The Tribune

By Alpheus Finlayson

BAAA Public Relations Officer

LESS than two weeks before the Bahamas Olympic and World Junior Championships Trials, 17 athletes have made Olympic qualifying standards.

And, according to BAAA executives, the meet should be one of the best ever.

The June 22-23 event will also serve as a qualifier for the NACAC Under- 23 Championships, which will take place the second week in July in Mexico.

Women's Sprints

Debbie Ferguson-Mckenzie should clash with Sheniqua Ferguson and Anthonique Strachan.

Ferguson-McKenzie has run 11.09sec in the 100m. She ran 22.76sec last year in the 200m.

Sheniqua Ferguson, on the other hand, has run personal bests in the 100m (11.07sec) and 200m (22.64sec).

Chandra Sturrup made the final of the 60m at the World Indoor Championships and has run sparingly since.

Anthonique Strachan has run 11.22sec for a PB and 22.75sec for the 200m. Last year she ran 22.70sec.

Shaunae Miller has dropped her personal best in the 100m to 11.41sec, in the 200m to 22.70sec and in the 400m to 51.25sec recently this season. She will be attempting to better her 400m time on the way to the World Juniors in Barcelona. Whether she will run in any other event is not known at this time.

Men's 100m

World 2007 silver medallist in the 100m Derrick Atkins is back. Atkins ran 10.09sec, his best performance in years, at The USATF National Training Center in Clermont, Florida, last weekend.

At the NCAA Championships, Warren Fraser ran 10.18sec. Both performances are London qualifiers. There are several young sprinters such as Shavez Hart and Jonathan Farquharson who may make a run for all the marbles as they attempt to make the Olympic 4x100m relay team.

Women's Long Jump

Long jumper Bianca Stuart made the final of the IAAF World Indoor Championships this March. Her 6.66m (21'10-1/4") jump this season at the Prefontaine Classic demonstrates that she is ready to break her 6.81m (22'4-1/4") National record set last year.

Women's 4x100m

Athletes will also be attempting to make the 4x100m relay squad. At present, the Bahamas sits in 17th place, without Ferguson-McKenzie running with the team this season. Only sixteen teams will run in the Games.

Men's 400m

The race of the championships should be the men's 400m again this year. For the last two seasons, Demetrius Pinder has won this event. Pinder won the silver medal in the World Indoors in March and Chris Brown the bronze. Brown recently defeated Pinder in the Prefontaine Classic. In Saturday's NYC Diamond League meet, Brown finished in third place in 45.35sec and Pinder did not show.

Michael Mathieu, who established a new national record in the 200m (20.16sec), has the best time in the 400m this season with 45.06sec.

Brown has the second best time with 45.14sec, Pinder the third best time in 45.15sec and Ramon Miller, last year's runner-up, has the fourth best in 45.48sec.

All four have made the Olympic "A" standard and only three can run in London. Mathieu indicated he will concentrate on the 200m in London.

Men's 4x400m

The Bahamas will be assembling a men's 4x400m relay squad for London. The Bahamas won the silver medal in this event in Beijing. The contenders will make every effort to secure their spot on the team, thus making it a swift 400m to determine the top six.

Men's High Jump

In the high jump, both Donald Thomas and Trevor Barry cleared 2.32m (7'7-1/2") last year. Thomas is the 2007 world champion with a best of 2.35m (7'8-3/4") in 2007 and Barry the 2011 bronze medallist with a best of 2.32m (7'7-1/2"). A young Ryan Ingraham has cleared 2.28m (7'6") and plans to challenge both.

Barry finished second in the Rome Diamond League with a 2.31m (7'7") jump, the best of the Bahamians this season. At the NYC Diamond League on Saturday, Barry finished third, again with a 2.31m (7'7") jump showing that he is ready to jump.

Thomas has cleared a best of 2.27m (7'5-1/2") this outdoor season. This should be quite an exciting competition as it comes with bragging rights.

Men's Long Jump

Raymond Higgs, once a high jumper, has cleared 8.15m (26'9"), a "B" London standard last year in the long jump and 8.07m (26'5-3/4") this season. The sophomore at Arkansas has the longest jump in the world this year, 8.36m (27'5-3/4") with a 3.4mps wind. Rudon Bastian has a wind aided (2.3mps) jump of 8.00m(26'3").

Higgs finished third in last weekend's NCAA Championships at Drake University with an 8.05m (26'5") performance.

Men's Triple Jump

Leevan Sands has a 16.99m (55'9") jump in the triple jump this season, done at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene and a 17.21m (56'5-3/4") jump last year in Daegu. The Beijing bronze medallist holds the national record of 17.59m (57'8-3/4").

IAAF World youth champion Latario Collie-Minns is expected to tune up for the World Juniors by taking on Sands. Collie-Minns has a best of 16.55m (54'3-3/4") done last year and has jumped 16.47m (54'-1/2") this season.

Women's 100m Hurdles

Ivanique Kemp made quite an historic breakthrough last week in the 100m hurdles. At the NCAA Championships, Kemp smashed her national record of 13.20sec with a blazing 13.13sec, which is a "B" London qualifier.

Never in the history of Bahamian track and field has a woman made the qualifying standard for a hurdle event.

Men's 400m Hurdles

At the NCAA Championships in Iowa last week, Nathan Arnett ran 50.53secs for 10th in the 400m hurdles. Grand Bahama's Jeffrey Gibson ran 50.72secs for 12th. Arnett has a best of 50.27sec. Gibson has a best of 50.69secs.

Last year, Gibson upset Arnett in Grand Bahama. We await the result of this clash.

BAAA Incentive

Whichever athlete sets a new national record and is not subjected to the NCAA rules will win $2,000 for their feat.

Bahamas Olympic Committee Team

Once again we must note that the Olympic Team is the responsibility of the Bahamas Olympic Committee who alone can ratify the team. The BAAA can only recommend the team based upon their performances.

The BAAA alone has responsibility for the World Junior team and the NACAC Under-23 Team.

Great Performances and Excitement

We encourage Bahamians from all walks of life to attend and encourage our athletes to perform well as they march on to London, Mexico, and Barcelona.

They will be thrilled and pleased and will never forget the excitement and great performances for years to come.