Top rising star – Jeffery Gibson, in Eleuthera for the 11th annual Alvin Adderley road race.

By STAFF / in Local+ / on Monday, 23 Nov 2015 06:38 PM / Comments Off / 1922

Top rising star, Bahamian Athlete Jeffery Gibson is pictured above, speaking with Coach Kennard Mackey as well as taking to the street with Eleuthera youth in the annual Alvin Adderley road race.

Jeffery Gibson of the Bahamas and Danielle Williams of Jamaica have been voted the top Rising Stars in the Caribbean by the Caribbean Sports Journalists’ Association at the 2nd Annual Caribbean Sports Awards in New Providence.

Eleuthera athletes, who met for the 11th annual Alvin Adderley road race, that took place on Saturday, November 14th, 2015 in Governor’s Harbour, were graced with the presence of this Star Bahamian track athlete.

The Adderley family presented Jeffery with a token gift for being such a big part of the event. He also took time to celebrate with the teams, as shown in the photos above with Jr. teams from Preston H. Albury High School.

Gibson most recently won bronze in the 400m hurdles at the August 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China, and gold one month earlier at the Pan American games in Toronto in July 2015. Interestingly, the twenty five (25) year old young man is also deeply rooted in Eleuthera. “I was born in New Providence, but my family are the Gibsons from Savannah Sound and I spent many summers here from Palmetto Point all the way up to Bluff. My grandparents still live in Bluff, Mr. Tommy and Mabel Gibson,” explained Jeffery. “I hadn’t had the chance to come to Eleuthera and visit the students and athletes here…, so I was told it would be a good opportunity to come up this weekend and spend time with the athletes today. I just want to do my part, and show some support. I have not forgotten about Eleuthera,” he stated.

The Bahamian star athlete encouraged the youngsters gathered on Governor’s Harbour Bayfront Park. Most of the young athletes were captivated as he spoke.

Gibson, who also recently signed on with the NIKE sports label company has been running professionally for two years, and said that 2015 has been a breakout year for him. “This has been a huge blossom year for me. I’ve been to so many different events and places, and I’m beginning to make a name for myself. Last year, I only went to two international competitions, but this year I’ve gone to seven or eight, so I’ve really stepped up the pace.” Jeffery is also a focused student, having graduated in 2013 from Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreational Administration and Exercise Science. He also plans to continue on to graduate school after next year to continue his Masters studies in Physical Therapy.

The now more than a decade strong Alvin Adderley road race, is held each year in remembrance of former Eleuthera educator, Mr. Alvin Adderley, who died as a result of cancer. It was staged at the Bayfront Park in Governor’s Harbour, starting shortly after 10am. A revised setup of the starting and finishing lines allowed spectators and awaiting relay teams to view the running and passing action under the shady comfort of the huge casuarinas lining the roadway on the bayside of the park, despite the bright sunshine on that fabulously beautiful Saturday morning.

Just prior to race time, the family of Mr. Adderley were honoured in a short ceremony, with a recollection of his contribution to education in Eleuthera and a gift presented to his wife, Mrs. Lula Adderley, who attended with her children, Carla, Darion and Terrell, and grandchildren in support of the event.

Three (3) Eleuthera Senior High Schools, its one (1) Junior High School and six (6) Primary Schools participated in the hotly contested relay event.

In the Primary School Division, ten member teams competed in half mile legs passing on the baton to teammates at the designated spot within Bay Front Park. The High Schools competed in five divisions; under 20 boys, under 20 girls, under 17 boys, under 14 boys and under 14 girls – also with ten member relay teams, but a longer leg distance of 1 mile, which took each competitor from Bay Front Park, south to the forked junction at Governor’s Harbour’s southern approach, then back, running north along the Queen’s Highway into Bay Front Park.

Preston Albury High School dominated the final results on the day with number one finishes in 4 of the 5 divisions. Deep Creek Middle School also had a strong showing with silver medal finishes in both the girls and boys divisions under 14. North Eleuthera High School grabbed the gold in the under 14 girls division, also picking up an additional silver and bronze finish in the under 20 boys and the under 20 girls divisions, respectively. Central Eleuthera High School picked up a silver in the under 20 girls division, and a bronze in the under 20 boys division.

Notably two high schools and a number of primary schools were unable to attend. Principals of both high schools not in attendance confirmed that the exorbitant cost to bus students to the event had been a factor, with bus contractors regularly charging in the range of $600 to $800 for busing from north to central Eleuthera. With multiple school district events being attended by schools across the island each month, school administrators have been forced to cut back on participation in a number of them. This challenge of unregulated transportation pricing continues to hinder students within the Eleuthera District.

See Official Results below:

In the Primary School Division