GLASGOW, Scotland — Jamaica’s swimming boss Martin Lyn thinks that Alia Atkinson’s two medals win at the XX Commonwealth Games here will raise the profile of Jamaica’s aquatic sports.

Atkinson won Jamaica’s first medal at these games on only the second day of competition last Friday when she took the 50-metre breaststroke silver in 30.67 seconds at the Tollcross Swimming Centre.

Australia’s Leiston Pickett took the gold in 30.59, while Scotland’s Corrie Scott bagged the bronze in 30.75.

In the semi-final, the Jamaican had delivered a games record of 30.17 seconds.

Having swum dismally in the 200m breaststroke final, where she finished seventh, Atkinson rebounded in the 100m on Monday to claim bronze in 1:08.14 minutes. The gold was won by England’s Sophie Taylor in 1:06.35, while Australia’s Lorna Tonks copped silver in 1:07.34.

Reacting to her performance after the race, she said: “I wanted to try to go faster but it just had me like a brick on the last part… my body was not used to going out that fast, and in the end, it took its toll on my body.”

But winning the bronze, in the final analysis, “makes me feel happy”.

Meanwhile, Lyn says Atkinson’s successes in the pool, the best for Jamaica at the Commonwealth Games, will go a long way in lifting the sport of swimming from the shadows and into the glare of all.

“It’s great what we have been able to achieve here. What Alia has done will certainly go a far way to lift the profile of the sport,” Lyn told the Jamaica Observer.

“It will bring more attention to the sport in Jamaica and more sponsors will see the potential that we have,” said the president of the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica.

Lyn sent a message to Jamaican businesses, urging that it’s wise to invest in young people. “What they put in they will reap the rewards down the road,” he noted.

Apart from Atkinson’s medal-winning performance, Lyn also hopes that a highlight of the games will be that the younger swimmers have learnt valuable lessons that will take them into the future.

“The younger swimmers, seeing Alia in action and how she handles herself overall, will understand what it is to compete at this level. They would have seen things that will help them to get ahead in life, and it will be good for them as they get the vibe of what this is all about,” he said.

Lyn argued that Jamaica’s growth in swimming is entrenched in the school programme, and credits the strong Commonwealth Games show to its impact on the grassroots.

“A lot of these swimmers are products of the school system, and many more will come through it,” he ended.

Those who have had their competitive baptism in the schools system are Zara Bailey, Timothy Wynter, Trudiann Patrick, Jevon Atkinson (no relation to Alia) and Dominic Walter, to name a few. All have competed at these Commonwealth Games.