The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LONDON, England: Warren Fraser will cherish the memory of running next to Usain Bolt, but he wished his performance matched the exposure he got on the electrifying opening night of the 16th IAAF World Championships.

Before the jam-packed Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where he made his Olympic Games debut in 2012, Fraser slipped to seventh place in 10.42 seconds and 36th place overall as he failed to move on. Bolt, in his farewell championships, easily took the tape in a modest 10.07 for the eighth best time going into tomorrow's semi-final.

"I'm glad for the experience. I felt the adrenalin pumping. It was an amazing feeling," said the 5 feet, 8 inches Fraser about his 'David versus Goliath' match-up against the 6 foot 5 Bolt.

"I was running against a legend. It wasn't the best race, but I'm glad to be back at this level competing again."

Earlier, after a brief opening ceremony, Fraser ran out of lane six in the last of four heats in the preliminary rounds as an invitee by the IAAF. He advanced to the first round after he got out to a good start, but he faded into third going to the line in 10.30 for the eighth fastest time.

The 26-year-old graduate from Clemson University was the first of three Bahamians to get an invitation to compete in an individual event for Team Bahamas after he failed to qualify with his season's best of 10.18, just shy of his personal best of 10.14.

The night ended with another icon, Britain's own Mohamed Farah rocking the home crowd for the first medal of the championships in a world leading time of 26:49.51 in the men's 10,000m.

During the pre-show that began with a reallocation ceremony for five 4x400m relay teams and two 400m runners whose finishes at the 2009, 2011 and 2013 World Championships were upgraded following disqualifications for anti-doping rule violations, IAAF Councilwoman Pauline Davis-Thompson made her first appearance as a presenter.

Davis-Thompson, a member of the Bahamian Golden Girls' 4 x 100m relay team in Seville, Spain in 1999, did some double duties as she presented the bronze medals to Great Britain women's 4 x 400m team from Berlin in 2009 and Jamaica's Stephanie Ann McPherson receiving the same colour from the 400m in Moscow in 2013.

HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, delivered the opening address on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and was joined by IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe, who welcomed a record 2,038 athletes from 203 countries.

The brief opening ceremony was completed as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan officially opened the games.

Day two of the championships will get started in the first morning session at 6:21 am EST. National record holder Steven Gardiner beings his quest for a breakout year when he runs in the fourth of six heats in the men's 400m.

He will run out of lane seven in a race that will feature American Wilbert London III in five, Jamaican Steven Gayle in six, Dominican Republic's Luguelin Santos in eight and Belgium's Jonathan Borlee in nine.

The first three of each heat automatically qualify with the next six fastest times advancing to the semi-final on Sunday at 2:40pm. The final is set for Tuesday at 4:50pm.

Also in action today is national triple jump record holder Tamara Myers. Another IAAF invitee who will be the last of 13 competitors in Group B. She didn't officially qualify for the event like Fraser, but got an invitation to compete in her first World Championships, based on her season and personal best of 14.03m.

The field of 26, including 13 from Group A, will need to clear 14.20m or post one of the best 12 performances to advance to Monday's final.

The next Bahamian athlete in action will be Shaunae Miller-Uibo as she begins her quest for the historic 200/400m double for women with the first round of the 400m on Sunday at 6:55am EST.