The Island Games are a competition held every two years. Each competitive year, up to 24 island-nations and territories are represented from around the world, competing in 16 different sports.
The 2013 Island Games were held in Devonshire Parish, Bermuda, at the National Sports Center this week (July 15-18) in short course meters competition.
Brothers Shaune and Brett Fraser, Florida Gators and Olympians, took many back-to-back finishes in a number of events. When one would take gold, the other would take silver. The duo dominated the meet, bringing exciting races and fast swims.
Representing the Cayman Islands was 25-year-old Shaune, who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He was a strong contender, acquiring many medals throughout the meet. These included:
- 100 butterfly (gold) – 51.06
- 100 freestyle (silver) – 47.79
- 50 butterfly (silver) – 23.44
- 50 freestyle (bronze) – 22.37
His younger brother, Brett (23), who competed in the 2008 Olympics, also added to the family’s collective medal count by adding the following events to the list:
- 100 butterfly (silver) – 51.59
- 100 freestyle (gold) – 47.65
- 50 butterfly (gold) – 23.26
- 50 freestyle (gold) – 21.73
- Brett also split a 22.65 in the 50 fly on the 200 medley relay.
Cayman Island’s 18-year-old Lara Butler brought home many medals in the women’s events. These included:
- 100 back – gold (1:03.36)
- 100 fly – bronze (1:02.30)
- 200 back – silver (2:18.31)
- 200 fly – gold (2:16.45)
- 200 IM – bronze (2:20.15)
- 400 IM – gold (4:56.29)
- 50 back – silver (29.91)
Jersey swimmers also brought home many medals, including 14-year-old Becky Scaife. Her swims included the 400 IM (5:00.45), where she took silver behind Butler, and the 800 freestyle, where she took silver behind 17-year-old Shetland Islands’s Emily Bashforth (8:59.64).
Bashforth also took first in the 200 freestyle (2:00.14), the 400 freestyle (4:28.20), and the 1oo freestyle (56.31). She also brought home bronze in the 200 fly (2:20.72) and the 200 backstroke (2:18.95).
Jersey’s Ian Black included some records with his winnings, including his 100 breaststroke swim (1:01.71), where he broke Olympian Darren Mews’s record. Along with a 100 breaststroke win, Black took first in the 200 IM (2:04.77), 50 breaststroke (28.43). He later took second in the 100 IM (56.67).
19-year-old Shetland Islands’s swimmer Felix Gifford brought home a total of 5 medals: 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze. These events included a win in the 400 IM (4:25.40) and a second place touch in the 200 IM behind Black (2:05.97). He took first in the 200 butterfly (2:02.19), a third in the 200 freestyle (1:53.88), and another silver in the 400 freestyle (3:57.15).
Jersey’s Cameron Donaldson placed first in the 1500 freestyle with a time of 15:40.50.
Ida Sandin, the 27-year-old swimmer from Gotland, took firsts in the 100 butterfly (1:00.31), 200 IM (2:14.22), and 100 IM (1:02.25), and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.54).
The Isle of Man is dominating the competition overall, followed by the hosts Bermuda and Jersey.
Emily Bashforth is from Jersey not the Shetland Islands, she swims for Tigers (Jersey) Swimming Club.
I’ve always wondered what the criteria are for this event, I always thought the islands had to be autonomous entities of some sort but some are just counties or regions of a larger country so on that basis some of the Danish islands would be entitled to enter?
Alas my home island of Fyn is not particularly renowned for its swimmers, although we do have one rather good breaststroker at the moment 🙂
This was a SCM meet?
Correct.