The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Coach Henry Rolle said both the men and women's 4 x 100 meter relay teams ran well but, if it wasn't for a little hiccup with their baton exchanges, they both could have ran faster at the Athletics Brazil Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.

The men's team of Jamial Rolle, Derrick Atkins, Jonathan Farquharson and Ryan Penn ran 39.36 seconds for third place behind Brazil's winning time of 38.63 and the World Select team that finished second in 38.87. Brazil's time was the third fastest as a country so far this year behind Jamaica and the United States. The Bahamas is pegged at No. 15.

The team will need to be ranked in the top 16 to get into the XXX London Olympics starting in July.

"The men ran faster than they did all year," Rolle said. "However we had a little hiccup on the second exchange with Derrick passing off to Jonathan. Jonathan got out a little too quick before he got the baton," Rolle said. "I think with a better baton exchange, they could have ran much faster. But we realise that there are still some pieces that we can add to the team, so we are excited about the potential of the team qualifying for the Olympics."

Rolle said he will have to go back and strategise for the next meet, which could be the BAAA Scotiabank Nationals set for next month at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium where all of the athletes will be available so they can put another team together to lower the times to ensure that the Bahamas is not excluded from the Olympics.

As for the women's 4 x 100, the team of Chandra Sturrup, Anthonique Strachan, Sheniqua 'Q' Ferguson and Christine Amertil took third as well in their 4 x 100 relay in 43.97. Brazil won in 43.01 and Colombia took second in 43.58. Only the United States has run faster than Brazil so far this year. The Bahamas' time was the eighth fastest.

"We had a good team but we also had a little hiccup with them as Chandra came into the meet looking good and ready to run," Rolle said.

"But just prior to the race, she got a little tight and when the race started, she felt it as she was bringing the baton to Anthonique. But Anthonique and Sheniqua ran well to get the team back into it.

"They could run faster but the problem is we have to go with what we have. I would like to have all of the girls that are available, but Debbie (Ferguson-McKenzie) is injured and we are still waiting for athletes like Tynia Gaither, V'Alonee Robinson and Cache Armbrister, who will all be competing this weekend to see where they are."

Rolle, an assistant coach at Auburn University, is spearheading a drive by the BAAA to ensure that both teams, along with the men's 4 x 400 team, secure one of the top 16 times in the world in order to book a lane at the Olympics.

"We just need to see who is available from here on in and try to see how best we can put together the teams in both the men and women 4 x 100 relays so that they can run again," Rolle said. "If the men can run anywhere in the 38. range, they should definitely be in. We know that the women will be in. They just have to run faster just to make sure that there are no surprises from the other countries."

Looking at what he has seen so far from the other countries, Rolle said he's confident that both teams will get in. But his only concern is getting an opportunity to see both of them run even faster than they have ran so far.

Concerned

"I'm not too concerned because we're right there," Rolle said. "We just have been working with who are available and these are the best times that we have turned in right now. But we will only run faster when we get everybody together."

In a pair of individual performances at the meet, Sheniqua Ferguson clocked 11.30 for second as she edged out American Lauryn Williams, who did 11.32. Brazil's Rosângela Santos won the race in 11.21.

Ferguson's time was well off her season's best of 11.07, the fastest posted so far by any other Bahamian.

And Bianca Stuart ended up fourth in the women's long jump with a leap of 6.52 meters or 21-feet, 4 1/4-inches. Winning the event was Brazilian Maurren Higa Maggi with a distance of 6.69m (21-11 1/2). It was a clean sweep in the top three as Keila Costa and Eliane Martins got second and third respectively at 6.58m (21-7 1/4) and 6.53m (21-5 1/4) respectively. Stuart's leap has her within the top 30 performances for the year.