The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MOSCOW, Russia — Donald Thomas decided to go for it all.

After skipping 2.35 metres or 7-feet, 8 1/2-inches, Thomas knew that in order for him to get a medal, he had to clear 2.32m (7-feet, 9 3/4). He missed all three attempts and had to settle for a season’s best of 2.32m (7-7 1/4). That placed the 2007 world champion sixth overall in the final of the men’s high jump on Thursday night at the Luzhniki Grand Sports Complex where the Bahamas had two competitors. Ryan Ingraham was tied for 10th place after he cleared 2.25m (7-4 1/2).

“Tough competition,” was how Thomas summed up the event. “I gave it all I had, but my best wasn’t enough.”

Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine motioned the crowd to be silent as he attempted a world record of 2.46m (8-0 3/4). The mark is held by Cuban Javier Sotomayor at 2.45 (8-0 1/2) that was done in 1993.

Bondarenko, who had passed at 2.44m (8-0), settled for the gold with a championship meet record of 2.41m (7-10 3/4). Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar got the silver with 2.38m (7-9 3/4) and Canadian Derek Drouin picked up the bronze with the same height on more knockdowns.

“Once I was competing, I knew I had a shot at a medal,” Thomas said. “I always think I could clear the bar once I have an opportunity. Once I was out, I knew I didn’t have that opportunity.

On passing at 2.35m, Thomas said there were “three ahead of me who had cleared the height, so if I had done the height, I would have still been out of a medal. I came here to try and get a medal for Eight Mile Rock and the Bahamas. It just didn’t happen.”

Bothered by a slight back injury that he had to get treatment on immediately after he finished competing, 29-year-old Thomas said he will go back to the “drawing board” and try to get over the championship and move on from there.

Ingraham pleased

It was his coming out party and Ingraham made believers out of the unbelievers when he got into the final. In the final, he noted that he got the confidence that he needed to be a professional athlete.

“It wasn’t one of my best and it wasn’t one of my worst. I had some difficulties in my arch, so I just have to go and work on that,” he said. “I was pleased because this is my first time jumping with these guys.

“The only person I was familiar with was Donald. So it was good to come here and to get this experience, jumping in the final.”

The former basketball player said he wasn’t nervous at all. He noted that he tried as best to fit in, but admitted that the competition was just a little too much for him at this stage in his career.

“This is the best competition that I’ve been in my life, so I learnt a few things,” he said. “I was just looking at the guy trying to break the world record. Maybe I can be doing something like that in the future.”

Coach Rolle elated

James Rolle, the field coach on the Bahamas team, said he couldn’t ask for a better performance from both Thomas and Ingraham. “Everyone performed to the best of their abilities. They went out and made it to the final and they got some good jumps, so it was good,” Rolle said.

As the personal coach of Ingraham, Rolle said he was even more thrilled because “he’s young, he has a lot of growing up to do and the people over here just love him, especially the jumpers. They wanted to know where this guy came from. Next year, he will be better. We are getting ready for Brazil in 2016 (for the Summer Olympic Games). That’s the main goal and World Championships will be in 2015 so they will definitely see us again in much better condition.”

Rolle said the sky is the limit for Ingraham, who promised the Bahamian people that they will eventually see a global medallist in the future.