The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MOSCOW, Russia — The time: 38.70 seconds. It was posted as a national record for the quartet of sprinters Adrian Griffith, Warren Fraser (he was under the weather over the past few days), Jamial Rolle and Shavez Hart as they clinched third place in the last of three heats in the semifinal of the men’s 4 x 100 metre relay.

As the curtain came down on the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Luzhniki Grand Sports Complex, the effort wasn’t enough to catapult the Bahamas into the final that was won by Jamaica in a world leading time of 37.36 as Usain Bolt celebrated his third title in nine days since he first did the triple dip at the 12th championship in Berlin, Germany, in 2009.

The United States had to settle for the silver in 37.66 and Canada moved up from fourth to achieve the bronze in 37.92, their season’s best, after Great Britain was disqualified from running third in 37.80, their SB as well.

For the Bahamas there was no final or medal but the four young men proud of their sixth place time of 38.70 that now validates the new national record after the previous mark of 38.70 that the team of Griffith, Rolle, Trevorvano Mackey and Hart ran to win the gold at the Central American and Caribbean Championships in July in Mexico, would be squashed considering the fact that prior to coming here, Mackey learnt a positive drug testing from the BAAA Nationals in Grand Bahama in June.

“I felt good leading off. It’s a blessing to be here once again,” he said. “I came back from having surgery last year and I told these guys that we are going to make it to Moscow and we wanted to do our best. We went to Mexico and we did what we had to do and we came here and we still did what we had to do. I think we did a good job. We can’t be disappointed. We did great.”

Here on the grandest stage of all this year, Griffith said the key was for the team to “get the baton around” and despite the fact that they didn’t compete since running in Mexico, they performed exceptionally well without sufficient time to practice.

“It was the worst week for us because Warren was on drips for two days in a row,” Griffith noted. “I’m happy that he is back to run because we only had four guys here to run and so I’m proud of these guys.”

Without Mackey and national record holder Derrick Atkins, who pulled out from competing here because of an injury, Griffith said they couldn’t be concerned about “who wasn’t here.”

“We had to focus on what we had to do. The key was to gel and get ready.”

Griffith, 28, said they were more disappointed when they heard that the women’s team had gotten disqualified, especially after winning their heat.

Although he sounded like he should be in bed, Griffith said he was thrilled to have been a part of his first relay team at this level.

“I went out there and run my heart out. My heart and my lungs almost ran out of my chest,” he said. “I ran hard and I gave it all I had. So I’m just glad that I came out here and worked with all of the guys. They were strong and I was sick. We couldn’t practice for almost a week. I just thank God I came back right in time to run because it was only four of us and we made it work. Thank God that he made it all work for us.”

Still trying to recuperate fully from the flu, 22-year-old Fraser said he was just glad to have been a part of the new record-breaking team. “Any team we put together from now, we will continue to break the national record,” he said. “This is the first time we had all of these guys healthy. Anytime you see us run, we are going to be breaking the national record.”

Rolle, considered the elder statesman of the team at age 33, said he was happy to step in as “the 200m guy” to help out and contribute to the team setting another record, despite not getting into the final.

“We have to thank God for small mercies,” he said. “Year by year, the men’s sprinting in the Bahamas is improving and we are continuing to do our part, so that is what we have to take from this meet and take into the World Relays next year and the years to come. We have a good platform for that and things are really looking good.”

Hart, the youngest member of the team who will turn 21 on September 6, said he felt good about his performance and he tried as best as he could to come back with the Bahamas trailing.

“Everybody did the best they could do today, but I think we have a better chance in the future with this same team because we have more time to grow and develop ourselves,” said Hart, the second fastest Bahamian at 10.16 behind 2007 World Championship silver medallist Atkins, who holds the national record at 9.91.

“I tried to make up ground, the more I tried, the closer the finish line was coming. So I just tried to hold ground and bring us home so we can get a good time.”

The athletes say their performances will only motivate them as they all gear up for the initial IAAF World Relays that will be held at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium in May.