Befitting a nation surrounded by the sea, The Bahamas made a big splash— actually two big splashes—at the Tokyo Olympics.

The chain of islands just off the Florida coast ranks 177th among nations by popula- tion but first among 400-meter sprinters.

Bahamians Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo both won gold in the 400 meter competition, with Miller-Uibo repeating her 2016 title in the same event.

Gardiner, 25, was no surprise. His Olympic gold came on the heels of his 2019 title at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

The 6-foot-4 sprinter answering to “Speedy Stevie” covered the quarter mile in 43.85 seconds. Jose Zambrano of Colombia won silver and Grenada’s Kirani James took home the bronze.

Miller-Uibo, who is 27 and 6-foot-1, won her race in 48.36. Her golden time in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was 49.44.

In Tokyo, Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won silver and Allyson Felix of the United States won the bronze medal.

Miller-Uibo ran collegiately for the University of Georgia before turning pro.

A total of 204 countries sent at least one competitor to the Summer Games. The relatively small Caribbean nations more than held their own.

Cuba had the 14th most medals, fol- lowed by Jamaica (21st), The Bahamas (42nd), Bermuda and Puerto Rico (tied at 63rd), Dominican Republic (68th) and Grenada (86th).

Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas, is just 183 miles from Miami. On a clear day, you can actually see The Bahamas from the top floor of Miami’s Panorama Tower.

Despite a population of fewer than 400,000 people, the island chain with a Black population of more than 90 percent has produced a disproportionate number of stellar athletes.

The Bahamas began participating in the Olympics in 1952 at Helsinki. Its first track and field golds were won in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics in the women’s 4x100 relay and by Pauline Davis-Thompson in the 200 meters.

NBA stars hailing from The Baha- mas include Mychal Thompson, Dexter Cambridge, Rick Fox, Buddy Hield and Deandre Ayton.