ATHLETICS

Hosting this year?s Carifta Games was easily the highlight of Bermuda?s athletics calendar. However, the build-up to the annual Easter weekend regional event for juniors (under-17 and under-20) was marred by a bitter feud between the Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) and Mid-Island Striders club. The latter?s athletes sought to compete in the meet though they did not join the national programme by the deadline of December 15, 2003. Ultimately, they were barred from participating though an arbitration panel urged the two parties to find a resolution that was in the athletes? best interest.

Jamaica dominated the meet once again with 200-metre sensation Usain Bolt blazing to a new world junior record in 19.93 seconds on the final evening. Bermuda claimed nine medals, including four golds.

The annual May 24 Marathon Derby saw the crowning of a new champion as USA-based Bermudian Terrance Armstrong came home to defeat perennial winner Kavin Smith who placed third. Jay Donawa had to settle for second once again. Anna Eatherley retained the women?s title in her first year in the Masters division.

Internationally, there was nothing to shout about at senior level in track and field, however Smith distinguished himself in the New York and Chicago Marathons late in the year, placing in the top 100 in both with fields of more than 30,000 in either race.

At junior level, Bermuda collected ten medals at the Junior Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in Mexico. LoVintz Tota qualified for the World Junior Athletic Championships in Italy but failed to advance past the preliminaries of the 100 metres or long jump.

CYCLING

Tyler Butterfield emerged as the biggest newsmaker in local cycling this year. Previously known for his triathlon exploits, the 21-year-old announced in late September that he signed for top French amateur team Vendee U and was possibly considering a pro career in that sport. This development followed the amateur rider?s sensational capture of the Elite men?s title in the CD&P Bermuda Grand Prix, beating a field of foreign pros.

In October, Lynn Patchett returned from the Caribbean Cycling Championships with double gold in the time trial and road race. Her team-mate Deanna McMullen was runner-up in both events.

Meanwhile, top Bermuda cyclists Melanie Claude and Kris Hedges announced their retirements; the latter from being a professional and Claude from the Elite circuit.

Wayne Scott won his first Sinclair Packwood Memorial race on May 24. Ironically, it was Packwood who got the winner into cycling seven years ago.

DIVING

Katura Horton-Perinchief wrote her name in Olympic history as the first black woman to compete in diving at the Summer Games. After initially thinking she had qualified, the 21-year-old faced an agonising wait to learn if was eligible for the Olympics because of new selection criteria.

EQUESTRIAN

Tim Collins represented Bermuda at the Olympics but his quest almost came to nought. His mount Delton Magna only qualified for the Games at the final qualifying meet in June.

GOLF

Pro Michael Sims endured a see-saw year which saw his game improve significantly and him celebrate his first major victory. Sadly, there was a bitter aftermath as the Maverick Tour on which he earned $40,000 folded and left him out of pocket after Tour organiser Tim Avramidis disappeared. Sims was also left ruing his luck as he narrowly missed the final round of PGA Tour Qualifying School (Q-School) and the chance of playing in golf?s top tier in 2005.

Sims tag-teamed with Andrew Trott to land Bermuda seventh place out of 17 in the Nations Cup in Mexico.

Kim Botelho, partnered by Laura Robinson and Ebonie Burgess, grabbed 39th place for the Island at the women?s World Amateur Team Golf Championships in Puerto Rico. A few weeks later, the men?s trio of Fraser Hunt, Jarryd Dillas and Eric West, tied for 34th in the Eisenhower Cup. They had been joint 16th after the opening round.

On the local front, Arthur Jones lifted the men?s Bermuda Match Play Championship and Burgess, the women?s equivalent while Hunt and Botelho won the Amateur Strokeplay Championship titles. Sergio Edness placed third in the Easter weekend International Junior Golf Championship at Mid Ocean.

Former PGA Tour pro P.H. Horgan retained his Bermuda Open with a three-shot victory over Fredrick Mansson.

American Tim Conley?s disqualification at the halfway stage of the Gosling?s Invitational at Belmont Hills in early December overshadowed Horgan?s seven-shot success just six weeks after his Open win.

Conley was sent packing after a row with Canadian Ian Doig who accused him of replacing his ball marginally outside a sand divot where it originally was when they were playing the lift, clean and replace rule. Doig reported the matter to tournament officials and Conley was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Doig said he was ?protecting the integrity of the field? while Conley charged that his long-time friend was ?intent to get me out of the tournament?.

Kilmarlic Golf Club of North Carolina easily won the Goodwill Golf Championships, taking both the net and gross divisions.

MOTORSPORT

The entire motorsport community was thrilled with their Christmas gift from Government; the completion of a new motorsport facility at Southside. Racing should start in the New Year.

SAILING

Peter Bromby?s ambitions of a medal at the Athens Olympics almost ended before they began as equipment misfortune and some bad results in the early stages of racing saw the dream slip away. However, he and Lee White clawed back incredibly to place eighth out of 17 crews in the Star Class.

They had arrived in Greece among the favourites for their event, having won impressively at Kiel and Spa Weeks. They were also sixth at the World Championships.

Yngling competitor, Paula Lewin, placed a dismal 15th out of 16 at the Olympics. The 2003 Female Athlete of the Year also placed 22nd at the Yngling World Championship and fourth at the Women?s Match Racing World Championship.

She lost her bid for a hat-trick of International Women?s Match Racing Championship in Hamilton Harbour, being swept 3-0 in the semi-finals by eventual winner Klaartje Zuiderbaan of Holland. Russell Coutts of New Zealand wrested the King Edward VII Gold Cup for a record seventh time, beating Australian James Spithill in a shortened final.

The junior sailors were no less busy with Sean Bouchard taking second place in the South American Optimist Championships in individual racing while Bermuda retained the team title (Nations Cup) in Chile. During that regatta, Eleanor Gardner won race six which was the first time a Bermudian female skipper had triumphed in an International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) Continental Championship.

Bouchard continued his good form in the US Optimist Dinghy Association?s New England Championships, again placing second among advanced sailors while, in the Green fleet for less-experienced competitors, Mackenzie Cooper claimed bronze.

Elijah Simmons, too, showed his class winning the Optimist North American Championships in Texas in July while four other Bermudians finished in the top ten. Simmons went on to capture the national championship here in November.

Oliver Riihiluoma was runner-up in the year-ending XL Capital Bermuda International Optimist Regatta as Croatia?s Filip Matika defended his title.

SQUASH

Englishman Lee Beachill lifted the inaugural Bermuda Squash Open title, defeating Australian part-time Bermuda resident David Palmer 15-11, 15-9, 15-10 in the final.

Bermuda were mauled at the Rosebowl as the Island?s below-par team returned with no trophies and few victories from the Jamaica in tournament, though Nick Kyme and Gary Plumstead excelled.

Meanwhile, Kyme prevailed over fellow pro James Stout in the February national championships, winning 3-1 after dropping the first game. Jenni Chamberlain was stretched to five games by Liz Martin for the women?s title.

Bermuda?s men finished fifth at the Pan-American Championships in July in Mexico while their female team-mates placed eighth.

Juniors Kelly Barnes and Robert Maycock won their divisions at the Caribbean Championships while the boys placed fourth in the team event.

SWIMMING

Kiera Aitken enjoyed a memorable Olympic debut, winning her 100-metre backstroke heat and smashing her national record with a new mark of one minute, 04.37 seconds.

Bermuda shone in the pool at the Caribbean Championships, collecting more than 15 medals, breaking at least 14 national records and one regional record. Aitken and Rebecca Sharpe were the outstanding performers.

Meanwhile, veteran Chris Smith continued his exploits worldwide, including six gold medals at the Quebec Masters Championship in April.

TENNIS

Peru?s Luis Horna won the XL Capital Bermuda Open, ousting Argentina-born Italian Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Bermuda placed fifth out of six nations in Americas Zone Group IV of the Davis Cup in Costa Rica while the Island did not participate in the Fed Cup. In the Junior Davis Cup competition Bermuda placed 12th out of 13 countries and seventh out of 11 nations in the Junior Fed Cup.

James Collieson and Morgan Lightbourne won the Heineken Open singles titles over Andy Bray and Caitlin Gordon respectively. Gavin Manders beat defending champion Jenson Bascome in the Island Construction Open while Ashley Brooks won the Ladies A final from Zarah DeSilva. Bascome did have something to celebrate as he beat Bray to win the Argus Open crown while Brooks whipped Tracey Berrell for the ladies? honours.

TRIATHLON

After a period of self-imposed exile in 2003, Tyler Butterfield returned to competition intent on qualifying for the 2004 Olympics. His early performances and reputation were good enough to earn a wild card to Athens where he proved himself worthy of the confidence shown in him.

The young Bermudian stunned the triathlon world, finishing 35th out of 49 starters in one hour, 58 minutes, 26.99 seconds. He beat at least ten competitors ranked in the top hundred of the tri-discipline event. The 21-year-old also wrested the Bank of Bermuda Individual Triathlon title later in the year before moving on to a cycling career.

Also making names for themselves were expatriate twins Riaan and Evan Naude, who were second and third respectively in the Bank?s Individual race. They returned the following week to win the team title with John Legge.

Karen Smith won the Individual women?s crown just two months after giving birth to a baby girl, beating Julia Hawley into second. Swimmer Rebecca Sharpe combined with cyclist Melanie Claude and runner Anna Eatherley to take the team title.

Jamie Brown and Deanna McMullen emerged as the men?s and women?s AON National Sprint Triathlon champions respectively in June.

Evan Naude and Lynn Patchett lifted the men?s and women?s titles at the National Duathlon Championships.

Teenager Coyatito Smith enhanced his rising status in the sport with a number of impressive results, locally and internationally. He has announced that after graduated from CedarBridge Academy next summer he will take a year off to train full-time for triathlons. His primary focus is the 2005 Junior Triathlon World Championships next September in Japan.