53rd Bahamas National Swimming Championships
- June 19-22, 2025
- Long Course Meters (50 Meters)
- Nassau, NP, BAH
- 53rd Bahamas National Swimming Championships on Meet Mobile
The 53rd Bahamas National Championships in Nassau, one of the last World Championship qualifying events of the summer, offered competitors a final chance to secure their spot at the 2025 World Swimming Championships in Singapore later this month.
The meet was headlined by 2024 Paris Olympian and Tennessee National Champion Lamar Taylor, who, in his lead-off leg of the 400 freestyle relay, set a new Bahamian National Record and personal best in the men’s 50 freestyle with an opening split of 22.05, surpassing his own previous best of 22.13 from the Pan-American Games in 2023. Taylor also won individual medals in the 50 backstroke (25.66), 100 freestyle (49.36), and individual 50 freestyle (22.56).
Elyse Wood, 17, a Marshall commit in the class of 2025, won seven events throughout the weekend. These victories included three new personal bests: Wood’s 15-17 50 freestyle time of 26.85 (.7 faster than her former best from the TYR 18 and Under Spring Cup in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year), her 15-17 50 breaststroke time of 33.90 (.28 faster than her previous top time from April 2024), and her 15-17 100 breaststroke time of 1:15.58 (.28 faster than her previous top time from April 2024). She would pick up one more win in the 15-17 age group with the 50 backstroke (32.53). In the 15 and Over group, Wood achieved gold with wins in the 200 breaststroke (2:46.22), 400 IM (5:22.70), and 200 IM (2:28.70).
Howard University was well represented with 11 bison from the HBCU that competed in Nassau. Among those are alums Mark-Anthony Thompson and Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson, both of whom were selected to represent the Bahamas at the upcoming World Championships in Singapore.
M. Thompson claimed the men’s 50 breaststroke title with his time of 29.83, and also took silver in the 100 breast in a 1:06.60.
In three events, Z. Thompson brought hardware home. Her performance of 26.98 in the women’s 50 freestyle was a new personal best, surpassing her previous best of 27.44 from the 2024 edition of this competition.
Her gold medal-winning time of 1:13.50 in the 100 breaststroke would set another personal record, eclipsing her previous best time of 1:14.82 in her preliminary swim by 1.32 seconds (which topped her previous lifetime best of 1:15.52). She also won the 50 breast, touching in 32.98 to set another personal best after hitting a PB of 33.26 in the prelims, rounding off her top finishes.
Later this month, Lamar Taylor, Victoria Russell, Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson, and Mark-Anthony Thompson will represent the Bahamas National Team at the World Championships in Singapore.
