Bahamas Sports: Judo Gold, Youth Olympics and Sailors

By Michael Elijah Muhammad Clare
Tuesday, November 3, 2026

From a judo mat in Florida to a pool in Senegal and the open water off St Croix, Bahamians are out there flying the flag this week. Here is your Bahamas and World Sports roundup: who won, who is racing, and what is coming home to Nassau and Paradise Island this month.

Gold for judoka Xavion Johnson

Bahamian judoka Xavion Johnson is a champion again. Johnson won gold in the men’s under-73kg division at the Florida Junior Pan American Cup in Gainesville, Florida, on October 29, according to official results from the International Judo Federation.

On his way to the top of the podium he beat Kevin Nunes dos Santos of Luxembourg in the semi-final, then took down American Domenico Ternullo in the final. This is not his first gold this year either: the IJF results and The Tribune both list Johnson as the winner of the Tahiti Oceania Open earlier in 2026.

Two golds on two different continents in one year. One Bahamian against the field, and he came home with the gold. That is how we do it.

Our swimmers make waves at the Youth Olympics

The 2026 Youth Olympic Games are under way in Dakar, Senegal, running from October 31 to November 13. It is the first Olympic event ever held in Africa, with about 2,700 young athletes from 205 nations taking part, and The Bahamas has a five-member team there.

Swimmer Saleste Gibson finished fifth in her semi-final heat of the girls 100 metres butterfly and 13th overall in 1:08.47. In the 100m freestyle she placed 26th overall in 1:00.73.

Christon Joseph finished 15th overall in the boys 100m freestyle in 52.81 seconds, a strong showing in a big international field.

There is more to come. Gibson still has the 50m butterfly and 200m freestyle, and Joseph has the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke. Gibson also turns 16 this week, so if you see her name, send her some birthday love from home.

Next week it is the track team’s turn: Shawne Ferguson in the boys 110m hurdles, Ashley Demeritte in the boys high jump and Keely Deveaux in the girls long jump.

“The Bahamas coming!” Young sailors head to the world championships

Five young Bahamian sailors, aged 14 to 19, are representing the country at the ISCA World Championships in St Croix, which run from November 4 to 14. The team is Joss Knowles, Tanaj Manos, Emit Knowles, Kahden Knowles and Abel Ponnore, led by coaches Dallas and Tamara Knowles.

Three of the five sail with the Exuma Sailing Club, and the Friends of Exuma organisation stepped up as the team’s official sponsor. The sailors race Sunfish-class boats, and the championships also count as a qualifier for the Pan American Games. Bahamas Sailing Association president Lori Lowe is travelling with the team and serving as a judge.

These young people are sailing in the wake of Sir Durward Knowles, our Olympic gold medal sailor, and they know it. Kahden Knowles summed up the team’s mood in three words: “The Bahamas coming!”

Bridgewater lights up Brazil

Out in Brazil, Bahamian guard Domnick Bridgewater poured in 32 points to lead Pinheiros to an 89-74 road win over Basket Osasco in the NBB CAIXA league on October 29, according to the Liga Nacional de Basquete and The Tribune. Big performance, big win.

National Sports Month and a new Bahamas-UK academy

November is National Sports Month, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports has launched a month of events to celebrate Bahamian athletes, with events planned across the country, including Grand Bahama and Abaco.

A big part of the launch was the new Bahamas-UK Sports Academy. The academy will fund youth sport in The Bahamas and build links between young athletes and coaches here and in the United Kingdom. The British High Commission is a founding partner and Governor-General Dame Cynthia Pratt is the academy’s patron.

Coming soon to Nassau and Paradise Island

CARIFTA gymnastics, November 13 to 15. For the first time, The Bahamas will host the CARIFTA Artistic Gymnastics Championships, at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium. Teams are coming from across the region, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cayman, Bermuda and Barbados. Come out and cheer for our gymnasts on home soil.

Battle 4 Atlantis, November 25 to 27. The big college basketball tournament returns to the Imperial Arena at Atlantis, Paradise Island, with eight NCAA programmes: Marquette, Memphis, Mississippi State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Virginia, Wake Forest and Xavier. Xavier opens against Texas A&M on November 25.

Why it matters

A judo champion, two swimmers at the Olympics, five young sailors taking on the world and a Bahamian guard scoring 32 in Brazil, all in the same week. We are a small country, but we keep showing up. Keep these names in your mouth and keep cheering.

More Bahamian sports stories on lol242

• Bahamas Golden Girls: our Sydney 2000 relay gold
• “They Don’t Get It”: VJ Edgecombe’s Olympic dream and what Bahamas basketball means
• Daily Motivation: Trim your sail, Bahamas
• Good News Bahamas: what’s going right at home

Know a Bahamian athlete who should be in our next roundup? Tell us in the comments and share this with them today.

Sources

The Tribune; The Nassau Guardian; Our News; Bahamas Latest; Bahamas Spectator; International Judo Federation (IJF); JudoTV; Olympedia; Bahamas National Sailing School; Liga Nacional de Basquete (NBB); Cayman Compass; Nick Maughan Family Foundation; Atlantis Paradise Island; Xavier University Athletics.

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