The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GLASGOW, Scotland: One half of the mission was accomplished on Day 9 of the 20th Commonwealth Games as both the women and men’s 4 x 400 metre relay teams advanced to the final when the curtain came down at the Hampden Park National Stadium.

The women’s team of Christine Amertil (with a 53.0 spilt), Shakeitha Henfield (52.8), Miriam Byfield (53.47) and Lanece Clarke (52.53) posted a fourth place finish in the first of two heats in three minutes, 31.91 seconds for fifth overall.

Their time was just off their season’s best of 3:31.71, which the same team ran for second place behind Australia in the B final of the inaugural IAAF World Relay held in Nassau this May.

Yesterday, Great Britain, anchored by Christine Ohuruogu, won the heat in 3:27.88 for the fastest qualifying time for today’s final, while Nigeria got second in 3:28.28 and Canada was third in 3:31.02. Jamaica won the second heat in 3:28.29.

For starters, Amertil brought the baton home in second place behind England as she passed it off to Henfield.

“I was a little flat at the beginning, but hopefully tomorrow with the rust brushed off, we will be able to do a lot better tomorrow (today),” Amertil said.

Henfield who got passed by Canada on the back stretch and Nigeria on the home stretch as she brought the baton in to Byfield, said she went out and ran a more strategic race.

“I might have played it a little too close, but it’s better to be safe,” said Henfield, who remembered how the baton got knocked out of her hand in the heats of the World Relays, eliminating the Bahamas from the final.

“I didn’t want to go out too hard and come home dying. My goal was to execute and get the baton around so that we can get into the final.”

On her third leg Byfield started in fourth and she stayed there until she tried to close in on Canada coming to the finish line.

“I just went out there and did my best,” Byfield said. “I think I was kind off to relxed on the back stretch, but all in all, it was good enough to get us in the final. We just have to come back strong in the final.”

And for Clarke, coming off an appearance in the heats of the 400m, she started almost even with Canada in fourth place, but didn’t make any ground as she stayed in fifth for the rest of the way.

“I ran pretty decent. This was just a warm up for the final,” Clarke said. “I’m looking forward to doing even better in the final.”

Moments after the women’s advancement, the men’s team of collegiate Alonzo Russell (46.3), Michael Mathieu (45.4), Andretti Bain (46.36) and a well rested Chris Brown (45.50) powered through to take the first of three heats in 3:03.71.

That placed them third overall in the qualifying round behind England, the winner of heat three in 3:03.01. Trinidad & Tobago took heat two in 3:04.06. The Bahamas was well off the season’s best of 2:57.59 for the silver behind the United States, who is not a part of the Commonwealth Games.

The women’s final will be ran at 2.50pm EST today with the Bahamas running out of lane two and the men will follow at 3.10pm EST.

Making his debut on the team at a major meet for the Bahamas, Russell said he felt he did a pretty decent job getting the Bahamas out front on his opening leg.

“We don’t have two of the Golden Knights, but this team is still pretty good,” Russell. “We can do a lot of damage with what we have here.”

Noted Bain: “We just really wanted to keep our position and I felt I was able to do that. We we’re going to bring in Latoy (Williams). I’m not sure who will be out, but we will be going to win it.”

Bain said they were happy to have Brown back in the line-up because from day one, he told them that he’s here to win the gold.

“He wanted to come out to run the rounds and he proved that he is ready,” Bain said.

Brown, having qualified in the eighth and final spot for the 400m, opted not to compete after he was diagnosed with a stomach virus. Looked like he was over the bug as he pulled the Bahamas from second place into the lead on the anchor leg.

“In all things, I give God thanks. I came lout here today with my team-mates and we did what we had to do and that was to execute,” Brown said. “We did it and even though I’m not in 100 percent, we hope to come out tomorrow and repeat what we did today.”

The Bahamas is also hoping to get both the women and men 4 x 100m relay teams into the finals that will close out the athletic programme at the games tonight. The women will be contested at 3.50 pm EST, while the men will go at 4.15 pm EST.