The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL triple and long jump record holders respectively, Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands and Bianca ‘BB’ Stuart are expected to headline a star-studded list of local and international athletes when the first Blue Marlin Track Classic is held at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday.

The event, organised by former quarter-miler Demaris Cash, is scheduled to begin at 5pm.

Sands, fresh off his second place finish in the men’s triple jump at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Open Track and Field Championships over the weekend, will be continuing his recovery on his “Road to Success,” as he competes in one of the two marquee events on the field.

The other will be the women’s long jump where Stuart, who just improved on her national record when she won the women’s event with another qualifying performance for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China in August, will be among the competitors.

A number of key match-ups are on tap for the track, but Cash said the two field events will definitely take the spotlight.

“We have about two US guys coming in to compete against Leevan and we will also have one of the two high jumpers in the Caribbean, Lavern Spencer from St Lucia and a number of Jamaicans, who will be competing in the meet,” Cash said. “So it’s shaping up to be a great meet.”

The meet comes right on the heels of the national track and field championships in various countries in the region and will serve as a last chance for some of the competitors who may have missed the opportunity so far to qualify for the World Championships.

It will also officially launch the club that has been created by Cash to provide an avenue for a higher level of track and field competition in the Bahamas where foreign athletes will get a chance to compete in a meet that falls in between their nationals and the major international meets in the world.

“After the first meet this weekend, hopefully people will become more familiar with the name,” Cash said. “As a former quarter-miler, my heart has and is always in track and field. So when I decided to form a company, I thought I will invest in a track meet to push our Bahamian athletes further into the world stage.

“Track is a hot spot and as evident by the IAAF World Relays that we held for the past two years, there is a lot of camaraderie and fun for the athletes. I’m just looking forward to some exciting competition and some very good times being posted by all those competing.”

While not all athletes will get a chance to travel to Europe to compete in meets, this will provide a chance for them to extend their season.

In addition to the pro segment of the meet, athletes will get a chance to compete in the under-15, under-18, under-20 and masters categories.

Tickets are available at the Sports Center at Harbour Bay and in the Mall at Marathon.