The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MOSCOW, Russia: After having a off day on a limited schedule of events today, Team Bahamas will be back in action on Thursday at the 14th IAAF World Championships - the highlight the men's high jump final.

Donald Thomas, the 2007 IAAF World Championship gold medallist, will be competing in his second straight final at the global meet when he will be joined by rising young superstar Ryan Ingraham, the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championship bronze medallist.

The duo, following in the footsteps of the 1-2 appearance by Thomas and eventual bronze medallist Trevor Barry in 2011 in Daegu, South Korea, will be in action starting at 7 pm or 11 am (E.T.).

However, Team Bahamas will get started as early as 11.09 am or 3.09 am (E.T.) when Shaunae Miller will be the first of three competitors in the first round heats of the women's 200 metres.

She will run out of lane six in heat three with her season and personal best of 22.45 seconds. Included in her heat is Jamaican Patricia Hall, who got to the semifinal of the 400m. She has a SB and PB of 22.51.

She will be followed by Anthonique Strachan (SB and PF of 22.32) at 11.23am or 3.23am (ET) in lane eight in heat five.

Of note in her heat is Ukraine's Mariya Ryemyen, who has run a SB of 22.61.

Then Nivea Smith will run out of lane eight as well in heat six at 11.30am or 3.30am (ET). Smith's SB is 23.17, but she has a PF of 22.71.

American Allyson Felix, the two-time world champion who was bronze medallist at the last championships in Daegu in 2009, will be running out of lane five. She SB is 22.36 and her PR is 21.69.

All three Bahamians will need to be one of the first three finishers in their heat or record one of the next three fastest times in order to advance to the semifinal that will be contested, starting at 7.45pm or 11.45am (ET).

The final is set for Friday at 9.15 pm or 1.15pm (ET).

Day six activities will also include the qualifying round of the men's 4 x 400 metre relay with the Bahamas running out of the third and final heat in lane seven at 7.25pm or 11.25am (ET).

On paper, the Bahamas has the fastest time of the field that include Germany, Australia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Russia and Saudia Arabia. Add the fact that the Bahamas is also the reigning Olympic champion from last year in London.

Head coach George Cleare admitted that after watching the performances turned in by the athletes so far in over the first four days of competition, he's convinced that Team Bahamas will do very well before the championships are done.

"We have two young talented sprinters who will be competing tomorrow," said Cleare of Miller and Strachan, both of whom he's been working with individually at the University of Georgia where he serves as an assistant coach.

"They have both been preparing for these championships and so I expect for them to go out and put on a show for us. We also have Donald Thomas and Trevor Barry in the men's high jump and so I'm looking forward to some exciting things from them as well."

Despite the fact that the men's 4 x 400 metres relay team will be minus Demetrius Pinder, who is not here because he's injured, while Ramon Miller is still recuperating after running the 400m here with a slight hamstring injury, Cleare said there are still some young guns waiting to display their skills.

"So I'm really looking forward to us having a great day tomorrow," he said. "We already had some good performances so far, even though only Donald and Ryan got into the finals. We are still pleased with the effort by Sheniqua Ferguson, Jeffery Gibson, Shavez Hart and Cache Armbrister, who have also competed so far."

The women's 4 x 400 metres relay team won't run until Friday with the final on Saturday and on Sunday as the curtain come down on the championships, the women and men's 4 x 100 metres relay teams will compete in both the heat and final.