Jamaica, Cayman Nationals Heating Things Up At Commonwealth Games

Alia Atkinson is the bookies favorites to win.

News Americas, GLASGOW, Scotland, July 25, 2014: Swimmers from Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are already heating things up at the Commonwealth Games and it’s not on the tracks.

On Thursday, opening day at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, several two swimmers from these islands advanced to the finals in the 50-metres butterfly at the Tollcross Swimming Centre .

Brett Fraser of the Cayman Islands’ advanced to the finals by finishing second in his first-round heat with a time of 24.01 seconds to advance to the semifinals. Once there, Fraser took fourth in his heat and his time of 23.96 seconds was good enough to secure the eighth and final spot in the finals.

Meanwhile, Jamaican national Alia Atkinson, 25, is the bookies favorite for the gold medal event scheduled for today, Friday at 7:05 p.m. (1:05 pm Jamaica time).

Atkinson swam a Commonwealth Games record of 30.17 seconds to win the women’s 50m breaststroke semi-final at the Tollcross Swimming Centre on Thursday.

The event’s final round is set for around 7 p.m. on July 25th.

The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games features over 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories. They will compete in 17 sports over 11 days.