Youth Commonwealth Games Team Bahamas July 2017
Commonwealth Youth Games Bahamas 2017
Three Jersey Spartan athletes, William Brown, Isaac du Val and Olivia Allbut were selected to represent Jersey in the Commonwealth Youth Games . Over 1,000 athletes from 70 nations arrived in Nassau, the Bahamas to compete in the Youth Games.
It was a tremendous opportunity for our young athletes to compete with the best young athletes from around the world. It was an opportunity that our athletes embraced fully.
Action began at the Thomas Robinson Stadium with the boys 1500m final – William Brown 4.10.99 and the girls 400m heats – Olivia Allbut 58.82. Proceedings were halted for over an hour when a thunder storm struck. All of the athletes had to cope with a change to their warm up schedule, again good experience in learning how to adapt to different situations.
The following day saw our athletes in action again. During the very exciting 800m heats William Brown made a tremendous surge in the last 50 meters to secure 4th place in his heat and a place in the final in a time of 1.58.27. Isaac du Val came 5th in his 800m heat in a time of 1.59.74.
Olivia Allbut came 5th in her 400m hurdles heat in a time of 67.51 and secured a place in the finals.
It was a huge achievement to reach the finals as our athletes were lining up with athletes from Australia, England, Canada, Jamaica and Kenya, to name a few.
The finals were very exciting to watch. William Brown achieved a personal best in the 800m final in a time of 1.57.24. Olivia Allbut achieved a personal best in the 400m hurdles final in a time of 65.16 which is new U17G Island record.
All three JSAC athletes gained so much from this experience, learning how to cope under pressure in a huge stadium and in extremely hot and humid conditions. It will be an experience that they will never forget, well done to the three of them and to the four other athletes from swimming, tennis and cycling that made up the Jersey team.
