Bermuda’s 2010 Sporting Accomplishments
For an island only 21 square miles, Bermuda achieved a highly impressive number of wins, honours and distinctions this past year across many sporting genres.
The CAC Games saw Bermuda’s athletes bring home five medals, including our first gold in decades. Bermuda’s young athletes claimed 4 medals at the CAC Jr Championships in the Dominican Republic. Top teen sprinter Jeneko Place medaled in both the 100 and 200 metres, and Bermuda put on a dominating performance in the 800 metres winning the Gold and Silver, courtesy of Shaquille Dill and Henry Stevens-Carty.
Bermuda’s team won 11 medals at the 2010 Carifta Games held in the Cayman Islands, finishing in a very impressive 5th spot overall, out of the 25 nations competing.
Only days after top runner Aaron Evans shattered a 25 year old Bermuda track and field record in the 800 metres…he broke it again. In a weekend that saw Bermuda’s athletic records fall three times, 2008 Olympian Aranxta King broke the triple jump record while Shianne Smith shattered the Bermuda National Heptathlon Record.
The Bermuda National swimming team excelled at the 2010 Caribbean Island Swimming Championships in Cuba, winning 17 medals in total, Bermuda’s highest ever medal haul at the Caribbean Games.
Nicole and Ashley Yearwood picked up nine medals between them at the 2010 South East Meet of Champions in December.
Colleen Nelson of the Bermuda Masters Swimming Team won two medals – including a gold – in the 60-64 year age group at the FINA World Masters Championships in Sweden.
Ten year old Mitch Gariepy put on a performance at a Florida swim meet that was nothing short of dominating; winning five medals in total, three gold and two silver and also setting five new Bermuda records.
In cycling Bermuda had the distinction of fielding an athlete who went undefeated in the 2010 Caribbean Championships – as Flora Duffy won both gold medals, with Nicole Mitchell adding in two bronze medals. Ms Duffy and Ms Mitchell were the two-strong Bermuda female cycling team, and they managed to pick up 66% of the available medals in the female division between just the two of them.
Bermuda’s Mark Godfrey won a silver medal at the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships Road Race in Aruba, with the Bermuda team finishing third overall.
In martial arts, Skipper and Kristina Ingham put on dominating performances at The World Karate Organization Championships held over the weekend in Ontario, claiming 1st and 2nd place. Mr Ingham, 80, was the oldest competitor in the event.
The Bermuda Taekwondo Association competed in the the 24th Annual HMA US Open Tae Kwon Do Championship in the United States, bringing home a staggering 19 trophies, including 3 Grand Champion trophies, as well as 35 first, second and third place medals.
Bermuda captured three medals at the Pan American Wushu Championships in Argentina, courtesy of outstanding performances from Garon Wilkinson, Shannon Ford and Samir Furqan.
Four students of Yong Duk taekwondo traveled to Kalamazoo Michigan to compete in the 2010 IAMA Taekwondo World Championships, and represented the island admirably capturing five medals.
Reuben Bean dominated the 2010 Arnold Martial Arts Festival, winning three gold medals in Traditional Karate, Traditional Kobujutsu and Traditional Kung Fu.
Bermuda earned a unique distinction at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, with 78-year-old sharpshooter Nelson Simons the oldest of all the 7,000 plus athletes who competed in India.
Sprinter Jeneko Place, sailor Owen Siese, middle distance runner Taylor Ashley-Bean and triathlete Ryan Gunn represented Bermuda in the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore, with three of them capturing top 10 finishes in the world class event.
Our talented sailors continued to travel worldwide over 2010, picking up many impressive finishes almost too numerous to list. Showing the talent is only looking bright for the future, two of the youngest international winners Bermuda had during 2010 were only 7 and 8 years old – with Matilda and Florence Nicholls picking up wins in the UK.
In an outstanding showing by Bermuda’s teenage tennis players, they captured the overall Caribbean Title, first and third place in the boys, and second place in the girls at the ITF 13 & Under Caribbean Development Championships 2010 in Curaçao.
The Bermuda Men’s Squash Team pulled off a major upset to win the 2010 Caribbean Squash Championships.
Mr. Bermuda Garvin Phillips won the Gold Medal in the Men’s Bodybuilding Super Heavyweight Division at the 2010 IFBB Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding Championships held in Aruba.
Bermudian basketball player Jason Lowe received a full basketball scholarship to attend Red Deer College in Canada.
19-year-old boxer Nikki Bascome beat a Haitian fighter, knocked out an American boxer, and beat a Mexican fighter to win the welterweight division at the Platinum Gloves Tournament in Florida.
Bermuda’s U-20 World cup qualifying team beat Antigua and Barbuda 2-nil to advance to the next round of the World Cup qualifying competition, while the Bermuda’s under/17 World Cup qualifying team beat the Bahamas, with the end score a very impressive 5-1.
Devonshire Cougars won the 2009/10 FA Challenge Cup, Lady Rams won the 2009/10 BFA Women’s FA Cup, Dandy Town Hornets won the 2009/10 Martonmere Cup Championship, St. George’s Colts won the 2009/10 Shield Cup, and North Village Rams won the 2009/10 Friendship Championship.
In cricket, St George’s defied the octopus prediction and retained the Cup Match Trophy after yet another draw. 17-year-old Deunte Darrell of Somerset more than held his own against the veterans, finishing the game as the top scorer and MVP. As we saw the rise of a new player, we said goodbye to a veteran.. After the match an emotional Dwayne “Sluggo” Leverock announced his retirement saying “I have played for 15 years and the time has come for me to call it a day. I played for you the fans and gave my all, I am grateful for everything we have shared over the years and I will cherish the memories.”
PHC won the BELCO Cup, and Bermuda won three international matches in a row at the ICC Americas Division I Tournament, beating Cayman Islands, Argentina and the Bahamas.
Bermuda piled up the wins in rugby, with the Bermuda U19 National Team winning Bermuda’s first ever Caribbean U19 Championship Title. In another tour of the Cayman Islands, Bermuda won almost all the divisions; Senior team, Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14 all won their international matches.
Two Bermudian gymnasts literally leapt into history, performing death defying vaults that have never before been performed by a Bermudian gymnast.
Patrick Nisbett became the first Bermudian to qualify for the FEI World Equestrian Games.
James Stout successfully defended his World Championship Rackets Title. Mr Stout is the only Bermudian to ever win this championship, and is only the second person from outside the U.K or the U.S. to win the title in the entire history of the game
Bermuda’s sole Olympic entrant Tucker Murphy became the first Bermudian to ever represent the island in Olympic skiiing, and created a massive buzz on Twitter due to his Bermuda shorts.
Former Mount Saint Agnes student Vanessa James made history at the 2010 Olympics when she and her partner Yannick Bohuer became the first black couple to compete in Olympic figure skating, placing 14th in the competition.
For every accomplishment listed above, there are many more, with local athletes of many genres excelling both locally and abroad during 2010. Feel free to leave a comment below highlighting any additional achievements.
Let’s not forget Jarryd Dillas’s run though US Open qualifying (golf) and Scott Roy’s domination of the Jack Daniels Golf Tour.
Excellent note, thank you…..
Seriously? And not Mike Sims getting through PGA Q School AGAIN! Probably a little more relevant then someone playing golf locally…
What a great article to end off the year. It is quite amazing that a tiny Island of only 60,000 or so people can produce so many outstanding athletes, sports men and women, and young people. We sometimes forget that our total population is equal to one average sized town – but we punch far above our weight! Can anyone name a town or another Island anywhere in the world with a population of less than 75,000 that is producing such a wealth of talented young people as we do in Bermuda. I seriously doubt it.
Many thanks Bernews for a very positive story.
Bless up Bermy!
OMG I love this Bernews!! Keep up the gr8 work in 2011. Have a prosperous new year. I love this article. GO BERMUDA
Thank-you, Thank-you, thank-you Bernews. You are a breath of fresh air and with some luck those folks over there will take note. Based on what I’m hearing, you will soon replace them as the real and only place for news and sports.
THANK-YOU!!!