DAY 3 at the Bermuda Island Games 2013 was another unforgettable experience for the entire Western Isles squad. From the morning onwards, there was a procession of achievement, success and high drama, culminating in an evening nobody present is ever likely to forget. In the pool in the morning Kara Hanlon and Kathryn Offer were in the qualifying heats. Kathryn made the 100m backstroke final with a PB of 1:06:95 (she shaved 1:09 of her previous best time), Kara the 200m breaststroke final with a 2:41:42, qualifying in third place. In the 50m women’s butterfly heats, Kara hit a PB of 32:65, 0.05 seconds inside her fastest previous time. Kathryn hit a PB of 31:86, a full 1:24 better. Unfortunately neither superlative effort merited a final placing. In her backstroke final, Kathryn swam 1:06:65 to better her PB yet again, finishing 7th. Kara, heartbreakingly swam 2:37:76 in the final, slicing 1.32 seconds of her previous PB of 2:39:08, but agonisingly missed out on the medals by less than half a second. Down at Clearwater, the women’s and men’s cycling teams were in action. Cycling has been a huge part of the Island Games since the first year in the Isle of Man in 1985. The standard is impressive, the fitness and athletic ability of the participants propelling them to speeds of between 25-30mph (as per statistics provided by the Bermuda Timing Systems) as they whizz past the control points. Each bike is electronically tagged/chipped and the technology involved in keeping track of everyone’s times/splits/positions etc is very state of the art, The men’s team of Ruairidh Michie, Gavin Earons and John Neil Mitchell knew they were up against it from the outset. Each and every one of them gave their all, but the jump in class from the Hebridean Cycling Challenge (no disrespect intended) was huge. They acquitted themselves well, but finished down the field. Kerry MacPhee and Christina MacKenzie had every right to think they may have struggled after Sunday’s heroics in the triathlon. But true champions don’t struggle, they cope, overcome and flourish, Tired legs they may have been, but they propelled them to a brilliant team bronze medal, Christina finishing in 59m 04s, Kerry in 59m07s. It was the platform for more astonishing success. The track was the scene for the greatest night ever in Western Isles athletic history Eve Carrington, just recovered from injury, was the first finalist in the women’s 400m but failed to make any impression on a very strong field. Eilidh MacKenzie, triple previous games gold medallist, was looking for a remarkable fourth consecutive games, top of the podium, finish. In her blue-riband event, the 1,500m, she has no equal. Yet again she proved why she has been the squad’s ‘talis-woman’ ever since her initial victory way back in Rhodes 2007. Her star quality has been the prime motivating factor for many of the current squad, striving as mightily as they all have done, to emulate her achievements. She knows how to win races does our Eilidh. She didn’t disappoint. Coming off the last bend, she sprinted to the front, leaving the rest of the field struggling to match her blistering pace. Match it they did not. Her time of 4:33:36 will never be her best. But this was about racing and winning pure and simple. Nobody matches Eilidh in these departments. In what seemed like just minutes later, Donnie MacLeod was taking his place in the final of the 800m. He was the genuine ‘class act’ in the field, a strong favourite (in the eyes of those who know about such things) and looked as cool as the proverbial cucumber. As a slow ‘pack’ meandered around the back straight, it looked like Donnie was in danger of getting boxed in by pedestrian opponents, intent on preventing anyone from dominating the race. Donnie, given the mood of the squad, and with a huge personal hunger to slay a particular ‘silver’ dragon (he has second place medals from previous games), was in no mood to be caged. He unleashed a sprint on the final bend that heard the crowd gasp. He simply destroyed a bewildered group of the finest athletes the other islands could throw at him. His time of 1:54:87 was immaterial after the early sluggish pace. They simply were no match for the ‘Legs’. I could listen to the ‘Bays of Harris’ as a Western Isles flag gets hoisted up a flagpole all night long. Last night it happened twice in quick succession. It must have been a damned mosquito that flew into my eye.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 04:50:13 +0000