heat eight of the men’s 50m breaststroke on Friday and Taylor will be in lane six of the eighth heat of the men’s 100m freestyle.

The championships will wrap up on Saturday.

Travelling with the team is head coach Sara Knowles and her assistant Drew Bastian. Rochelle Bastian is team manager.