Bradley Ally had the weight of a country on his shoulders as the eyes of Barbados watched intently as he competed in the XV Pan American Games that end today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Pine Crest School club swimmer came through with flying colors.

Ally, 21, who has lived and trained in South Florida since 2000 and graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas, won the first medal of any kind in any sport for Barbados. He finished third in the 200-meter individual medley.

That factoid was from the Sun Sentinel. Now what kind of phrase is that? So who de Hell is Shane Brathwaite then? Obadele Thompson? James Wedderburn? I mean not only track & field, but cycling as in Barry Forde who got Gold at the same Pan-Am games!

The coach too, is being portrayed as a next idiot –

It was hard to figure out who was happier, Ally or Pine Crest coach Jay Fitzgerald, who served as a member of the Barbados coaching staff.

“Bradley is to Barbados what Anthony Nesty is to Surinam,” Fitzgerald said referring to the Olympic gold medalist now coaching at Florida. “He is what all of Barbados is looking for in their hopes and dreams of attaining international respect in the swimming community. He is their poster child.”

If they are really his words, perhaps his ignorance can be excused in that he is an American and therefore may not be so au fait with Barbadian Sports history? I left a comment on the page and you can too leave a comment as the link is listed thruout this item just hover your cursor peoples!