The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

RYAN Ingraham just missed surpassing the A standard for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. But before the biggest global meet for the year is held in August, his coach James Rolle is confident that he will be able to attain the standard.

Fresh off his victory over Donald Thomas (both clearing 2.28m (7-5 3/4) at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations National Championships in Grand Bahama, Ingraham went to Canada and avenged a loss to American Keith Moffatt at the Edmonton International Track Classic.

On Saturday, Ingraham soared a personal best of 2.30 metres or 7-feet, 6 1/2-inches. The feat was just short of the World Championship A standard of 2.31m (7-7), but it was good enough for him to beat out Moffatt, who finished second at 2.15m (7-0 1/2).

Moffatt, the only other competitor in the event, beat out Ingraham at the inaugural Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational at the new Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on April 13.

“It was alright,” said Ingraham on his return home after being the only Bahamian to compete in the meet. “It was what I expected. It wasn’t too bad.”

Ingraham, the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championship bronze medallist, noted that the weather wasn’t the best for him to compete in, but it’s all a part of his growing pains as a competitor on the international scene.

“I would have been able to jump like I wanted to if the weather was better,” he said. “But I went out there and did what I had to do. It was alright. There wasn’t that much competition. It was alright.”

Without the competition, Ingraham said he didn’t get the push he needed. But he admitted that maybe the big jump in the height played a factor as well. After clearing his winning height, he attempted 2.35m (7-8 1/2) instead of slowly moving up the ladder.

“I wanted to get used to going up the higher heights,” Ingraham said. “I got pretty close to clearing it on my second attempt, so I think I’m ready.”

His coach James Rolle, who didn’t make the trip to Canada, said he was pleased with the effort, which was another B qualifier for Moscow. The B mark is 2.28m (7-5 3/4).

“He went along with the plan,” Rolle said. “He did well with it. He did it on his first attempt at 2:30, so it tells us that he is on target for what we want him to achieve this year. I don’t want to talk about it until it reaches. But he’s on target. I told him to come in at 2:15m (7-0 1/2), then jump 2.20 (7-2 1/2), 2.25 (7-4 1/2) and he did it.”

Rolle, a former national team jumper, said the goal is for Ingraham to jump the right height at the right time.

“He will get the A standard. That will come. We’re just working on a plan,” Rolle said. “Our plan is to jump at the CAC Championship and jump the A qualifying height and more. From here on in, he’s only going to start jumping higher and higher.”

Ingraham, the 19-year-old former basketball star with the CI Gibson Rattlers senior boys basketball team, said it’s good to be where he’s at right now in the Bahamas, having done the best performance so far for the year.

“The hard work is definitely paying off,” he said. “I feel good about where I’m at and what coach Rolle is doing to get me to where I need to be.”

STRACHAN DISQUALIFIED

While Ingraham took care of business in Edmonton, sprinter Anthonique Strachan competed in the Birmingham Diamond League in England.

Strachan, fresh off her impressive victory in the 200m in an IAAF A qualifying time of 22.32 seconds, was lined up to compete against some of the best competitors in a prelude to the World Championships in Moscow in August.

However, Strachan was disqualified in the half-lap race on Sunday that was won by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare in 22.55. Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was second in 22.72 and Bulgeria’s Ivet Lalova was third in 23.02.

Strachan was the only Bahamian to compete in the meet in Birmingham.

Strachan, 19, is the 2012 World Junior 100 and 200m sprint champion. She has posted the fastest time by any Bahamian this year in the 200m. Her 22.32 is listed as the third fastest time in the world behind Fraser-Pryce (22.13) and Okagbare (22.31). Shaunae Miller, the fastest Bahamian in the 400, is next at 22.45.