The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LONDON, England: The team of Warren Fraser, Shavez Hart, Sean Stuart and Teray Smith ran 39.35 for seventh place in their heat, but it didn’t matter as they got disqualified during the heats on Saturday at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium.

They followed on the heels of the disaster of the women’s 4 x 100m team that dropped the baton on the second exchange and was unable to finish. More drama unfolded as both the women and men’s 4 x 400m teams failed to move on in their heats.

Despite not getting the opportunity to come back for a second run in the final later that night, said he got out of the blocks very strong and was able to accelerate to get the baton to Hart.

“The exchanges wasn’t as perfect. I ran up on Shavez a little bit, but it just could have been cleaner exchanges,” he said. “This is our first competition together, including Sean. But I was expecting cleaner exchanges.”

In time, Fraser said they will get better once they can stay together.

Hart said they didn’t get in sufficient practice and it showed.

“It’s a first time we had a new member (Stuart), so we had to incorporate him in over the past three days,” he said. “We did a good job as far as getting the baton around the track. We had three guys returning and we just plugged in a new guy. It wasn’t difficult because we were already acclimatized with each other.”

But Hart admitted that if The Bahamas is going to be a contender for the event, they all have to do a better job of lowering their personal best performances in the 100 and 200m.

As the new kid on the block, Stuart said he got a wake up call.

“I have to try to get used to this atmosphere and the crowd and the people on the track,” he said. “I know they are there and I have to work harder because this is unacceptable. We just have to keep moving forward.”

Stuart just thanked his team-mates for helping him to get the jitterbug of his international debut out of his system.

“We have a very solid team. I got plugged in very late,” he said. “We just need some more chemistry moving forward and we will be alright.”

Smith, however, didn’t mince words on their performance.

“It wasn’t good at all. It was horrible,” he stressed. “We fumbled the baton. We were in the back from then. I’m just happy that the season is over. I had a long season. Just happy that it’s over.”

As for the make-up of the team, Smith said it’s “okay. We just need more work”.

The team of Fraser, Hart, Cliff Resias and Adrian Griffith clocked 31.18 for third place in the B final behind Trinidad & Tobago and Germany at the World Relays. But by virtue of only five teams finishing the A final, they were bumped up to the six, seven and eight spots respectively to qualify for London.

One of the members of Team Bahamas at the World Relays tested positive and had the team’s trip to the championships in jeopardy. But the IAAF granted them permission and allowed them to compete without the athlete.

The Bahamas has never won a medal in the men’s relay at these championships.

In London, Great Britain, behind the tremendous support of the home crowd, pulled off the upset with a world leading time of 37.47. The United States had to settle for the silver in a season’s best of 37.52. Japan, surprisingly, claimed the bronze in their SB’s best of 38.04.

That was because Usain Bolt, in his farewell race, pulled up with about 70 metres left as he trailed Briton’s Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and American Christian Coleman, the silver medalist in the 100m.

Bolt, the 30-year-old 100/200m world record holder, made one final return to the track as he was given a tribute, led by IAAF president Sebastian Coe and the Major of London, as he was presented with a piece of the stadium track from 2012 when he dominated the Olympic Games here.

To the delight of the crowd, the world’s greatest sprinting icon made a long stroll around the track as he said his final goodbyes to the song ‘Reggae Night, Jamming and One Love.” He was stopped by two young boys, one of whom got a chance to get a selfie photograph taken of the superstar.

Before he got to the finish line, he was greeted by his proud parents. As he got to the line, he knelt and bowed, giving thanks. On the stop clock were his world records of 9.58 in the 100m and 19.19 in the 200m.

So long to the legend.