There are over 3000 Islands belonging to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The Islands are legendary for their beauty and their immense pull for tourism. These groups of Island are of course home to many Bahamians. Just how many of these famous Bahamians can most people recognize?
This lady was an Olympic champion back in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Tonique was born in 1976 in the Bahamas capital of Nassau. Tonique was a natural runner, and during the 1990s in the CARIFTA games, she managed an impressive eight silvers, most of them obtained in the 4×100 m relay. Her CARIFTA gold came in 1995 at George Town again in the 4x100m relay.
She became a national hero in Greece in 2004, by winning a stunning gold in the 400m. She beat her longtime Mexican rival Ana Guevara into second place. Tonique also won medals in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, and gold in Helsinki in the World Games of 2005.
Rick was a famous basketball player for the LA Lakers until 2004. Before that, he was a hugely successful player for the Boston Celtics. The Fox family was actually from Canada, but Rick and his family moved to the Bahamas when Rick was only three years old. It was not only basketball that made Rick famous as he became a star dancer on the U.S. show Dancing with the Stars. Nassau was also the site of his first marriage in 1999.
Yet another sprint athlete comes from the sunny Bahamas. Debbie and was born in 1976 in Jamaica and later moved to her new home of the Bahamas. Debbie became a leading name in athletics with immense medal winning power. The CARIFTA games gave her seven gold, nine silver and two bronze. Moving on to the Commonwealth Games of 2002 in Manchester, England. At these games, Debbie took three gold medals. Debbie has been quite successful in Olympics where she achieved gold in Sydney, silver in Atlanta and a bronze in the 2004 Athens games.
Other famous sportspeople from Bahamas include the NBA player Mychal Thompson who played the Portland Trail Blazers. In the sport of tennis, there is champion Mark Knowles, and back on the track there is Cara Saunders.
In the sport of boxing, there is Edner Cherry who now lives in Florida. His nickname is Cherry Bomb, and this bomb managed to achieve twenty seven wins out of thirty five fights. He also managed get knockout wins against fifteen people. Edner was born in July 1982 in the capital Nassau.
In the London 2012 Olympics, only one medal taken by the Bahamas, and that was the Men’s 4x400m relay. It may have been the only medal, but it was yet gold to take home.
Patty Hamma spent the summer of 2012 in England watching an incredible Olympics. Later that year she had her very first family vacation in the Bahamas. The vacation was such a success that her whole family is considering moving to the Bahamas.
Photo Credits: Wikipedia
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