Looking At Bermuda’s 2012 Olympic Highlights

Bermuda’s eight-strong Olympic team has concluded competition in the 2012 London Games, with the entire team earning various accolades and distinctions.

Six of the athletes have competed in the Olympics before, and every single one of them improved upon their first showing. Roy Allan Burch moved up almost 40 spots, Jillian Terceria almost 25 spots, Arantxa King over 20 spots, Tyrone Smith moved up 3 spots, while Tyler Butterfield finished 8 minutes faster.

Despite being one of the smallest nations in the Games, there were many high points for Bermuda. Roy Allan Burch won his heat setting a new Bermuda record, long jumper Tyrone Smith became the first track & field athlete in 15 years make the finals, and his fellow long jumper Arantxa King placed 13th missing the finals by only 1 centimeter.

Sailors Jesse and Zander Kirkland had some strong finishes including one 2nd and two 6ths, equestrian Jillian Terceria qualified for the next round, triathlete Tyler Butterfield recorded the fastest time during the cycling portion while Flora Duffy managed to overcome a crash to finish the race. Locals also got to witness the first time a Bermudian played in an Olympic basketball game.

Swimmer Roy Allan Burch won his heat in the 50m freestyle, setting a new Bermuda record in the process. Burch touched the wall in 22.47, missing out on the semi-finals by only .20 of a second. The time did however see him place 24th overall in the field of almost 60 world class swimmers, a very credible result for the 26-year-old swimmer and a major improvement upon his finish in 2008. [Link]

Triathlete Flora Duffy has been heralded for her determination and sportsmanship after she managed to get back going after a crash, regaining four spots to finish the race 45th. The wet conditions caused multiple triathletes to crash, with at least two not finishing the race. Prior to her crash Duffy came out the swim in 23rd and was shown on TV leading the cycling chase pack in 5th place position. [Link]

Long jumper Tyrone Smith became the first track and field athlete to reach the Olympic finals in 15 years, with his jump of 7.7m earning him a 12th place finish, Bermuda’s highest of these Olympic Games. Had Smith not have fouled his last jump, he would have likely won a medal as it was clearly over the 8m mark. [Link]

Equestrian Jillian Terceira’s first round saw her qualify to advance to the next round, with the BBC commentator calling her “one of the stars of that first round.” Ms Terceira, riding Bernadien Van Westuur, finished over 20 spots higher than she did in the 2008 Olympics. [Link]

Basketball player Jenaya Wade-Fray was a part of the Great Britain Women’s Basketball team, in what is believed to be the first ever appearance by a Bermudian in Olympic basketball.  She scored 5 points in her debut, which saw her take the court as part of the starting line-up. [Link]

Sailors Jesse and Zander Kirkland finished 19th in the 49er class, and had some strong showings including a second place finish and two sixth places finishes. This was the first Olympic appearance for the Kirklands, who joined a small group of very elite sailors in the competition, as the event only allowed for 20 teams to qualify. [Link]

Triathlete Tyler Butterfield finished in 34th place with a time of 1:50:32, eight minutes faster than his first Olympic appearance in 2004. He came out of the swim in 54th place, and powered his way up 20 spots during the bike and run portion, and had the distinction of having the fastest time on the bike of all athletes competing. [Link]

Long jumper Arantxa King brought home the island’s second highest finish of these Games, as her leap of 6.4m earned her a 13th place finish, missing the finals — by only one centimeter – as only the top 12 go through. The 22-year-old finished 23 places higher than she did at the 2008 Olympics. [Link]

Bermudians are not quite done yet, as the island will be represented for the first time in track and field at the 2012 London Paralympic Games which get underway on August 29th, with 19-year-old Jessica Lewis competing in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

- Photos courtesy of Hendik Frenzel, Andrew Dobson, Adrienne Smith and the BBC

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