COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Devynne Charlton into 100m hurdles final

Devynne Charlton in Birmingham.

Devynne Charlton in Birmingham.

As of Friday, August 5, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: World indoor silver medalist Devynne Charlton moved one step closer to adding a 2022 Commonwealth Games medal to her collection.

#The Bahamian national record holder chased Jamaican Olympic bronze medalist Megan Tapper through the finish line of the second of the three women’s heats of the 100 metres hurdles on Friday morning at the Alexander Stadium.

#Coming on the heels of LaQuan Nairn’s historic gold medal performance in the men’s long jump on Thursday night, Charlton clocked 12.70 seconds to trail Tapper, the winner of the heat in 12.68. While Tapper had the fourth best qualifying time, Charlton followed with the fifth.

#Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who shattered the world record in the semi-finals on her way to winning the gold at the World Championships two weeks ago in Eugene, Oregon, came into Birmingham on a high, posting the fastest qualifying time of 12.40.

#The final at 5:25 am EST on Sunday’s final day of competition at the games will have Charlton running out of lane in lane seven, sandwiched between Australia’s Michelle Jenneke in six and Jamaica’s World Championships silver medallist Danielle Williams in eight.

#Amusan will be in five with Tapper in four and World Championships’ eighth place finisher Cindy Sember of Great Britain will be in three. Canadian Michelle Harrison will occupy lane two and Australia’s Celeste Mucci will go in lane one.

#The 26-year-old Charlton, coming of her seventh place finish at the World Championships, is hoping for successful debut in her first Commonwealth Games experience.

#“It was a decent execution. My start wasn’t there like it usually is, so I have go back and see where I can make the improvement,” said Charlton, whose parents Laura and (sometimes coach) Dave Charlton are here to support her.

#On competing next to Tapper, who missed a spot in the final in Eugene with ninth place overall behind Charlton’s eighth and final qualifying spot in the semi-finals, she said she was able to feed off her opponent’s fast start as she maneuvered over the ten flights of hurdles to get back into the race.

#“It was good to have her beside me in the race,” Charlton stated.

#With the buzz still around Nairn’s gold medal performance, Charlton said she missed the excitement because she went to bed “super early”, but it was the first thing she heard about when she got up this morning to compete.

#“I’m just super proud of him,” she said. “This is his first year on the senior stage like this so to see his progression from junior athlete to now is very special.”

#Come Sunday, Charlton said she has one goal in mind and that is to get the podium with whatever colour she can negotiate.

#“I would like to win it all, but I have a couple things to work on before I get back out here,” she stated. “I know that it will be a better race.”

#And with another jam packed spectator stand for the morning session, Charlton said she’s even more inspired and motivated because she “felt the energy”.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/05/commonwealth-games-devynne-charlton-100m-hurdles-f/?news

Injured Kendrick Thompson withdraws from decathlon

As of Friday, August 5, 2022

photo

Kendrick Thompson after his withdrawal from the event.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England: An injury to his left ankle during the pole vault competition forced Kendrick Thompson to withdraw during the javelin throw from the men’s decathlon at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Friday night.

#After he twisted his ankle on his second height in the pole vault at the end of the early morning session at the Alexander Stadium, Thompson got some treatment and was able to return to start the evening final session.

#Then 24-year-old Thompson took one throw in the javelin and left the competition. He was in too much pain to come back out to complete the gruelling two-day event in the 1,500 metres, which didn’t allow him to have any scores posted to his ledger at the end of the night.

#“After I cleared the first height at 4.20 metres, I tried to go for the second height at 4.30m when I landed awkwardly and twisted my ankle,” Thompson said. “I tried to go in the javelin, which was my best event, but I couldn’t do no more after the first throw.”

#Grenada’s Lindon Victor went on to secure the gold in the event with 8,233 points, while Australia got the silver and bronze from Daniel Golubovic and Cedric Dubler with 8,197 and 8,030 points respectively.

#Thompson, who made history as the first Bahamian to compete in the multi-event at these games, was sitting in seventh place at the end of the first day of competition with 3,883 points.

#Events contested on the first day were the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. The final day’s events included the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m.

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Youth sailors head to Optimist European Championships

 Home|Sports|Youth sailors head to Optimist European ChampionshipsSports

The Nassau GuardianSend an emailAugust 5, 2022 207 1 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

 A quartet of young Bahamian sailors are representing the country at the Optimist European Championships at the Sønderborg Yacht Club in Sønderborg, Denmark.

The Bahamas’ National Optimist Team is looking to make headlines again, as they compete in the Optimist European Championships at the Sønderborg Yacht Club in Sønderborg, Denmark.

Right on the heels of participation in the Optimist World Championships in Bodrum, Turkey, achieving great success, a quartet of young Bahamians head to Denmark to race in yet another world-class event. A total of five Bahamians competed in the Optimist World Championships in Turkey.

The team for the European Championships comprises of 12-year-old Mary Jac Nash, 14-year-old Eliza Denning and 12-year-old Sienna Jones, all of whom sail with Lyford Cay Sailing. Also, on the team is 13-year-old Jude McCarroll who sails with the Royal Nassau Sailing Club.

There are 257 sailors from 42 countries registered for the Optimist European Championships this year. The weather forecast looks favorable with comfortable wind speeds, possibly a little rain and temperatures 

somewhat lower than at home here in The Bahamas, around 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Our team of four are excited to be given the opportunity to represent The Bahamas at this prestigious sailing championships,” the Bahamas National Sailing School stated in a press release. “For most of them, it’s their first-time visiting Europe and sailing internationally. They have been training hard all year in preparation and it will give them a huge amount of experience for the North American Championships (OPTINAMs) which will be hosted in New Providence, The Bahamas, this November.

The optimist sailboat is the world’s most popular youth-trainer boat, with literally hundreds of thousands of young sailors competing globally. It is a single-sailed one-person boat that teaches all the fundamentals of the sport, so that young sailors could learn the sport early and then progress into larger boats. The age limit is 15-years-old. ‘Optis’ are currently sailed by dozens of children at various locations on New Providence and on a number of Family Islands. 

https://thenassauguardian.com/youth-sailors-head-to-optimist-european-championships/

Strachan advances to javelin final; going after gold


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|Sports|Strachan advances to javelin final; going after goldSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 5, 2022 256 4 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

 Bahamian Keyshawn Strachan.

Today could be another golden day for The Bahamas in athletics as Keyshawn Strachan soared into the final of the men’s javelin at the World Athletics U20 (Under-20) Championships at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia.

Strachan had a massive throw of 76.87 meters (m) – 252’ 2” – in the qualifying rounds of the javelin yesterday – good enough for the farthest qualifying mark in the opening round. There was an automatic qualifying distance of 72.50m (237’ 10”) for the final, and Strachan sailed over that mark. Just three other athletes, including world leader Artur Felfner, of the Ukraine, matched or surpassed the automatic qualifying distance. Felfner had a qualifying distance of 75.77m (248’ 7”) yesterday, German Max Dehning had a qualifying distance of 73.10m (239’ 10”), and György Herczeg, of Hungary, was the only other athlete to attain the qualifying distance with a throw of 72.63m (238’ 3”).

The 12 bests throwers out of the qualifying round will compete in the final which is set for 6 p.m. this evening. Strachan will be the ninth thrower in the final – one spot ahead of world leader Felfner.

Felfner has an under-20 world-leading throw of 84.32m (276’ 7”). Strachan is right behind, in second on World Athletics Top Performance List for 2022, with a personal best national record throw of 79.89m (262’ 1”) which was done for the gold medal at the CARIFTA Games in Kingston, Jamaica, in April.

In the competition yesterday, Strachan didn’t get his automatic qualifying heave until his third attempt. He had throws of 65.96m (216’ 5”) and 71.42m (234’ 4”) on his first two attempts. His third attempt was more than four meters over the automatic qualifying distance.

Strachan is looking for a strong finish to the season, building on the gold and CARIFTA record at the CARIFTA Games and a gold medal winning throw in the High School Boys Division at the Penn Relays. He is the holder of The Bahamas’ junior and senior national record in the men’s javelin despite being just 18-years-old.

Meanwhile, the country is still buzzing from Antoine Andrews’ gold medal in the men’s 110m hurdles on Wednesday. Andrews tied the under-20 world-leading time of 13.23 seconds and also broke the junior national record of 13.36 seconds that he set in the heats.

“I’m overwhelmed … I feel pretty good,” said Andrews from Cali, Colombia. “In my opinion, this was the best executed race I ever had in the hurdles. I just had to go out there, stay focused and relaxed and leave it all out on the track. I just want to say thanks to God for through Him all things are possible. Also, thanks to my family and friends and all of my supporters back home.”

This is Andrews’ last year in the junior ranks and what a progression he made. Last year, he was 23rd overall at the World Junior Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in 14.08 seconds. This year, he has shaved nearly a full second off that time. Both Andrews and his St. John’s College classmate Strachan will compete as senior athletes next year.

Andrews said he is looking forward to the transition from the junior to the senior ranks and said he is confident he will be able to experience continued success despite taking on higher barriers. The height for the hurdles on the senior side is 1.067 meters compared to .99 of a meter on the junior side.

“I feel like it will be a slight adjustment for me,” said Andrews. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.” The Bahamian junior will have his first taste of senior competition at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Track and Field Championships later this month in Freeport, Grand Bahama.

“He has showed tremendous progression,” said Andrews’ coach Daron Lightbourne yesterday. He has been coaching Andrews for the past two seasons. “I’m very happy with how he was able to execute out there. He experienced a lot of ups and downs, but he worked very hard this year to get to this point. He conquered every round as they came and was confident that he would go out there and perform in the final. After the semifinals, we felt that he just needed to make sure clear all of the hurdles and it would be smooth sailing for him. We’re very happy. It’s just about being more technical and sticking with this event. He wants to be in it for the long run and he wants to continue setting personal best and national record times.”

Andrews plans to go off to university in January and is looking to continue his success in the sprint hurdles. He said as long as he stays healthy, he has no doubt that he will be able to continue to progress in the hurdles and be among the top runners in that event in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) system.

Back to the competition yesterday, Paige Archer and Lacarthea Cooper were in action for The Bahamas in the women’s 200m heats. Archer was fourth in her opening round heat and finished 25th overall in a personal best run of 23.92 seconds. She just missed advancing to the semifinals by two one hundredths of a second. Cooper finished seventh in her heat and was 40th overall in 24.44 seconds.

 In the men’s 4x100m relay, The Bahamas’ team of Andrews, Wanya McCoy, Carlos Brown Jr. and Zachary Evans, in that order, ran 40.09 seconds in their semifinal heat. The Bahamas was third in that heat and finished 10th overall, missing the final by about two tenths of a second.

The Bahamas’ women’s 4x100m relay team of Shatalya Dorsett, Lacarthea Cooper, Paige Archer and Javonya Valcourt, in that order, was seventh in their heat and finished 15th overall in 46.51 seconds.

Apart from Strachan, competing today for The Bahamas will be the men’s 4x400m relay team. That team will step on the track at 12:15 p.m., running out of lane eight in the first of three semifinal heats. The top two teams in each semifinal heat and the next two fastest teams will advance to Saturday’s final.

The men’s 4x400m relay final will bring the curtain down on the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships on Saturday. That event will run at 6:43 p.m. on Saturday.

https://thenassauguardian.com/strachan-advances-to-javelin-final-going-after-gold/
https://thenassauguardian.com/strachan-advances-to-javelin-final-going-after-gold/

Gold for Nairn!


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He becomes first Bahamian to win gold in the men’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games

Sheldon LongleySend an emailAugust 5, 2022 369 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

 Laquan Nairn of The Bahamas makes an attempt in the Men’s long jump final during the athletics competition in the Alexander Stadium at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, Thursday. AP

The past two days has shown just how mighty The Bahamas is in athletics, and, by extension, sports!

Just a day after Antoine Andrews won gold for The Bahamas at the World Juniors, halfway across the world, LaQuan Nairn – another St. John’s College product – was golden at the 22nd Commonwealth Games.

Nairn popped a massive leap of 8.08 meters (m) – 26’ 6-1/4” – on his second attempt at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England, on Thursday, to capture the gold. Sreeshankar Sreeshankar, of India, had an identical leap of 8.08m, but Nairn had the better second-best jump to give him the edge. Jovan Van Vuuren, of South Africa, had a best leap of 8.06m (26’ 5-1/2”) for the bronze.

Nairn, who has been around the eight-meter mark all season, had a fantastic series of jumps, leaping 7.94m (26’ 0-3/4”) in the first round, 8.08m in the second round, and fouled in the third and fourth rounds before closing out with jumps of 7.84m (25’ 8-3/4”) and 7.98m (26’ 2-1/4”). It was a wire-to-wire win for the Bahamian national record holder indoors.

His victory didn’t come as a major surprise as he went into the final with the second-best jump in qualifying, and is listed as number nine on World Athletics Top Performance List for 2022. Nairn has a season’s and personal best leap of 8.22m (26’ 11-3/4”), trailing just national record holder Craig Hepburn among Bahamians all-time in the men’s long jump.

Nairn’s glorious gold is the 38th medal in the history of the Commonwealth Games for The Bahamas – 11 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze.

Nairn is coming off a performance at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in which he failed to make the men’s long jump final, but bounced back in a big way in Birmingham. It’s his first gold medal at a major senior games, and also the first gold medal in the men’s long jump in the history of the Commonwealth Games for The Bahamas.

Also competing on Thursday for The Bahamas at the Commonwealth Games were Kendrick Thompson in the men’s decathlon, Denisha Cartwright in the women’s 200m heats and Lorin Sawyer and Felix Neely in cycling.

Cartwright finished fifth in her first-round heat of the women’s 200m, and finished 25th overall, with a run of 24.49 seconds. She missed advancing to the semis by two one hundredths of a second. TyNia Gaither was scheduled to run in the heats of the women’s 200m as well, but was a no-show for the start of her race and listed as a DNS (did not start) on the official race sheet.

Thompson got his men’s decathlon competition underway, competing in the men’s 100m, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump and the 400m. His best placement in the five events was a fourth place finish in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.43m (24’ 4-1/2”).

Thompson ran a subpar 11.18 seconds in the men’s 100m, leapt 7.43m (24’ 4-1/2”) in the men’s long jump, had a throw of 11.63m (38’ 1-3/4”) in the men’s shot put, cleared 1.94m (6’ 4-1/4”) in the men’s high jump, and finished off the first day of competition with a run of 50.07 seconds in the men’s 400m.

Thompson is currently in seventh place in the competition, totaling 3,883 points. He is making history as the first Bahamian to compete in a multi events competition for The Bahamas at the Commonwealth Games.

The Caribbean, specifically Grenada, is well-represented among the medal contenders as defending champion Lindon Victor leads the way with 4,327 points, and his countryman Kurt Felix is in the bronze medal position with 4,145 points. Cedric Dubler, of Australia, is sandwiched between the two Grenadians with 4,242 points.

The men’s decathlon competition wraps up today with the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m.

In the Men’s Individual Time Trial in cycling, Lorin Sawyer was 44th overall out of 54 competitors in 1:02:19.72, finishing about 16 minutes behind the winner. He had an average speed of 36.003 kilometers per hour for the 37.4-kilometer road course. Felix Neely finished 54th overall in 1:07:58.03, about 21 and a half minutes behind the winner. He had an average speed of 33.016 kilometers per hour.

Rohan Dennis, of Australia, won the gold medal in 46:21.24, Fred Wright, of England, claimed the silver medal with a ride of 46:47.52, and Geraint Thomas, of Wales, won the bronze medal with a ride of 46:49.73.

In addition to Thompson, Devynne Charlton will be in action in the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles today and Alonzo Russell will run in the semifinals of the men’s 400m.

Charlton will run out of lane five in the second of three semifinal heats of the women’s 100m hurdles at 5:36 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) in The Bahamas. The top two in each semifinal heat and the next two fastest times will advance to Sunday’s final. In the men’s 400m semis, Russell will run out of lane nine in the third of three semifinal heats at 4:20 p.m. The final event of the men’s decathlon, the 1,500m run, will take place at 4:27 p.m. today.

Over the weekend, Rashji Mackey and Thorn Demeritte will compete in men’s freestyle wrestling for The Bahamas.

Tynia Gaither 7th in 100 final

Tynia Gaither put together two solid races yesterday for a seventh place finish in the women’s 100
metres in the jam-packed Alexander Stadium at the Commonwealth Games.

Tynia Gaither put together two solid races yesterday for a seventh place finish in the women’s 100 metres in the jam-packed Alexander Stadium at the Commonwealth Games.

As of Thursday, August 4, 2022

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#BIRMINGHAM, England — Shaking off the disappointment of her false start in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon two weeks ago, Tynia Gaither put together two solid races yesterday for a seventh place finish in the women’s 100 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

#After getting her “wake up call” in the first round heats on Tuesday, Gaither powered her way to a third place finish in the last of three semi-final heats at the jam-packed Alexander Stadium in 11.17 to advance to the final with the seventh best qualifying time.

#She returned in the final a little over an hour later and had to settle for seventh in 11.23 as Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah took the gold in 10.95 with St Lucia’s Julien Alfred snatching the silver in 11.01 and Daryll Neita getting some hometown glory for England with the bronze in 11.07.

#“It was one of my better starts for this meet, so I’m happy with it,” said Gaither, who has some flashes of Eugene on her mind.

#“It’s been a little tougher mentally with the blocks, so I’m just trying to be a little cautious ever since it happened. Maybe holding it a little too long, but it will get better.”

#The 29-year-old Bahamian national record holder got a good start to go with the field at the crack of the gun. The race got away from her in the middle of the straight away, but she was able to regain her composure and stormed back to get into it. It was just a little too late.

#“I just wanted to trust my strength and to go out there through the rounds and make it happen,” Gaither said. “We’ve been training to get through the rounds.”

#And for the first time, Gaither said she was astonished by the crowd of 30,000 fans that filled the stadium in both the day and night sessions to help propel the athletes on.

#While she originally was scheduled to run just the 200m here, on her arrival Gaither made a change to enter the 100m as she will leave Birmingham today for Poland where she’s scheduled to run in a 200m and in Hungary before she comes home to compete in the NACAC Championships in Grand Bahama from August 19-21.

#“I’m going home. I can’t wait,” insisted the Grand Bahamian native. “Got to do something for Grand Bahama.”

Bahamas athletes get set for cycling, track and field today

As of Thursday, August 4, 2022

#BIRMINGHAM, England — With swimming joining judo, boxing and triathlon as completed disciplines at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Team Bahamas will continue action in track and field and cycling today.

#Kendrick Thompson will start the men’s decathlon, competing in the 100 metres, long jump and shot put in the morning session and the 400m to round out the first day of competition.

#Tynia Gaither and Denisha Cartwright are both listed to be back for the start of the women’s 200m heats, but Gaither is leaving for Poland and Cartwright wasn’t sure if she would compete.

#The highlight for Team Bahamas will come in the men’s long jump final when LaQuan Nairn will be the seventh of 12 jumpers on the runway. He has already predicted that he will win the gold and break the Bahamian national record.

#The two-man team of Felix Neely and Lorin Sawyer will also begin their competition in the individual time trials on the road, starting at 7:01 am EST.

#Neely will be the ninth competitor on the road and Sawyer will go 38th. There are a total of 57 competitors expected to line up to compete.

#Friday’s events

#Kendrick Thompson will complete the final day of competition in the men’s decathlon with the 110m hurdles, discus and pole vault in the morning session and the javelin and 1,500m in the evening session.

#Also, World indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton will begin her quest for a medal in the women’s 100m hurdles with the heats to advance to the final that will take place on Sunday at 5:25 am EST.

#Kaiwan Culmer will also compete in the men’s long jump in his bid to get into Sunday’s final.

#The top 12 competitors will advance to Sunday’s final at 5:25pm EST.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/04/bahamas-athletes-get-set-cycling-track-and-field-t/?news

Lamar Taylor 7th in final of 50m freestyle

LAMAR Taylor

LAMAR Taylor

As of Thursday, August 4, 2022

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BIRMINGHAM, England — Seventh place in the final of the men’s 50 metre freestyle at the Commonwealth Games is not a bad position for Lamar Taylor to take away from his swimming experience here.

As the first Bahamian male swimmer to compete in a Commonwealth final, since Jeremy Knowles got fourth in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, Taylor gave it his best shot last night at the Sandwell Aquatic Center where he touched the wall out of lane one in 22.51 seconds.

England electrified the crowd with gold and silver from Benjamin Proud and Lewis Edward Burras in times of 21.36 and 21.68 respectively. Canada’s Joshua Edwards was the recipient of the bronze in 22.02.

Although he knew it would take a mammoth task to get on the podium, just making the final was a tremendous feat in itself for the 19-year-old Taylor, whose proud parents Gena and Lester Taylor were there to root him on in the stands.

“I felt really good about my race. I really won’t take it as a loss or anything like that,” he said. “I felt every race I swum was for the experience, even though I didn’t win or medal. These guys I’m swimming against are veterans and technically, I’m still a rookie.

“So to make it to the final was a big, big accomplishment on my part. It was a good jump in my career.

“I felt it was a really good race. There are some things I have to work on now that I am going back home, like my start, competing under the water and my pull so I can get stronger.”

Taylor said he gained a lot from his experience here and he knows he made the Bahamas proud.

He said he will go back to the drawing board and get some work done with his local coach, Travano McPhee, so that at the next Commonwealth Games, he hopes to be on the podium.

McPhee, who serves with Andy Loeitt as coach, said while they felt Taylor did an awesome job as the only member of the team to advance to a final, all of the other swimmers performed at a very high level and they should be commended aswell.

The other members were co-flag carriers during the opening ceremonies, Izaak Bastian and Lilly Higgs, brother and sister Luke-Kennedy and Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson, Davante Carey, Katelyn Cabral and Rhanishka Gibbs, the youngest member at age 16.

“This was an awesome opportunity to be able to swim with some of the top athletes in the world,” McPhee said. “They now know what they need to do to continue to progress.”

The swim team will leave for London today where they will spend the day enjoying themselves before they head home on Friday.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/04/lamar-taylor-7th-final-50m-freestyle/?news

Alonzo Russell powers way into 400m semi-final

ALONZO Russell leaves the track after his heat in the 400 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, yesterday.

ALONZO Russell leaves the track after his heat in the 400 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, yesterday.

As of Thursday, August 4, 2022

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BIRMINGHAM, England — Despite not feeling 100 percent, Alonzo Russell was able to muster enough energy to power from behind down the home stretch to earn a lane in the semi-final of the men’s 400 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

As the first Bahamian athlete to compete on day two of the track and field competition before a jam-packed 30,000 seating at the Alexander Stadium yesterday, the Grand Bahamian native emerged out of the fifth of seven heats with a third place finish in 48.41 seconds.

That enabled the 30-year-old national championship runner-up to claim 15th place overall to ensure his spot in the semi-finals on Friday when he will run out of lane nine in the last of three heats when the first two in each heat and the two fastest times will book their ticket to the final on Sunday.

“It was rough because I’m battling the flu right now,” said Russell, who is in his third appearance at the games. “I am just taking it one round at a time and hope that I can come back in two days (one to be exact) and advance again. But it’s been rough.”

Running out of lane four in his heats, Russell got left coming out of the first curve, but started to make up some ground on the back stretch. As he came off the final curve, he was in fifth place, but negotiated his comeback on the home stretch for the third place.

Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga had already built up enough real estate to surge out front as the heat winner in a personal best of 44.89 with Jamaica’s Jevaughn Powell taking the second spot in 48.14. While Samukonga had the fastest qualifying time, Powell was pegged at number eight.

With the crowd cheering loudly for everybody, Russell said he was motivated a little more in staging his comeback.

“I was kind of surprised. The race was amazing. There were a lot of people out here for a morning session, compared to the World Championships,” Russell said. “The crowd was just so much bigger. It was amazing.”

At the World Championships two weeks ago in Eugene, Oregon, Russell didn’t compete in the 400, so he’s hoping to take advantage of this opportunity here, regardless of how he feels physically.

“I hope to go for a personal best. That’s the goal,” said Russell, who has done a lifetime best of 45.25 on June 26, 2019 at the Bahamas National Championships at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

In analysing his environment here, including the games village at the University of Birmingham, he indicated that he couldn’t ask for anything better.

“Everything here is pretty good, so I shouldn’t have any problems accomplishing my goal,” he summed up.

If he achieves his goal and he advances again, Russell will be in the final to be contested on the final day of competition on Sunday at 5:45 am EST. He also has two silver medals from the games on his résumé, having ran on both the 4 x 400m relay teams at the Gold Coast, Australia in 2018 and in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014.

However, he’s still looking for his first final in the individual 400m at a major global competition. He is the lone competitor for the Bahamas in the one-lap race in the absence of Steven Gardiner and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/04/alonzo-russell-powers-way-400m-semi-final/?news

Bahamas athletes get set for cycling, track and field today

As of Thursday, August 4, 2022

#BIRMINGHAM, England — With swimming joining judo, boxing and triathlon as completed disciplines at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Team Bahamas will continue action in track and field and cycling today.

#Kendrick Thompson will start the men’s decathlon, competing in the 100 metres, long jump and shot put in the morning session and the 400m to round out the first day of competition.

#Tynia Gaither and Denisha Cartwright are both listed to be back for the start of the women’s 200m heats, but Gaither is leaving for Poland and Cartwright wasn’t sure if she would compete.

#The highlight for Team Bahamas will come in the men’s long jump final when LaQuan Nairn will be the seventh of 12 jumpers on the runway. He has already predicted that he will win the gold and break the Bahamian national record.

#The two-man team of Felix Neely and Lorin Sawyer will also begin their competition in the individual time trials on the road, starting at 7:01 am EST.

#Neely will be the ninth competitor on the road and Sawyer will go 38th. There are a total of 57 competitors expected to line up to compete.

#Friday’s events

#Kendrick Thompson will complete the final day of competition in the men’s decathlon with the 110m hurdles, discus and pole vault in the morning session and the javelin and 1,500m in the evening session.

#Also, World indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton will begin her quest for a medal in the women’s 100m hurdles with the heats to advance to the final that will take place on Sunday at 5:25 am EST.

#Kaiwan Culmer will also compete in the men’s long jump in his bid to get into Sunday’s final.

#The top 12 competitors will advance to Sunday’s final at 5:25pm EST.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/04/bahamas-athletes-get-set-cycling-track-and-field-t/?news