The Jamaica Star :: Sport :: BOA names eight-member team for Beijing

BRIDGETOWN -Barbados, (CMC)

Pan American Games swimming bronze medallist Bradley Ally heads an eight-member Barbados team going to the Beijing Olympics next month.

The Barbados Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed the list and Ally is one of four swimmers in the China-bound contingent, which also includes the promising sprint hurdler Ryan Brathwaite for track and field competition.

The team represents a spread over three disciplines.

Three of the eight persons will take part in track and field, and there is also one sailing pick.

Ally, who won 200-metre Individual Medley (IM) bronze at the Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro last year, has attained the A qualifying mark and is down to contest the 200 and 400-metre individual medley events.

Swimming team

His swimming partners will be Andrei Cross (100-metre breaststroke), Martyn Forde (50-metre freestyle) and Terrence Haynes (100-metre freestyle).

Haresh Gopwani is swimming team manager, while Darny Olalde Hernandez is coach.

The 20-year-old Brathwaite was a 2007 World Championships semi-finalist and heads the track and field unit that also includes improving sprinter Andrew Hinds and Jade Bailey.

Brathwaite met the 'A' standard of 13.55 seconds and will compete in the men's 110-metre hurdles.

New national sprint champion Hinds dipped under the 'A' qualifying time of 10.21 seconds, running 10.16 earlier this year and again at the Barbados Nationals,

Bailey, also National champion, will compete in the 100 and 200-metre events at the Beijing Games.

The track and field officials are team manager Esther Maynard, head coach Andrea Blackett and Bailey's personal coach, Keith Thornhill.

Teenager Gregory Douglas is a wildcard entry into the Games for sailing. He is the sole sailing competitor for Barbados and will be accompanied by Peter Douglas, who is the sailing team's manager and coach Luis Chiapparro.

Cameron Burke will act in the position of Chef de Mission.

Competitors: Bradley Ally, Terrence Haynes, Andrei Cross, Martyn Forde (swimming); Ryan Brathwaite, Andrew Hinds, Jade Bailey (athletics); Gregory Douglas (sailing).