Big splash at Island Games

The Cayman Islands excelled again at the NatWest International Island Games in Guernsey, thanks mainly to the brilliance of the swimming team who won 14 of the 18 medals the whole team brought home. The swimmers captured five golds, three silvers and six bronzes. In basketball, the women won silver and the men grabbed bronze. Ashantae Graham took bronze in the long jump. Graham, 20, who is a fine sprinter as well, leapt 5.36 metres.

Teams from 24 island nations came together in Guernsey, 70 miles south of England’s coast. It is 30 miles west of Normandy, France. The hosts won the most medals, securing 54 gold, 48 silver and 41 bronze medals. The biennial international multi-sports event was postponed in 2021. More than 2,000 competitors competed in Guernsey and more than 1,200 volunteers supported the event. The Island Games are known as the Friendly Games.

The victorious Cayman swimmers in the individual events were Will Sellars (one gold, three bronzes) Jake Bailey (one bronze), Alison Jackson (one gold, one silver, one bronze) Kyra Rabess (three golds) and the rest were won in team relays. National record holder Rabess, 18, becomes an undergraduate at the University of Northern Colorado this upcoming fall. The Caymanian recently graduated from St Henry District High School in Erlanger, Kentucky.

The Cayman women’s basketball team secured their silver medal in their final match against Menorca, being beaten 89-50 in the gold medal match.  The men won bronze by beating the Isle of Wight 74-43 in their final match.

The 2025 Island Games will be held in Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland.