Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

Saturday, May 12, 201#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Bahamian twin towers Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo sparkled at the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Shanghai Diamond League Meet on Saturday by winning the men’s 400 and women’s 200 metres in record-breaking times.

#Gardiner, coming off his sensational world-leading 43.87 seconds in Doha, Qatar on May 4 at the first of the 12 Diamond League events before the two finals are held at the end of the year, pulled away for another fantastic performance as he took the men’s one-lap race in 43.99.

#In the process, the 22-year-old 6-feet, 2-inches Abaco native and former Moores Island student, erased the meet record of 44.02 that was set by American Jeremy Wariner in 2007 and tied by Grenada’s Kirani James in 2013. The 2017 IAAF World Championship silver medalist is running both the 200 and 400m this year.

#Once again, Gardiner beat a talented field that included Botswana’s triple Commonwealth Games gold medalist Isaacs Makwala, who had to settle for second in a season’s best of 44.23 after he got third in the first meeting of the three top performers in the world so far this year. Makwala switched places with Qatar’s Abdalleleh Haroun, who was third in 44.51. Haroun, the World Championship bronze medalist, was second in Qatar.

#As for Miller-Uibo, she made her 2018 IAAF Diamond League debut an impressive one. She ran away with the women’s 200m in 22.06 for her season’s best and a meet record, replacing the previous mark of 22.36 that was held by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor from 2014.

#The 24-year-old 6-1 Miller-Uibo, a native of Nassau and a graduate of St Augustine’s College, was just short of posting the fastest time in the world. She trails Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, who managed 22.04 in Abilene, Texas on March 24. Miller, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist is coming off her triumph at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

#In securing her win, Miller-Uibo got the best of the much anticipated showdown against Netherland’s two-time world champion Dafnee Schippers, second in her season’s best of 22.34; Jamaican Commonwealth Games’ silver medalist Shericka Jackson third in 22.36 and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou, double silver medalist at the World Championships, fourth in 22.58. Ta Lou switched to the half-lap race after turning in a lifetime and world leading time of 10.85 in the century in Doha.

#The next event on the Diamond League is the Prefontaine Classic at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from May 25-26 where Gardiner will have to move down to the 200m and Miller-Uibo will move up to the 400m. The Diamond League series closes out with the two finals at the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland on August 30 and the AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium on August 31.

Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner.

Friday, April 20, 2018

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamian track and field twin towers of Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner are tentatively set to continue their impressive seasons at the 2018 Shanghai Diamond League next month.

#The respective 6-foot, 2-inch and 6-1 dynamic duo, under the management of On Track Management in Florida, are scheduled to be among a list of 14 world and Olympic champions who will appear on the second meet of the Diamond League on Saturday, May 12, in Shanghai, China.

#The International Amateur Athletic Federation announced their participation as the Diamond League continues following the Commonwealth Games that was held last week in the Gold Coast, Australia.

#It’s the second of the Diamond League meetings, following the opener on May 4 in Doha, Qatar, and the third of the 12 series of meets at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, May 25-26. The series will culminate with the finals in Zurich on August 30 and Brussels on August 31.

#Miller-Uibo, who celebrated her 24th birthday on the close of the Commonwealth Games on April 15, will face her second match-up against a gold medallist after she outduelled Jamaica’s 2016 Olympic double sprint champion Elaine Thompson twice en route to winning the gold in the women’s 200m in a record-breaking performance in the Gold Coast.

#Clocking 22.09 seconds, Miller-Uibo eclipsed the previous games’ record of 22.20 that was set by fellow Bahamian ‘Golden Girl’ Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie when she dominated the sprints in 2002 in Manchester, England, by adding the century title and helping the Bahamas cart off the 4 x 100m crown as well.

#Miller-Uibo, the Olympic 400m champion and national record holder at 21.88, will be back for another 200m showdown in Shanghai when she is slated to face Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers in a re-match of last year’s IAAF World Championships in London, England.

#At the championships, Miller-Uibo was attempting to pull off the rare 200/400m double. But after slipping from the gold medal to fourth place in a bizarre finish in the one-lap race, Miller-Uibo rebounded two days later to clinch the bronze in the half-lap race.

#Schippers, 25, repeated as the champion of the hotly contested race. She holds the Netherlands and European area record at 21.63, established in 2015, placing her at number three on the all-time list of performers with Miller-Uibo at No.21.

#Gardiner, meantime, is scheduled to go back to the men’s 400m where he will face Botswana’s Diamond League champion Isaak Makwala after they missed out on a clash at the World Championships.

#Gardiner, 22, went on to win the silver medal in London behind world record holder Wayde van Niekerk after he became the first Bahamian to break the 44-second barrier lowering his national record to 43.89 seconds in the semifinal, which now ranks him number 13 on the all-time list.

#The 31-year-old Makwala, known for doing his trademark push-ups and saluting to the crowd after he finish running, had to withdrew because of illness in London. He had to subsequently prove his fitness by running by himself in the 200m to earn a spot in the final where he was sixth.

#To close out the year at the IAAF Grand Prix Final, the two faced each other in the 400m. But at the start of the race, Gardiner fell down coming out of the blocks as Makwala surged to victory in 43.95.

#The two were scheduled to clash ‘Down Under’ for the Commonwealth Games, but Abaco native Gardiner stayed in Florida where he made history again at the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on April 7, becoming the first Bahamian again to dip under the 20-second barrier in 19.75, shattering the previous record of 20.16 that was held by Michael Mathieu.

#In Gardiner’s absence, Makwala, 31, went on to easily take the men’s 400m title in the Gold Coast and he anchored Botswana men’s 4 x 400m relay team to the gold, holding of a stiff challenge from Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell as the Bahamas had to settle for the silver.

#With an African continental record of 43.72, posted on July 5, 2015, Makwala is ranked number 8 on the all-time 400m list.

#On Track Management’s Chief Executive Officer Claude Bryant said they are looking forward to the Bahamian dynamic duo to have another fantastic year.

#Bryant noted that if Gardiner gets his travel papers sorted out in the United States, which prevented him from participating at the Commonwealth Games, he will definitely compete in Shanghai. He confirmed that Miller-Uibo is certainly set to go.

#He said Miller-Uibo is currently in “full recovery training then competition,” following a slight injury that she sustained in the Gold Coast after her victory in the 200m, which prevented her from competing on the women’s 4 x 100m relay team that had to withdraw just before the start.

#“Consistency coupled with continued improvement,” was what he’s projecting for the former St Augustine’s College and University of Georgia competitor.

#“As always, she will not be over raced and yes, she will be doing the 400ms.”

#Gardiner, according to Bryant, is “currently in training and looking forward to the Diamond League circuit,” but he declined to put “limits (times) on Mr Gardiner is risky, such is his talent.”

#However, Bryant said “just as with Mrs Miller-Uibo, we take a cautious approach so the norm in his racing schedule will hold sway” for the former Moores Island High School star, who made his debut on the scene as a 200m specialist under coach Anthony Williams.

Friday, August 11, 2017

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#LONDON, England: Some strange things happen in sports and the 16th IAAF World Championships has had many moments of its own.

#Steven Gardiner finally landed a medal on day five, but disaster struck for Shaunae Miller-Uibo at the worst possible time in the final of the women’s 400 metres on a rainy day six.

#Just when Miller-Uibo was about to complete a sensational run out of lane seven and in front of the pack, there was an incredible sequence of events in the last 50m.

#Well in control of her third showdown with American Allyson Felix, Miller-Uibo appeared to wobble. As she tried to regain her composure and accelerate, she was slowly reeled in by American Phyllis Francis, Bahrain’s Salwa Ed Naser and Felix for the gold, silver and bronze in that order.

#All Miller-Uibo could do was hold onto the fourth spot.

#While last year’s win was physically painful as she suffered some bruises, Miller-Uibo had to deal with the mental letdown of watching her quest for the 200/400m double evaporate. She dropped from gold and a hefty cash prize of $60,000 to fourth and $20,000.

#There was no way that Miller-Uibo should have lost the race, no way with the lead that she had developed. You could have looked away and waited for the celebrations to take place.

#Unfortunately, Miller-Uibo’s perfect race up to that point turned into a nightmare.

#It was one of those “what just happened” moments and it’s still hard to fathom that she actually got beat.

#Not only was Miller-Uibo seeking to become the first woman to win the coveted 200/400m double feat, she was looking to join the elite list of Bahamian quarter-milers who have excelled at the global level.

#She would have joined national record holder Tonique Williams, the first Bahamian to turn in back-to-back triumphs after winning gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece and the 2005 Worlds in Helsinki, Finland.

#Now she has the opportunity to be just the second Bahamian to win a World title in the 200m following the achievement of Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada – albeit at the expense of American Marion Jones after she was stripped of her title for doping.

#Tonight, Miller-Uibo will have company as TyNia Gaither turned in a gutsy come-from-behind performance in her heat for fourth place and the last of the two fastest losers times.

#What a night it will be at 4:50 pm EST when they compete against defending champion Dafne Schippers (100m bronze medalist) and the Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou (100m silver medalist), who will be out to claim their second medals in the championships.

#In contrast, Gardiner was sensational from the preliminaries to the final and in between. In the semifinal he came up with some excitement of his own, shattering his national record for the second time this year.

#Gardiner is coming into his own. And he had some quality company to help him celebrate, including world record holder Wayde van Niekerk, who helped to push him to the next level.

#After there was so much dialogue in all quarters about his ability to run the rounds, Gardiner silenced his critics, even though he felt that he should have saved the national record breaking performance for the final.

#Looking at his series of races, Gardiner did what he had to do.

#After becoming the first Bahamian to break the 44-second barrier, there was no telling if he would have been able to either duplicate or surpass that effort in the final. He was in the right zone at the right time in the semis.

#To win a silver medal at this stage behind van Niekerk, the most dominant quarter-miler for the past two years, was no small accomplishment.

#In time, Gardiner will get to the top of the podium. He’s just 21-years-old and he’s only going to get better with time.

#When Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown makes his formal exit off the scene next year, Gardiner will be the face of the event.

#And right now he has every right to enjoy this moment as just the second male athlete to medal in the one-lap race, eight championships after Avard Moncur stood atop of the podium as the world’s best in 2001 in Edmonton.

#I predicted three medals for Team Bahamas at the start of these championships.

#Gardiner got one, Miller-Uibo let one slip way from her grasp, but she has the opportunity to redeem herself in the 200m.

#There’s still the men’s high jump with Donald Thomas and the women’s 100m hurdles with Deyvenne Charlton before the championships wind down with the always exciting 4 x 100 and 4 x 400m relays this weekend.

#So before the curtain comes down on Sunday night, we could very well be looking at least another medal or two.

#Who knows? With all that has taken place so far, anything is possible because this has been a strange championships.

#For those who missed some of the events, Canadian Andre de Grasse withdrew from the men’s 100m and Jamaican Usain Bolt’s parade as the most dominant sprinter ever came to a halt with a bronze medal behind American Justin Gatlin, who was booed for his efforts.

#Coming off her double victory as the Rio Olympics, Jamaican sprint queen Elaine Thompson could do no better than fifth place in the women’s 100m final as American Tori Edwards sped to gold, then tumbled and got so bruised that she could not line-up for a clash with Miller-Uibo – her training partner – in the 200m.

#And on the men’s side, Botswana’s Isaacs Makwala made a spectacle of his reinsertion in the 200m after he withdrew from illness that also forced him from the final of the 400m.

#He got to run alone in the heats of the half-lap race, dropped to the track and did some push-ups to show his fitness after having qualified.

Avard Moncur and his mother, Ramona Moncur.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Avard Moncur, the first Bahamian male athlete to win a World Championship title on the track, could only reflect on the good times that he shared with his mother, Ramona Moncur, after she passed away from COVID-19 yesterday.

#In Atlanta, Georgia, where he serves as a programme coordinator at Georgia Tech, Moncur said the news hit hard when he was told that his 60-year-old mother died in the wee hours at the South Beach Clinic where she was receiving treatment for her respiratory system.

#“She was the love of my life. She was everything that made me who I am,” said Moncur, who mourns along with his six brothers and one sister.

#“She was compassionate, sweet, generous and someone who was never afraid to support people. She was never judgemental, regardless of who they were. She always had a smile on her face. She was a fighter all of her life and even in going through this pandemic, she was fighting for her life.”

#Moncur was always around the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium when her tall, lanky son was a star for the SC McPherson Sharks and was a three-time gold medallist in the 400m from 1995-1997.

#When he left for Auburn University where he continued to excel as a member of the Tigers’ track team, winning the NCAA title back-to-back in 2000 and 2001, Moncur always boasted and bragged about her son’s accomplishments.

#Moncur, who made his international breakthrough as a senior athlete at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada in 1999, went on to secure a gold medal in the men’s 400 metres in 2001 at the World Championships and was also a member of the winning 4 x 400m relay team.

#The four-time Bahamian national champion who held the national record at 44.45 seconds until it was broken by Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown, also ran on the Bahamas’ 4 x 400m relay team that captured a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000.

#Moncur, who turns 42 on November 2, was also on three other medal winning teams at the World Championships in 2005 in Helsinki, Finland and 2007 in Osaka, Japan (silver) and 2003 in Paris-St Denis, France (bronze). He also won a Commonwealth Games’ bronze medal in 2002 in the 400m in Manchester, England.

#Additionally, Moncur also ran on the gold medal teams at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007 and the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico in 2011.

#In all of his success, Moncur said his mother was right there supporting him, either on the sidelines or via a telephone call, which made it so hard for him when he found out that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.

#“The reality is my mother did everything to protect herself and a lot of times people want to do whatever they want to do and not take in consideration the people they come in contact with,” he said.

#“But there are a lot of people who may not have your best interest at heart and have some underlying disease that may be detrimental to them, so you can’t be selfish.

#“It’s not just about you, but the community as a whole. People just have to be more compassionate and considerate and not just think about yourself, but the community as a whole.”

#Calling this the most dramatic experience that he’s had to endure, Moncur said he’s now trying to take the necessary COVID-19 testing so that he can return home for the burial of his beloved mother in the next few weeks.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#COACH Yolett McPhee-McCuin continues to use her platform as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels Women’s Basketball programme to lobby for social justice in her adopted home state of Mississippi.

#McPhee-McCuin was one of several coaches and officials from the Mississippi’s public universities to visit the state legislature and voice their support to making changes to the state flag.

#The group that represented Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alcorn State, Delta State, Jackson State, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State and Southern Mississippi seek to remove the confederate flag from the Mississippi state flag.

#“When my daughters ask me where I was June 25, 2020, I want to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them about this moment,” she tweeted with a photo of the group of coaches. “I’d like to thank our university leaders for supporting me and the rest of my colleagues during this time. We stand United.”

#There has been a growing sentiment from players, coaches and NCAA officials to remove images of the confederate flag from campuses and events.

#Last week, the NCAA officially banned the state from hosting any NCAA championship games until the state flag is changed. It was an expansion of the organisation’s “confederate flag policy.” Mississippi is currently the only state to have the confederate flag as apart of its state flag.

#Also, in the SEC, which includes both Ole Miss and Mississippi State, conference commissioner Greg Sankey said his organisation could also place a postseason ban on the state for use of the current flag.

#“Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all,” he said. “In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the state of Mississippi until the state flag is changed.”

#Last month on the Ole Miss campus, McPhee-McCuin was one of several leaders of Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protests against police brutality continued across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports.

#It was a show of solidarity for Ole Miss athletics as their unity walk coincided with protests across the globe in the wake of the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently George Floyd.

#“As athletes and coaches we know how important it is to be believed in. Whether we are cheered on by a sold out stadium or looked up to by one small child-the belief of others in us, their support of us, and their love for us makes a huge difference in the scoreboards that push us to be great. We are here today, realising that a handful of minds, and only a little more than a handful of our time cannot just be a photo op,” McPhee-McCuin.

#“We, black and white are the beneficiaries of the struggle for black freedom – a struggle born generations ago by black people who loved a nation that long considered them at best, second class citizens.

#“And whether through generations of tilling the soil of this state, or through mid 20th century boycotts, sit-ins, or voter registration, generations of black Mississippians sacrificed their own freedoms not just for Freedom Summer, but for the freedoms we enjoy when as athletes and coaches, we run onto the gridiron in the fall, when we hit the hardwood in the spring, and when we blaze the track in the summer too.”

#In her two years at the helm leading the Rebels, McPhee-McCuin has undertaken a rebuilding project.

#At 16-45, Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads, 12 of which have come in SEC play.

#Headed into next season, the Rebels will have the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign.

Thursday, September 3, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#DESPITE the uncertainty of NCAA basketball, this winter, Ole Miss Women’s Basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin made the most of the opportunity to get her team prepared during summer workouts and to adjust to the “new normal” of sports amid COVID-19.

#The Rebels returned to practice this summer at the Touhey Center in Oxford, Mississippi with new pandemic protocols in place.

#“To say that they’re getting a D1 experience as athletes, as far as amenities are concerned, they’re not,” she told Sports Illustrated. “But we’re not complaining. These kids haven’t complained once about anything. They’re just really grateful to have a place to come and do something that they love.”

#There were no player lounges or locker rooms and open spaces were converted for multi-functional purposes.

#Team meetings took place via Zoom. Players and coaches all wore masks.

#“It’s been tough but they really want to play and they really want to compete,” McPhee-McCuin said. “There haven’t been a lot of complaints, really just reminders. ‘Hey pull your masks up.’ Stuff like that, but that’s something we’ve all had to adjust to.”

#The Rebels are tentatively scheduled to open their season in November as McPhee-McCuin welcomes No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation for the 2020-2021 campaign. The team will also see the return of Bahamian recruit Valerie Nesbitt to the programme for her senior season.

#“We’ll play in some type of capacity. When? That I don’t know. I will say I have a lot of confidence in our leadership,” she said. “Obviously we’re an indoor sport, and that changes some things. But really, I’m glad they’re dealing with football now and we’re not the first ones out of the block.”

#Off the court, McPhee-McCuin continues to use her platform to lobby for social justice in her adopted home state of Mississippi. She was one of several coaches and officials from the Mississippi’s public universities to visit the state legislature and voice their support to making changes to the state flag.

#She was one of several leaders of Rebels student athletics to lead a Unity Walk on the Oxford, Mississippi campus as protest against police brutality continued across the globe.

#The Grand Bahama native is the school’s first black female head women’s basketball coach. Her programme joined athletic administrators, coaches and student athletes from various sports

RIO HERE WE COME: Our women’s 4×400 metre relay team (l-r): CarmeIsha Cox, Lanece Clarke, Christine Amertil and Shaquania Dorsett.

Friday, July 22, 2016

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamas Olympic Committee yesterday added the women’s 4 x 400 metre relay team to the BTC Bahamas Olympic team that will represent the Bahamas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

#The quartet of Carmeisha Cox, Lanece Clarke, Christine Amertil and Shaquania Dorsett were left off the original team of 28 athletes named on Wednesday because of a delay in the court ruling on the Russian Olympic Committee.

#The IAAF had imposed a ban on Russia’s athletics federation from the August 5-21 games over claims of state-sponsored doping.

#But the Russian Olympic Committee and 68 athletes, including two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva, have taken their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A ruling was made yesterday, paving the way for the Bahamas women’s team to secure their lane in Rio.

#Apparently, the Bahamas was occupying the 17th spot in the world with Russia pegged at No. 10. However, because of the court ruling that will now prevent Russia from competing in the games, the Bahamas has been pushed up to the 16th and final spot.

#“It was only this morning that The Bahamas Olympic Committee in concert with the Bahamas Association of Amateur Athletic Associations received communication from the IAAF inviting The Bahamas to enter the 4×400 women’s relay team to participate in the BTC Bahamas National Team travelling to Rio de Janeiro,” the BOC stated in a press release.

#“The Bahamas Olympic Committee accepted the invitation and the following individuals have been named to the team: Christine Amertil, Lanece Clarke, Carmeisha Cox, Shaquania Dorsett, Shaunae Miller and Anthonique Strachan.  The Bahamas Olympic Committee congratulated the six young ladies on their qualification and wished them the very best during the Rio Olympic Games.”

#Both Miller, who qualified in the 100, 200 and 400m, and Strachan, who did the standard in the 200m, were originally named to the team on Wednesday.

#BOC secretary general Romel Knowles called it a “bitter-sweet” announcement.

#“We’re excited that the Bahamas women’s relay team has qualified after the court arbitration has made a ruling to uphold the ban that was initiated by the IAAF on the Russian athletes,” Knowles said.

#“So we are excited that we are included in that regard, but it’s sad that once again, when we named the team yesterday, we were put in a position where we could not name the relay team due to an infraction in the rules of the game.”

#Knowles noted that the BOC empathises with Russia, the IAAF and the IOC because he felt that it might have been the most difficult decision that they would have had to make.

#“Now the decision has to be made whether the Olympic ban is for all of the Russian athletes,” Knowles said. “But that saddens all of us because they are brothers and sisters and obviously at the same time, we want everybody to play clean.

#“We hope that the IAAF and the IOC can clean up the sport and in the future, these things can be avoided by more thorough investigation and testing.”

#With the athletes are pending travel to Rio, Knowles said the BOC could now confirm the team’s participation in the games and are looking forward to advising the athletes of the final decision.

#“Quite frankly, we put ourselves in this position because we had a number of chances to qualify outright,” he said. “Unfortunately, we did it at the last minute. But we are grateful nonetheless.

#“I just think that moving forward, the BOC and the BAAA will have to be more vigilant in the qualifying of our athletes, especially our relay teams. We need to put our best foot forward well in advance so that we can ensure that we get a higher ranking to avoid this type of problem.”

#The women’s team will join the men’s 4 x 400m team, which clinched their second place berth overall from the IAAF World Relays in the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium last year behind the USA.

#The women’s and men’s 4 x 100 relay teams didn’t post one of the top 16 times in the world to qualify. 

Friday, July 15, 2016

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#SECRETARY General Romel ‘Fish’ Knowles said the Bahamas Olympic Committee is not quite yet ready to release the names of Team Bahamas going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month.

#While the deadline for athletes to quality was Sunday (July 11), Knowles said there are still a few more logistics that they have to deal with before they announce the team either Monday or Tuesday.

#“The president (Wellington Miller) is away and he won’t be back until tomorrow (today),” Knowles said. “So we are just waiting on him to return so that we can finalise the list.

#“But we are also waiting to see what happens with the Russian Olympic Committee, who is waiting on a court hearing. That will determine whether or not we will carry our women’s 4 x 400m relay team, which will increase the number of persons on the team.”

#Knowles, however, said the BOC has decided to ratify all of the athletes who would have done the qualifying standard, including former co-national women’s 100m hurdle record holders Adanaca Brown and Devynne Charlton, who are both nursing injuries.

#While Brown has not competed so far this year, Charlton ran indoors for Purdue University before she suffered a back injury that has forced her to shut down her outdoor season.

#Additionally, Knowles said the BOC is waiting on a progress report from Latario Collie, who won the NCAA outdoor men’s triple jump on his first jump. Collie was forced to watch the remainder of the competition after he suffered a slight injury that hampered him from competing at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Open Track and Field Championships.

#The BAAA held the Nationals in June at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, which served as a final trial for the Olympics. However, the IAAF has extended the deadline for athletes to qualify to Monday, July 11, following the completion of the USA and European trials that weekend.

#There were a few athletes whose names were submitted by the BAAA to the BOC for ratification. They competed in the Blue Marlin Track Classic on Independence Day to prove their fitness.

#Also at the meet on Sunday, the BAAA ran a women’s 4 x 400m, a women’s 4 x 100m and two men’s 4 x 100m teams to secure one of the remaining eight spots to complete the top 16 spots for Rio.

#The eight finalists in all four relays, including the men’s 4 x 400m, clinched their spots at the second IAAF World Relays that was held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium last year.

#At the Blue Marlin Classic, the women’s 4 x 400m team of Lanece Clarke, Camiesha Cox, Christine Amertil and Shequania Dorsett won the women’s 4 x 400m relay over Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica to move into the 16th and final spot.

#However, they will only be allowed to hold onto that position if Russia’s case in the Court of Arbitration for their suspension from the IAAF for doping violation by their country is not overturned.

#The quartet, along with Collie, joined the list of the following athletes and coaches submitted by the BAAA to the BOC for ratification.

#Ladies – Tynia Gaither, Sheniqua ‘Q’ Ferguson, Anthonique Strachan (100-200m), Shaunae Miller (200/400m), Pedrya Seymour (100m hurdles) and Bianca Stuart (long jump).

#Men – Adrian Griffith, Jamial Rolle, Shavez Hart (100/200m), Demetrius Pinder (200m/4 x 400m); Terey Smith (200m); Steven Gardiner, Christopher Brown, Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu (400/4 x 400m), Stephen Newbold (4 x 400m), Leevan ‘Superman’ Sands (triple jump), Jeffery Gibson (400m hurdles) and Donald Thomas, Jamal Wilson and Trevor Barry (high jump).

#Coaches – George Cleare (head coach), Rudolph Ferguson, Tyrone Burrows, Shaun Miller (assistant coaches), James Rolle (jumps) and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (female coach).

#Ralf McKinney is the team manager.

#BAAA’s president Rosamunde Carey was unable to confirm or deny the list submitted.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#WITH the tennis competition completed, the focus for Team Bahamas at the XVIII Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, switches to athletics, swimming and judo this week.

#Both the 19-member track and field team, the 10-member swim team and the two judokas will begin competition today as the third and final week of competition swings into high gear.

#The games will wrap up on Sunday.

#At the swim complex in the National Sports Village – Videna, Laura Morley will be the first Bahamian to make her splash as she competes in the women’s 100 metre breaststroke heats at 11am.

#William Tyler Russell will be entered in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

#Also on tap will be the 4 x 100m freestyle relays where the Bahamas will be competing in both the women’s and men’s events.

#In the ladies’ event, the selection will come from the combination of Morley, veteran Ariel Weech and sisters Lilly and Margaret Albury Higgs.

#The men will come from all six competitors of the team, inclusive of Russell, DaVante Carey, N’Nhyn Fernander, Jared Fitzgerald, Gershwin Greene and Luke Kennedy Thompson.

#During the course of the week, the swimmers will be in action in their individual events as well as the mixed 4 x 100m free relay; 4 x 100m medley for men and women and mixed relays.

#Individually, Morley is also competing in the women’s 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley; Margaret Albury Higgs will be in the women’s 200m breaststroke; Lilly Higgs is in the women’s 100 and 200m free and Ariel Weech will be in the women’s 50m free.

#On the men’s side, William Tyler Russell is also competing in the 200m breaststroke; Davante Carey is in the 100m backstroke; N’Nhyn Fernander is in the 100m butterfly; Jared Fitzgerald is in the 200m freestyle; Gershwin Greene in 50m freestyle and Luke Kennedy Thompson will be in the 1,500m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

#Their team is being coached by Andy Loveitt, assisted by Jorge Rodriquez. The team manager is Rochelle Bastian.

#Over at the Athletic Stadium in the National Sports Village – Videna, national record holder Ken Munnings will perform in the first five of his 10 events over the next two days in the men’s decathlon, starting at 2pm.

#He will contest the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. On Wednesday, his final events will be 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m.

#Also today, Grand Bahamians Brianna Bethel and Ty’Nia Gaither will carry the Bahamian flag in the women’s 100m semi-finals, while Warren Fraser is entered in the men’s event.

#It will be a busy day for the track team as Katrina Seymour will contest the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals and national record and defending champion Jeffery Gibson will be joined by Andre Colebrooke in the men’s 400m hurdles.

#Individually, Gaither and Anthonique Strachan will double up in the 200m; Doneisha Anderson will be the lone representative in the 400m and national record holder Pedrya Seymour and Devynne Charlton will battle it out in the 100m hurdles.

#Bethel, Gaither, Strachan, Charlton and the two Seymours are also listed in the pool for the women’s 4 x 100m relay. They are hoping to get a chance to run one of the top 16 times to get a chance to compete at the IAAF World Championships next month in Doha, Qatar.

#As for the men, Cliff Resias is in the 200m; Grand Bahamian Alonzo Russell, who booked his ticket to Qatar at the BAAA Nationals in Grand Bahama a week ago, will be in the 400m; Donald Thomas and Jamal Wilson are both in the high jump and twin brothers Latario and Lathone Collie-Minns are scheduled to compete in the triple jump.

#The Bahamas will also have a lane in the 4 x 400m with the pool comprising of Cliff Resias, Alonzo Russell, Andre Colebrooke, Jeffery Gibson, Michael Mathieu and Ojay Ferguson.

#Rudolph Ferguson is the head coach for the team. He will be assisted by Tyrone Burrows, James Rolle and Kennord Mackey. Dawn Woodside-Johnson is the manager.

#The two judokas – Sasha Ingraham and Cynthia Rahming – will compete in their judo competition, starting on Thursday. They will be coached by Onesi Portorreal-Pons.

#In tennis, the team of Justin Roberts and Baker Newman competed in the men’s team. They both made it to the second round in singles, but lost as a pair in doubles in the first round. They were coached by Derron Donaldson. The chef de mission for the Bahamian delegation is D’Arcy Rahming.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#Quarter-miler Shaunae Miller was named the Charlie Major Athlete of the Year and James Rolle, who coaches a number of high jumpers, was selected as the Coach of the Year as the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations held its awards banquet to honour their most outstanding athletes for the 2015 season.

#Miller earned the highest honour given to the athletes at the awards banquet held Sunday night at the Breezes SuperClubs. The event came on the heels of the BAAAs hosting both its junior and senior nationals that wrapped up on Saturday at the new Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

#The award was presented to Miller for her achievement as a silver medallist in the women’s 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. Miller also added the women’s 200m in a time of 22.14 seconds at the Jamaican Invitational to add to her 400m feat.

#She was also named the Senior Female Athlete of the Year in the awards banquet that was postponed from last November.

#The Thomas A Robinson Male Athlete of the Year went to Jeffery Gibson. The national 400m hurdles champion won the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games in Canada and a bronze at the IAAF World Championships, while lowering his national record a couple times last year.

#James Rolle earned the Henry Crawford Coach of the Year honours for the role he played as the coach of Ryan Ingraham, the bronze medallist in the high jump at the NACAC Championships and the national high jump champion LaQuain Nairn, the silver medallist in the high jump at the Carifta Games and Charisma Taylor, the gold medallist in both the long and triple jumps at Carifta.

#Among the other winners of the prestigious awards were Paige Stuart, Benjamin Clarke, Brianne Bethel and Devynne Charlton.

#Stuart was named the Angela Rolle Youth Female Athlete of the Year after she won the Youth Championship trials, competed on the Youth CAC team where she turned in a gold medal performance in the high jump in Trinidad & Tobago.

#Clarke, on the other hand, carted off the Youth Male Athlete of the Year by making the Youth CAC team and accomplished a record at the games in high jump with his gold medal performance to go along with his silver in the long jump in Trinidad & Tobago.

#Bethel, a native from Grand Bahama, won the Dr Bernard Nottage Junior Athlete of the Year after she won a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta, was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the IAAF World Youth Championships and a member of the women’s 4 x 200m team at the IAAF World Relays here in New Providence.

#Charlton was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.

• Here’s a look at the winners in the various categories:

#• Angela Rolle Youth Female Athlete of the Year – Paige Stuart. She went to the Youth CAC Championships in Trinidad & Tobago where she won the gold in the 60m and high jump, as well as a bronze in the long jump and established a games record in picking up another gold in the 100m as she went on to win the girls 11-12 division.

#• Youth Male Athlete of the Year – Benjamin Clarke. He participated at the Youth CAC in Trinidad & Tobago where he won the high jump in a games’ record performance and was a a silver medallist in the long jump.

#• Anita Doherty Junior Female Track Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel and Shaquania Dorsett.

#Bethel won a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays and Dorsett won the gold in both the 400 and 800m at Carifta and was a member of the women’s 4 x 400m relay at the IAAF World Relays.

#• Basil Neymour Junior Male Athlete of the Year – Javan Martin. The Grand Bahamian was a semi-finalist at the World Youth Championships after winning a gold in the under-20 boys 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta as well as he competed on the men’s 4 x 100m at the World Relays.

#• Ronald Cartwright Junior Female Field Athlete of the Year – Charisma Taylor. The versatile athlete was the double gold medallist in the under-18 girls long and triple jumps at Carifta.

#• Keith Parker Junior Male Field Athlete of the Year – Deondre Rutherford. He captured the gold in the under-18 boys discus at Carifta and was the junior national champion in the same event.

#• Dianna Lynn Thompson Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semi-finalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.

#• Errol Bodie Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Javon Martin. The Grand Bahamian was a semi-finalist at the World Youth Championships after winning a gold in the under-20 boys 100m and silver in the 200m at Carifta as well as he competed on the men’s 4 x 100m at the World Relays.

#• Bernard Nottage Junior Athlete of the Year – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semifinalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.

#• Sir Durward Knowles Family Island Athlete – Brianne Bethel. The Grand Bahamian picked up a bronze in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the Carifta Games and was a semifinalist in both the 100 and 200m at the World Youth Championships and was a finalist on the women’s 4 x 200m at the IAAF World Relays.

#• Collegiate Female Track Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.

#• Collegiate Male Track Athlete of the Year – Ashley Riley. He was a double Southland Indoor and Outdoor Championships’ 400m finalist.

#• Collegiate Female Field Athlete of the Year – Tamara Myers. She was the SEC Championship fifth place finisher and NCAA Indoor Championship seventh place finisher in the women’s triple jump.

#• Collegiate Male Field Athlete of the Year – Latario Collie-Minns. The twin brother came through as a second place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the men’s triple jump.

#• Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.

#• Harrison Petty Collegiate Male Athlete of the Year – Latario Collie-Minns. The twin brother came through as a second place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the men’s triple jump.

#• Collegiate Athlete of the Year – Devynne Charlton. She was named as the Collegiate Athlete of the Year after the former co-national 100m hurdles record holder ran 8.17 seconds indoors to post the second fastest time in Bahamian history and was a sixth place finisher at the NACAC Championships.

#• Senior Female Track Athlete of the Year – Shaunae Miller. She was a silver medallist in the women’s 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China. Miller also added the women 200m in a time of 22.14 seconds at the Jamaican Invitational to add to her 400m feat.

#• Senior Male Track Athlete of the Year – Jeffery Gibson. The Grand Bahamian national 400m hurdles champion won the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games in Canada and a bronze at the IAAF World Championships, while lowering his national record a couple times last year.

#• Senior Female Field Athlete of the Year – Bianca Stuart. The national long jump champion went on to lower her national record to 6.83m and earned a silver medal at the Pan American Games.

#• Senior Male Field Athlete of the Year – Leevan Sands. In the comeback performance of the year, the men’s national triple jump record holder won the national title, got a bronze medal at the NACAC Championships, silver at the Pan Am Games and was a finalist at the World Championships.