The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations has released a list of 25 athletes who have been ratified for the team to represent the Bahamas at the IAAF World Championships later this month.

The list, announced by BAAA executives during a press conference yesterday, is made up of 17 men and eight women for the biennial meet, to be hosted August 22-30 in Beijing, China.

The team will be headlined by 19-year-old 400 metre sprint sensation Steven Gardiner on the men’s side and Shaunae Miller, who has been dominant in both the 200m and the 400 this season, on the women’s side.

In addition, Pan Am Games 400m hurdles gold medallist Jeffery Gibson, the high jump trio of former world champion Donald Thomas, Ryan Ingraham and Trevor Barry, and the return of Leevan “Superman” Sands to elite level competition will be athletes to watch for Team Bahamas in their bid for the podium.

Several members of Team Bahamas will be competing at the World Championship level for the first time, providing a cross-section of youth and experience which head coach Fritz Grant said should prove beneficial for the team.

“The mentorship of our senior athletes cannot be underscored as well. I think it will be a good mixture of our senior athletes and those who will be competing at this level for the first time. So I’m confident in the cohesiveness and synergy,” Grant said. “Looking at their performances, bear in mind these athletes have had a very long season, but there exposure to elite level meets and that experience of Pan Am, NACAC, World Junior, these will pay big dividends.”

Still holding onto the two fastest times ran so far this year by any Bahamian - 44.27 secs and 44.30  secs - Gardiner told The Tribune he was pleased with his performances heading into his World Championship debut.

“I have been working hard doing a lot of quality running so that I will be ready come Beijing,” he said.

He has posted the seventh and ninth fastest time on the IAAF Top List.

For the fourth time in his career, and the second time this season, Gibson lowered the Bahamian national record in the 400m hurdles when he claimed a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Canada.

Gibson is listed as the ninth fastest athlete and No.16 on the IAAF Top List in his Pan Am gold time of 48.51 seconds.

Miller is ranked No.4 in the world in the 200m in a national record time of 22.14.

Becoming just the third Bahamian to dip under the 50-second barrier when she ran 49.92 on in her last one-lap race in Lausanne on July 9, Miller trails only Francena McCorory, who has recorded the top three fastest times in the quarter-mile this year.

“We are very fortunate, we have a number of our athletes that are ranked in the top 10,” BAAA president Mike Sands said. “They understand and their individual coaches understand what they are up against. Also of note, everyone who has been named to the team will be a part of the relay pool.”

Another point of contention for team selection has been the men’s 400m pool, and BAAA officials remain tight- lipped on the final three athletes who will compete.

Chris “Fireman” Brown, the former national record holder in the 400m and one of the London Olympics “Golden Knights,” was initially left off the team for the World Championships.

Brown, 36, did not compete at the BAAA Senior Nationals, but has run three sub-45 second 400m races this season and his time of 44.54 stands as the second fastest time of any Bahamian this year, behind Gardiner’s 44.27.

The top four finishers all went under the world championships qualifying standard of 45.50, with Michael Mathieu second in 45.00, LaToy Williams third in 45.30 and Ramon Miller ran 45.36 for fourth.

“That information will be revealed in short order, there are discussions that are taking place, but it is no secret,” Sands said. “We have entered our athletes and the final declaration will be made at the appropriate time but all of our athletes have been entered in their respective events. It is expected that the management staff will have discussions prior to the deadline which is 24 hours prior to final declaration.”

Team manager Ralph McKinney said: “In the individual events, the USA and Jamaica have five athletes entered in the 400m, we are just as evasive as they are. If you look at the USA team they have Allyson Felix in the 200m and 400m and we have done the same.”

Whenever an athlete has done an A qualifying standard, a country is allowed to carry a maximum of three, considering that they all make the A standard. In the case of athletes only making the B standard in an event, only one athlete will be given the preference to compete.

The A standard in the event is 45.50.

The Bahamas has also qualified for the women’s 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 and the men’s 4 x 400m relays. Additionally, athletes have been ratified to make up those teams. The complete list of relay pools is posted in the list of the team members. The teams will start departing Nassau on Monday.

The 2015 IAAF World Championships will be the largest sporting event to take place at Beijing’s National Stadium or the “Bird’s Nest” since the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, it marked the first time since 1993 in Stuttgart, Germany that the Bahamas did not receive a medal at the meet.

The Bahamas was tied for 30th place with seven other countries on the placing table, thanks to Miller’s impressive fourth place in the women’s 200m and Donald Thomas’ sixth place in the high jump.

TEAM BAHAMAS

Males

Shavez Hart

Latario Collie-Minns

Alonzo Russell

Jeffery Gibson

LaToy Williams

Michael Mathieu

Leevan Sands

Chris Brown

Teray Smith

Donald Thomas

Ryan Ingraham

Trevor Barry

Steven Gardiner

Ramon Miller

Elroy McBride

Warren Fraser

Jonathan Farquharson

Females

Sheniqua Ferguson

Bianca Stuart

Adanaca Brown

Devynne Charlton

Shaunae Miller

Katrina Seymour

Christine Amertil

Lanece Clarke

Management Team

Head Coach - Fritz Grant

Assistant Coach - Tyrone

Burrows

Assistant Coach - Peter

Pratt

Assistant Coach - Shaun

Miller

Manager - Ralph

McKinney

Technical Leader -

Franklyn Rahming

Press Attache - Philippa

Arnette-Willie

Official - M Miller

Doctor - Dr Keir Miller

Chiropractor - Dr Kelly

Kemp

Physiotherapist - Khalid

Hanna