The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FROM the time that Councilwoman Pauline Davis assured the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) that the Bahamas would be prepared to host the first two editions of the World Relays, president Lamine Diack said he didn’t have any concerns about the event coming off.

On the eve of the start of the inaugural event this weekend at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Diack said at a press conference that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) must be commended for the stellar job they have done in getting ready to host more than 40 of their 200-plus member countries today and Sunday.

“I think we are looking for a wonderful event,” said Diack, who arrived in town on Wednesday and paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Perry Christie. “This country has a strong tradition in relays and we are here to see a spectacular event because I am very pleased with the improvement that I saw at the stadium.”

With all of the tickets sold out for the 15,000-seat arena, the public will get a chance to watch some of the local talent in the junior segment of the championships from 3.30pm to 4.30pm before the actual relay events get started at 5.30 pm on both days of competition.

A total of USD $1.4 million is being offered in prize money in all five events – men and women 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, 4x800 and 4x1500 metres – while the top eight teams in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays will automatically qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.

Diack, whose last official visit to the Bahamas was in 2002 for CARIFTA, said with so many top athletes representing their respective countries he is anticipating that a number of world records will be broken. For each record set, the IAAF will award a bonus of $50,000.

Lionel Haven, the managing director of the LOC, said they have put in countless hours and they have done a lot of things that people thought were impossible in order to get the stadium ready for competition.

“I would be the first to say that everything is not perfect, but what people are going to see when they come to this stadium on Saturday and Sunday is an absolutely world class event,” Mr Haven said.

Also at yesterday’s press conference were Keith Parker and Mike Sands, the LOC’s Chairman and Deputy Chairman respectively, as well as Davis-Thompson, Sergey Bubka, another Council member; IAAF secretary general Essar Gabiel and Nick Davies, the IAAF Deputy General Secretary and Communications Director.

After all of the formalities, there were special segments featuring some of the top athletes from around the world. The three-part event was hosted by IAAF Ambassador and 1997 World 200m champion Ato Boldon from Trinidad and Tobago. Each athlete was asked briefly about their careers and competing here in the Bahamas.

The first session was geared towards the sprinters for the 4x100 and 4x200m relays and featured World Indoor 60m champion Richard Kelty from Great Britain, Jamaicans Yohan Blake and Kerron Stewart and Americans Wallace Spearmon and Bianca Knight.

In the second session, which was devoted to the 4x800 and 4x1,500 relays, Kenya was represented by 2012 World Indoor 3000m champion Hellen Obiri and World 800m champion Eunice Sum, along with Americans Morgan Uceny, the former world number one 1,500m specialist.

Obiri said the goal is for them to compete very well in the 4x1,500m, even though it will be their first time together in a majority championships.

“It’s so nice to be here. It’s a great place to be,” Sum said. “We hope to do very well.”

The last session catered to the quarter-milers and showcased were Americans Sanya Richards-Ross and World triple jump champion Christian Taylor, who has been converted to the 400m, along with Bahamians Christine Amertil-Ling and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, whom Boldon called the “Godfather” of the sport and someone who he has never heard anyone say a bad word about.

Both Amertil-Ling and Brown said they are eager to welcome the world to the Bahamian shores and are looking forward to Team Bahamas performing very well.

“We lost some key legs for the relays, but we still have a very good team,” said Amertil, who is making her return to the track scene after missing out of an international appearance last year. “We’re at home and while there is some pressure on us, we are going to go out there and put our best foot forward.”

For Brown, he said the good thing is that he and his teammates can show the Bahamian people just what they are made off.

“I think it’s good for the sport and while we showed them in London (at the 2012 Olympic Games) and in the US (at the 2014 Penn Relays), we can show them what we are capable of doing at home,” Brown insisted.

“We look forward to welcoming them to our soil where we have the home crowd advantage.

“So I look forward to it,” he said.