The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE women’s 4x400 metre team brought a blend of youth and experience for Team Bahamas, but still has a ways to go before they can compete for Olympic qualification.

Veteran quarter-miler Christine Amertil was the only carry over from the 2014 team, and teamed with Katrina Seymour, Bianca Farrington and D’Nia Freeman to finish third in the B final in 3:35.01s. Cuba took the race in 3:30.94s and Japan was second in 3:34.65s.

In the A final, the United States finished first in 3:19.39s, Jamaica was second in 3:22.49s and Great Britain finished third in 3:26.38s.

The mark set by the Americans was a new championship record and it became the fastest time in the world this season.

Amertil was placed on the second leg and gave the Bahamas the lead at the 150m mark, before she handed the baton to Freeman in third place.

The elder stateswoman on the team, Amertil said she walked away inspired by the effort given by the junior athletes.

“I’m very proud of this team. They went out there and ran a world quality time. They have so much more going on for them and with time to develop and the proper support they can become a strong force on the world stage,” she said. “There were some great runners out there, the Bahamian crowd really inspires you to keep going, I’m just happy we were able to finish where we did.”

Seymour brought the crowd to its feet with an amazing finish in the final 100m of the race to take the Bahamas from fifth to third place.

“I think this was a team of four awesome girls that came together and performed great out there. We may not have been the team people expected but I’m proud of the leg that each and every one of the girls ran and I don’t think experience was a factor,” Seymour said.

“[Farrington] ran a great leg to start us off with, [Freeman] came in and did well her own on the third leg and fought hard and me and Christine, the ‘old gals’ on the team I guess, we just went out there, did what we had to do to bring it home with our best effort and I think we gave that.”

As for the younger athletes on the team, Dorsett - a recent gold medallist in the individual 400m at the CARIFTA Games in St Kitts and Nevis - competed in heat two where the Bahamas finished fifth in a season’s best time of 3:33.60s.

“It was fun out there. Being at home, hearing people call my name and support me really calmed my nerves a lot and helped me do what it is I had to do,” she said. “I know this competition was going to be incredible, I just wanted to go out there and do my best. We had a good chance, we just wanted to go out there, run hard, run smart and do our best so I’m happy with that.”

Freeman, a student at Riverdale Baptist in Washington DC, also competed at CARIFTA and ran in her first meet at the senior elite level.

Farrington had the task of running the opening leg of both the heats and the finals. “Each time I started it off, and I just wanted to give my team the best opportunity as I could and set the tone,” she said. “The team is a very young team and we just want to develop a good programme like the guys have in the 4x400m.”