The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER watching the debut of sprinter Camille Rutherford at the North America, Central America and Caribbean Under-23 Championships last month, long jumper Alexis Tilford-Rutherford is eager to join her cousin in her debut at the World Athletics’ Under-20 Championships.

The daughters of the Rutherford brothers Chad and Olympic bronze medallist Frank are in Nairobi, Kenya, as a part of the Bahamas’ nine-member team competing in the championships that will be held from Wednesday to Sunday.

“It’s a huge honour because I’ve never had an opportunity like this before,” said Tilford-Rutherford on her selection to a national team. “I’m just super excited to be able to represent the country.”

While Camille, an 18-year-old sophomore at the University of Houston, will be participating in the women’s 100 and 200 metres with 17-year-old St Augustine’s College rising star Lacarthea Cooper, Tilford-Rutherford, who is preparing for her freshman year at UH, will be the flag bearer in the triple jump.

“I think it’s just super awesome to be competing on the same team with my cousin,” said Tilford-Rutherford, a former versatile athlete at the Richmond George Ranch High School in Houston. “We’re also going to be competing at the University of Houston as well after we competed together in high school, so it’s good to be reunited again.

“We look up to each other and we encourage each other and we hope for the best for each other.”

For Tilford-Rutherford, who has been competing since she was seven years old, she just wants to go out and do her best, hopefully improving on her personal best of 22-feet and 1.2-inch.

“I just want to execute my jumps like I do in practice. If I can do that, I would be satisfied,” she projected. “I just want to go out there and have some fun and whatever happens, happens. I just want to do my best and hopefully it would be good enough to win.”

Inspired by her father and mentor, Frank, who is also on the coaching staff at UH, Tilford-Rutherford said that’s one of the reasons for her achievement in the sport so far.

“It means the world to me because not everyone has the same opportunity that I have and so I just value everything that he says when it comes to the sport,” she pointed out.

“He’s always right there at my side at track meets, making sure that I’m not stressed and letting me know what I need to do to improve. So I’m very grateful.”

Does that put any added pressure on Tilford-Rutherford, who turns 19 on November 22, one day before her father celebrates his 57th birthday?

“I guess you could say there was pressure when I was younger, but now that I have matured as an athlete, I can take his direction without feeling any pressure,” she said. “It’s more like direction in what I need to do.”

Unfortunately for her first international trip, her father will not be in the stands, but her mother Melissa will be there in Nairobi, providing as much support as she can for her daughter.

“I’m very excited. She’s taking me around the world,” her mother said. “I’m just going along for the ride. It’s just very exciting. I just want her to go and have fun with it and enjoy what she is doing.

“I want her to take the pressure off, take the stress off and enjoy the experience, improve the moment and when you do that, you will do your best.”

Once she leaves Nairobi, Tilford-Rutherford said she hopes the experience will help to propel her in the start of her collegiate career at UH with her cousin Camille and father Frank, an alumni and star triple jumper for the university.

In Nairobi, Tilford-Rutherford will compete with the other members of Team Bahamas, including Rhema Otabor in the women’s javelin and male competitors Carlos Brown in the 100 and 200 metres, Lamont Moss in the 200m, Wendell Miller in the 200 and 400m, Antoine Andrews in the 110m hurdles and Keyshawn Strachan in the javelin.

The team will be co-managed by Laketah Charlton and Sharon Gardiner and coached by Bernard Rolle, assisted by Darron Lightbourne and Corrington Maycock. The medical personnel is Dr Alvery Hanna, physiotherapist Michael Armbrister and COVID-19 liaison officer Laura Charlton.