(CMR) Although she did not medal, 16-year-old Harper Barrowman created history on Monday, becoming the first female swimmer in Cayman's history to qualify for a Commonwealth Games final.
“To be able to do something like that at a level like this, it is just…amazing,” Barrowman said.
Barrowman clocked 9:16.49 in her 800-meter freestyle heat at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham, England, to book her spot in the finals, held on Tuesday, 2 August. She was 8th in the finals with a PB of 9:13:97.
Cayman Islands athletes have been doing exceptionally well at the Commonwealth Games, despite not medaling so far. On Sunday, 31 July, Igor Magalhaes (19) became the first Caymanian gymnast to compete in a Commonwealth final, finishing with a score of 57.650 and 17th overall.
Magalhaes' performance got him to the finals as the first reserve, allowing him to perform if a competitor could not. Magalhaes learned of his opportunity to compete in the finals about an hour before the start time.
“I was more nervous going into the qualifiers. I went into the finals…some of my events ended up getting better,” he said.
“I was a little intimidated at first, but then as it went on, the friendly atmosphere made me more comfortable in the stadium, and the crowd cheering gave me more confidence. It was an honor to be around such high-level athletes,” he added.
Lori Powell, President of the Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, said, “I'm extremely proud that we have two finalists from the Cayman Islands in the Commonwealth Games. This particular team is probably the youngest that we have had, and I see a lot of potential in our future.”
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