Women’s 4x400m Sets Bahamas Record, Qualifies For Worlds Bahamas Qualifies Three Relay Teams For World Championships At Penn Relays
Bahamian history was made on Saturday at the Penn Relays with three of the four relay teams that competed qualifying for the 2009 International Association of Athletic Federations World Championship in Berlin, Germany from August 15th-23rd.
The Bahamas last competed in three relays at the World Championship level during the IAAF Championships in Edmonton Canada in 2001 when each country was allowed freely to send their teams.
Since the 2004 change to the qualification where just the top 16 relay teams in the world would be invited to the championships The Bahamas has only competed in the men’s 4x400 meters and women’s 4x100 meters at the World Championship and Olympic levels.
The team of Christine Amertil, Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, Sasha Rolle and Shakeitha Henfield showed the world and the region that The Bahamas is ready to compete in the women’s 4x400 meter relay.
Although The Bahamas finish fifth in the event, the quartet that established a new National record earlier this month at the University of Miami Elite Classic broke their own mark this time using a different running order.
Amertil, Ferguson-McKenzie, Rolle and Henfield surpassed the IAAF standard of 3:31.00 by running a new record 3:29.53 seconds.
There were six teams participating from four different nations. The Bahamas has automatically qualified for the World Championships in the women’s 4x400 meter relay.
In addition to the four veterans The Bahamas can hope to depend on additional help from collegiate athletes like Cache Armbrister and Sheniqua Ferguson who has run the 400m in the past.
Junior athletes like Rashan Brown, Katrina Seymour can also help the team get through the early rounds or compete at tune up meets.
Also on Saturday, Henfield, Armetil and Ferguson-McKenzie joined veteran sprinter Chandra Sturrup to automatically qualify the women’s 4x100 meter relay team for the IAAF World Championships.
The quartet dipped below the standard of 43.90 seconds running third in 43.64 seconds behind the United States of America who won in 42.20 seconds and Jamaica taking second in 42.77 seconds.
On the men’s side, it was a battle between the Olympic gold and silver medal winning 4x400 meter relay teams. In the end, the Bahamas once again settled for second behind team USA.
Replacing Jeremy Warnier with Kerron Clement, the USA won in two minutes 59.78 seconds (2:59.78) while the Bahamas team of Michael Mathieu, Chris Brown, Andrae Williams and Nathaniel McKinney who replaced Andretti Bain, ran three minutes 29 seconds (3:00.29) for the second place. USA Blue finished in third in three minutes 58 seconds (3:00.58) and Jamaica fourth in three minutes 2.21 seconds (3:02.21).
The men’s 4x100 meter relay team of Shamar Sands, Adrian Griffith, Rodney Greene and Jamial Rolle finished sixth in 39.79 seconds which places them of the standard that is set at 39.10 seconds.
During the exchange on the second leg between Griffith and Greene, the team experienced difficulties as Greene left the take of mark a bit too early forcing him to stop and receive the baton.
With three of the four teams qualified for the World Championships, the men’s 4x100 meters will be in search of another opportunity to qualify.
