The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedi.net

BAHAMIAN head coach Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown and his Clayton State Lakers are off to an impressive 2021 track and field season in Marrow, Georgia.

After the indoor season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lakers kicked off their outdoor campaign on February 27 at the Savannah State Eye Opener in Savannah and they participated in their last of four meets over the weekend at the Alice Coachman Invitational in Albany.

Brown, who took over the head coaching job at Clayton State in 2019 from programme founder Mike Mead, one year after he served as his assistant, said he’s extremely pleased with the progress made so far by his Lakers’ athletes.

“I’m very pleased with the way they have been performing. Our men’s team have been consistently placing in the top three this season with our 4 x 400m undefeated, we have a female undefeated in the 400, 800 and 1,500 and I have a freshman who has been dominant in her events, Arianna Jones,” Brown said.

“And Sasha Knowles, our only Bahamian on the team, has turned in a big PR from 2:30 to 2:25 (in the women’s 800m).

So I’m quite pleased. We are just looking for one more competition and then we go into the championships.”

The Lakers will be back in action at the Running Eagles Open in Mariette on Saturday, April 17, before they prepare for the Peach Belt Conference Championships from April 29 to May 1 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Following the Mount Olive Last Chance Meet from May 15-16 in Mount Olive, North Carolina, the Lakers will close out the season at the NCAA Division II Championships from May 21-23 in Allendale, Michigan.

“So far, we have about five of our girls who have already qualified and six guys, along with our men’s relay team,” said Brown of a roster of 11 women and 16 men. “We also had one or two injuries, which are normal and regular, but it’s all about doing what you have to do to take care of your body. “Outside of that, I’m pretty pleased with what our women have been doing. They have been performing very well, so I can’t complain. The men are also doing extremely well, especially the relay team.

“But my senior female, Nai’lah Allen, is leading the way in points and my freshman, Arianna Jones, is about two points away from catching her up.”

Although his focus is on his Lakers team, Brown said he still has a lot of opportunities at Clayton State to continue to work on his preparation for what he expects to be his last Olympic Games appearance in Tokyo, Japan in July.

“We go into our conference meet the last weekend in May and then it’s just the Nationals, so after that I still have time to continue to prepare for the Olympics,” said Brown, who has been the country’s longest active competitor, not just in the men’s 400 metres, but in general.

“I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

Brown, the former Bahamian national record 400m holder at 44.40 and still the national 800m record holder at 1:49.54, has represented the Bahamas in five Olympics dating back to 2000 in Sydney, Australia, helping the men’s 4 x 400m relay team pick up a bronze.

After missing a spot on the podium in 2004 in Athens, Greece, Brown and the relay team returned to prominence to silver in Beijing, China in 2008, the same year that he was fourth in the individual 400m.

Four years later in London, England, Brown, on lead off and Ramon Miller on anchor (with Demetrius Pinder and Michael Mathieu in between) stunned the United States for the gold.

Brown, the flag bearer during the opening ceremonies, once again had to settle for fourth in the open 400m.

At the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brown, as captain of the team, helped the Bahamas to secure another bronze with the combo of Alonzo Russell, Mathieu and Steven Gardiner.

The 2020 Olympics was postponed until this year because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

While he fell short of getting on the podium in the individual 400m in the Olympics, World Outdoor Championships and Commonwealth Games, Brown has run on numerous medal winning 4 x 400m relay teams.

He has also captured five World Indoor Championship medals, including a gold in Doha in 2010 and has won medals at every other international competition, both in the 400 and on the 4 x 400m relay teams.

For now, the 42-year-old native from Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera, who went on to compete for RM Bailey Secondary High and Norfolk State, said he’s enjoying his sting as the head coach for the Lakers at Clayton State.