News / Silver medals for Strachan and Gifford
SHETLAND’S swimming squad has added further silverware to their already impressive collection.
On the final day in the pool, Andrea Strachan won a silver medal in the 100m individual medley in a time of 1:04.19, adding to her two gold and two silver she had already won.
Felix Gifford also extended his medal tally by getting a silver in the 400m freestyle event with a time of 3:57.15. Fellow Shetlander Donnie Price narrowly missed a place on the podium with a time of 4:05.94.
Strachan (two gold and three silver) and Gifford (two gold, two silver and one bronze) have now each won five medals of Team Shetland’s total of 15.
In the 200m breaststroke, Price gained eighth price while men’s captain Jake Swanson claimed fifth place in a nail-bitingly close race.
Women’s captain Amy Harper narrowly missed a medal on two occasions on Thursday night; in the individual events – just over a second separated her from the gold in the 50m backstroke, which she finished in fifth place, and a near identical situation in the 100m freestyle, in fourth place.
Strachan finished seventh in the latter event with a time of 59.45 while Kate Jones came 8th in the final of the 200m butterfly.
The various relays of the night were frustrating for the young Shetland squad, as they narrowly missed out on the medals.
The men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay saw Gifford, Callum MacGregor, Price and Swanson finishing fourth with a time of 3:32.06, while the women’s 4 x 100m medley event saw a similar near miss with Harper, Emmie Hutchinson, Strachan and Jones ranking fifth.
Swim team manager Lesley Hutchinson said she was delighted with the young athletes’ performances in the pool.
“The swim team’s achievements here are something we are extremely proud of. Along with medals, the swims and times have been excellent.
“So far, 17 Shetland records have been broken. It is a result of many hours of training and dedication each week by the swimmers and, of course, their coaches.”
Out on the track, Haydn Thomason completed the 400m race in fifth place, running the distance in 50.49 seconds – meaning he was only 2.01 seconds behind first placed Joseph Reid of the Isle of Man.
In cycling, the women’s town centre criterium in Hamilton witnessed Christine Mclean gain tenth place after a gruelling and fast paced 41:10.660.
Shetland Island Games Association chairman Andrew Inkster said the Bermuda’s games would be one for the history books.
“The chance to compete against old and new friends in a warm and welcoming island like Bermuda has been a once in a lifetime experience. We’ve had many strong performances with lots of PB’s and – of course – one or two medals.
“Transport, accommodation and venues on the whole have been very well organised and there is no doubt that the Bermuda Games will go down as one of the best.”
Iwan MacBride
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