By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis welcomed home the seventh-peat winning team from the 2025 CARIFTA Swimming Championships and noted that he will “wait” for the eighth straight next year.

Davis, along with acting minister of youth, sports and culture, Keith Bell, greeted the 36-member swim team and 12 open water swimmers on their return home last night at the Lynden Pindling Interntional Airport.

The team, managed by Celestial Darville and coached by Travano McPhee, Jasmine Gibson and Allan Murray, pulled off another victory with 979 points and a total of 74 medals, including 27 gold, 23 silver and 24 bronze over the four days of competition.

Stating that the team made “us proud,” Davis said he’s privileged he is the Prime Minister of the country when the young people are showing the world how unique The Bahamas is.

“When you think about who we are as a people, we are about 400,000 people as  a nation in a world where there are eight billion plus,” he said.

“That makes us unique. That makes us special. Out of all them other eight billion, look at how precious we are. We are special and you carry that specialty of the Bahamian spirit when you jump into that pool, when you stroke that water or kick that water.”

Using Olympian Murray as an example, as a former swimmer now coaching, Davis said when “you get something out of something, let’s give back to that something that made us who we are.”

As he reflected on the Bahamas Aquatics’ successive plan, Davis congratulated president Algernon Cargill and his executives, the coaches and the parents of the swimmers for getting them to their seventh peat as champions and looking forward to its eighth straight.

Bell, filling in for Minister Mario Bowleg who is attending a sports conference in Jamaica, said he’s delighted to welcome the team home as champions with a “truly historic achievement.

“We celebrate much more than medals. We celebrate discipline and sacrifice and national pride, embodied by every swimmer standing in front of me.”

Cargill, in his remarks, said while they have coined the phrase “eighth straight just wait,” said it wouldn’t have been “seven sweet,” if they didn’t have the team of swimmers assembled in Trinidad & Tobago.

He recognised his executives, many of whom accompanied the team, the management and coaching staff and medical team, but he noted that the trip was not as easy as the swim team made it look.

“We walked into what I called a friendly, hostile environment. 

“They were ready for The Bahamas, but nonetheless, the team got the job done,” he said.

Cargill revealed that although they were gracious to be jetted to their destination on the Bahamasair charter, he noted that it cost Bahamas Aquatics about $200,000 and they are encouraging corporate Bahamas to lend their support to complete the financial deficit that they are facing.

For some of the swimmers, including the captains, this would be their last CARIFTA Swimming championships and Ayrton Moncur said there’s no better way to go out than as champions.

Surrounded by the rest of the team captains, Moncur said he was very proud of the team keeping the “seventh peat” alive, along with the management and coaching staff and medical team. 

“We got the results that we all wanted,” Moncur said.

He acknowledged fellow captains William Farrington, Caden Wells, Mia Patton, Ellie Gibson, Mia Patton, Elle Theberge and Tia-Isabella Adderley.

Before he was done, Moncur presented Davis with a t-shirt they wore that displayed their seventh straight championship feat.

As they bid farewell to their CARIFTA journey, Moncur said he hopes the younger swimmers are inspired to keep the winning streak live as The Bahamas continues to dominate in swimming with the “eighth straight can’t wait” next year in Martinique.