Home|Sports|Russell coming home for New Life this SaturdaySports
Sheldon LongleySend an emailMay 3, 2023 525 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Bahamian Alonzo Russell has been blazing a new trail this season, establishing himself as a force to reckon with in the men’s 400 meters (m) worldwide, and now he’s coming home to compete.
The Grand Bahamian athlete is set to run in his specialty, the men’s 400m, at the 2nd NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association) New Life Invitational which will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Russell has already run under 45 seconds twice this season – becoming the 10th Bahamian all-time to accomplish that feat. At his last race, at the Tom Jones Memorial Classic at the Percy Beard Track in Gainesville, Florida, a few weekends ago, Russell won in a stunning personal best time of 44.73 seconds. With that time, he tied former national record holder Troy McIntosh and LaToy Williams for the fifth-fastest in Bahamian history. The weekend before he ran that blazing time, Russell clocked 44.93 seconds at the Miramar Invitational at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, going under 45 seconds for the first time in his career.
The Bahamian quarter-miler is looking to go even faster at home, making inroads in what is turning out to be a breakout season for him. He is at number nine on World Athletics’ top performance list for 2023.
A few other stars who have confirmed attendance at the New Life Invitational are American quarter-miler Trevor Stewart, and Jamaican sprinters Tyquendo Tracey and Ackeem Blake. Overall, about 100 of the region’s elite stars are expected to be in the nation’s second city for the NACAC New Life Invitational this coming Saturday. Without releasing much information, Meet Director Demarius Cash said they have four sub-10-second male 100m runners and two sub-11 female 100m runners confirmed to compete. So far, indications from the organizers are that there has been great interest shown by athletes of the NACAC area.
The local organizing committee has been busy reaching out to agents of athletes from the region to ensure an array of high-quality athletes at the show.
The first NACA New Life Invitational took place in Miramar, Florida, in the summer of 2021.
The event is part of the plan of NACAC Athletics to facilitate an annual circuit of competitions with cash prizes, between the end of March and the second week of June, each year, aimed at providing opportunities for athletes from the area to compete right here in the region, before going on to Europe and other international competitions.
As the athletes prepare for the world championships, scheduled for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary, the New Life Invitational will afford them an early opportunity to showcase their skills and also qualify for the world championships if they have not already done so.
The 2nd NACAC New Life Invitational is a World Athletics Continental Tour (WACT) Silver Level meet where athletes will have an opportunity to post qualifying times and distances, gain world ranking points, and compete for their share of the $75,000 prize money. The level of talent on display is expected to rival that of any of the top meets in the United States and on this side of the world.
The one-day athletics meet is sanctioned by the local governing body of the sport of athletics in the country, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), and it will be arguably the most anticipated track and field meet on Grand Bahama this year.