The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Day one of competition for Team Bahamas at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya featured Keyshawn Strachan in the men’s javelin and a quartet of sprinters in the 100 metres.

Strachan advanced to the final of the men’s javelin with his throw of 68.85 metres in the qualifying round.

The 17-year-old junior national record holder (71.62m) finished fifth in Group A and is seeded at No.8 overall headed into the final.

Strachan will contest the final at 2:20pm local time on August 20 in the first event scheduled in the afternoon session.

Three of the top five finalists set new personal bests in the qualifying round, led by Nigeria’s Chinecherem Nnamdi who also set a new National U20 record of 78.02m.

The top eight among the 16 finalists also includes Artur Felfner of Ukraine (77.15m), Janne Laspa of Finland (77.10m PB), Filip Dominkovic of Slovenia (73.82 PB), Eryk Kolodziejczak of Poland (71.73m), Kunwer Ajai Raj Singh Rana of India (71.05m) and Jay Kumar of India (70.34m).

In addition to his national record achieved at June’s Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Track and Field Championships, Strachan has also thrown a personal best of 72.13m at the North American Central and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) U18 and U23 Championships in Costa Rica in July.

The Bahamas was unable to produce a finalist in the 100m, however, three of the four competitors advanced to the semifinal before elimination.

In the men’s event, both Wendell Miller and Carlos Brown Jr turned in personal bests but fell just short in their qualification bid. Miller finished at No.11 in the field while Brown was No.12.

Miller, 18, ran successive personal bests, beginning with a 10.51 seconds to finish second in heat two. In the second of three semifinals, he ran to a sixth place finish in 10.45.

Brown, 15, also ran successive personal bests and opened with a 10.53 in heat six of the opening round to advance.

He went on to finish fourth in heat three of the semifinals in 10.47.

In the women’s event, Camille Rutherford advanced to the semifinal and finished No.12 overall in the field while Lacarthea Cooper finished No.33.

The 18-year-old Rutherford ran to a first place finish in heat one in 11.59 to advance. She went on to finish third in semifinal three in 11.72.

Cooper, 17, finished seventh in heat four in 12.30 seconds.

Rhema Otabor will be the lone member of Team Bahamas in competition today when she contests the final of the women’s javelin at 2:40 pm local time.

Otabor, the 18-year-old junior national record holder in the event enters the final with the seventh best throw of the field this season at 55.06m.

Rutherford, Cooper and Brown will also compete in the 200m, while Miller will challenge both the 200m and 400m.

The remaining members of the team include Alexis Tilford-Rutherford in the women’s long jump, Lamont Moss in the 200m and Antoine Andrews in the 110m hurdles.

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