The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FOR the third consecutive year, the Silver Lightning Track Club will honour one of the country’s premier middle-distance runners in staging the William ‘Knucklehead’ Johnson Cross Country Championships.

The event will get underway at 9am Saturday on a course designed at the Bahamas Golf Federation’s Driving Range.

The event is open to competitors from as young as primary school to as old as those that are in college and beyond.

“We are expecting all of the government and a number of private schools to come out and participate, along with the local track and field clubs. We are also expecting some competitors from Grand Bahama,” said Rupert Gardiner, the race coordinator.

As a special treat for the participants, Steven Gardiner, the men’s 400-metre world champion from the 17th IAAF World Championships, along with silver medallists Shaunae Miller-Uibo and her husband Maicel, are expected to be on hand.

Also expected to be in attendance are Drumeco Archer, the president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations, Mike Sands, president of the North American, Central American and Caribbean and Lanisha Rolle, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.

“Curtis Mitchell, one of the talented young middle-distance runners, will be coming in from the United States as our special guest to participate in the event,” confirmed Gardiner of the high school student in Orlando, Florida. “We also expected his brother, but he has a late class on Friday and won’t be able to make it.”

With an increased interest in cross country, Gardiner said he anticipates that they will have a very large field of competitors competing this year. There will be a special trophy presented to the overall schools in both the junior and senior high.

“This will also serve as a qualifier for the team that will represent the Bahamas at the CAC Cross Country next year, so we expect that a number of competitors will be coming out to try out for that team,” he said.

“We’ve modified the distances for each age group and we will make sure that the courses are outlined properly. We want to make sure that this year’s event is the most exciting.”

Competitors will get a chance to compete in the under-8, under-10, under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18, under-30 and open divisions for boys and girls. The entry fee is $7 per person.

Gardiner and Miller-Uibo are also expected to be on hand to present awards to the top finishers in each age group.

Johnson was a star athlete for AF Adderley who went on to win a medal at the CARIFTA Games and is still the holder of the Bahamas national men’s 1,500m record in a time of three minutes and 45.72 seconds that he established in Austin, Texas, on May 17, 1983. He is now the head of the Physical Plant at St Augustine’s College.