The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN sprinter Anthonique Strachan and high jumper Donald Thomas continued their post-Olympic Games season in separate meets last week in Europe.

Competing at the XXXIV Meeting Citta Di Padova in Padova, Italy on Sunday, Strachan made her second appearance since the Olympics in August by placing seventh in the women’s 100 metres in 11.30 seconds. The race was won by American Sha’Carri Richardson in 10.72, followed by the Jamaican duo of Brianna Williams and Javianne Oliver, both timed in 10.97.

When contacted in Italy where Strachan is a part of the Jamaica’s MVP Track Club’s training camp, she said it was just another race in her return to competition since she was eliminated in the semi-finals of the women’s 200m at the Olympics

“I don’t necessarily feel any ways about the race yesterday,” said. Strachan, who celebrated her 28th birthday on August 22. “I can’t go through the race because I really haven’t had any attachment to it.”

There was a lot of hype around Richardson, who was not allowed to compete at the Olympics because of a marijuana violation. She went head-to-head with the top three Jamaican sprinters Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in the first meet after the Olympics and finished in last place.

While Fraser-Pryce participated in another meet, both Thompson-Herah and Jackson took the day off.

Competing

Strachan, however, said competing against Richardson was just like competing against the Jamaicans sprinters, whom she’s been training with in Jamaica.

“She’s a normal competitor like everybody else in my eyesight,” Strachan lamented. “I don’t see anything outside of the normal of her being the next runner in the next lane. I don’t know what she is going through, but I can’t speak on that.”

As for her performance, Strachan said she’s “fine with everything” and she “can’t complain” about anything right now.

While they were in Padova competing, Fraser-Pryce returned to competition at the Memorial Kamili Skolimowskiej where she won the century in a meet record of 10.81. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji took second in 11.08 with Great Britain’s Daryll Neita third in 11.15.

It was Strachan’s second race since the Olympics. She showed up at the startling line for the women’s 100m at the 57th Palio Citta della Quercia in Roverto last Tuesday, running 11.57 for eighth place. Trinidad & Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye won in 11.20. Americans Candice Hill was second in 11.21 and Kayla White got third in 11.24.

Strachan, who has produced personal bests of 11.20 in the 100m in Barcelona, Spain on July 11, 2012 and 22.32 in the 200m at home on June 22, 2013, ran her season’s best of 11.30 at home as well on June 25 and 22.56 at the Olympics on August 2 in Tokyo, Japan.

Also at the meet in Rovereto, Thomas competed in his second post-Olympics meet in the men’s high jump where he placed 11th with a leap of 7-feet, 0 1.2-inches or 2.15 metres.

American Shelby McEven won the event with a leap of 7-5 ¾ (2.28m). Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi was second with 7-4 ½ (2.25m) and Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko was third with a season’s best of 7-3 ¼ (2.22m).

The 37-year-old Thomas, who didn’t advance to the finals in Tokyo, is the 2007 World champion. He produced a season’s best of 7-5 ¾ (2.28m) on June 12 at the Centre Sportif Bout-du-Monde in Geneve, Switzerland.

His lifetime best is 7-9 ¼ (2.37m), which he recorded on June 18, 2016 at the Sostoi Stadion in Szekesfehervair, Hungary.