The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MOSCOW, Russia — There were no medals but a tie with seven other countries for 30th place in the standings after a fourth and a sixth place in two finals was all that Team Bahamas could muster as the changing of the guard was quite evident in a number of events at the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championship.

It marked the first time since the 4th championships in 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany, that the Bahamas’ well ran dry, but both team manager Ralf McKinney and head coach George Cleare said they are pleased with the reservoir of talent that was on display over the nine days at the Luzhniki Grand Sports Complex.

“We’re 30th in comparison to 200 and something other countries,” McKinney said. “That in itself is a major achievement. We’re at the point where our athletes have to know that when they get to this level, they have to be prepared to give it their best shot. I think, for the most part, our athletes did the best that they could. Notwithstanding that, we had a lot of young people on this team and they went out there and they performed. The young people carried this team.”

If that says anything, McKinney said the future should be a glaring bright one for the Bahamas.

“This is a very, very high level and so I think the athletes went out there and gave it their best,” he said. “We had some major disappointments, but that is expected from this kind of competition. We just have to make sure that all of our athletes are better prepared when they come here to compete.”

McKinney’s assessment was based on Shaunae Miller, who had an eye-raising feat when she became the second competitor ever at age 19 to make it in the women’s 400 metre final, another 19-year-old Ryan Ingraham, who made the men’s high jump final, 21-year-old Shavez Hart, a second round competitor in the men’s 100m and Jeffery Gibson, who celebrated his 23th birthday on August 15, got to the semifinal of the men’s 400m hurdles.

Of course, there were some vintage performances from veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, 37, with her sterling come-from-behind anchor leg on the women’s 4 x 100m relay, Donald Thomas, 29, with his sixth place in the men’s high jump and 34-year-old Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown’s stellar opening leg on the men’s 4 x 400m relay.

Unfortunately, the women’s 4 x 1 team got disqualified for a lane violation on the first leg and the men’s 4 x 4 team didn’t get into

the final - three members of the victorious gold medal team at the London Olympics didn’t run because of injuries.

Cleare, who headed the coaching staff that included Fritz Grant, Tyrone Burrows and James Rolle with assistance from Henry Rolle and technical director Frank ‘Pancho’ Rahming, said they really wanted to get on the podium, especially in the women’s 4 x 100 relay.

“I feel with planning and structure, we are well on our way to being once again on the podium,” he said. “We had some near misses that left

us just short of medals. With the core of this team being so young, we will see the benefits at the next major games, I can assure you.”

Cleare publicly thanked the management team, comprising of Ralf McKinney and Maybelene Miller, BAAA president Mike Sands, Dr Keir Miller, Dr Claussen and Rufus Hanna, who all played a part in assisting the coaching staff in getting the athletes ready to compete.

“Thank you Bahamas for your support and prayers,” he said. “We fought, we competed hard and we left with our heads held high because we gave it our all.”

With the biggest global meet over and done with, McKinney said some of the athletes will be leaving the beautiful city of Moscow to either return home, to school or remain in some parts of Europe to continue competing. He noted that both Thomas and Ingraham are off to compete in about two meets as a result of their sixth and 10th place finishes respectively in the men’s high jump final.

Miller will be heading to the University of Georgia to school, while Sheniqua ‘Q’ Ferguson and Anthonique Strachan are scheduled to head to

Auburn where they will join Nivea Smith, who returned to school ahead of everybody.

The remainder of the team, who are not stopping elsewhere in the United States when they leave on Tuesday, will either go to Grand Bahama or New Providence. But there won’t be any assembling of the entire team.