Women claim bronze medal
T&T’s national women’s 4x100m celebrated this country’s first ever medal at the IAAF World Relay Championship, when the foursome, anchored by Kai Selvon clocked 42.66 seconds to claim bronze, in Nassau, Bahamas, on Saturday.
The bronze medal-winning women, which also included Kamaria Durant, Michelle-Lee Ahye and Reyare Thomas, finished behind the United States (41.88) and Jamaica (42.28). T&T moved into the final after finishing second in the opening heat, and third overall with a season-best 42.59, behind the US (42.29).
T&T bowed out of both the women’s 4x200 and 4x800m final after failing to complete either.
T&T claimed bronze in the 4x400m in a time of 2:58.34, a new national record. First was the USA with 2:57.25. Third was Bahamas with a time of 2:57.59.
T&T claimed silver in the men’s 4x100m relay edging Great Britain into third place in a time of 38.04, a season best. Jamaica won the event with a time of 37.77.
The T&T team 4x100 team included Keston Bledman, Marc Burns, Rondel Sorillo and Richard Thompson.
Speaking after the final, both Ahye and Durant said they were pleased at the result. “(It) Felt really good for the whole team. (I’m) really happy that we were able to get a medal, especially since it was the first for Trinidad and Tobago. Also, I thought the competition was tough and we had to run our hearts out,” said Ahye.
Durant said it was important for T&T to get a medal since it was the first ever World Relay Championship.
“First time medalling for Trinidad and Tobago, so really excited about that,” she said, adding, “(I) thought the track was really fast and the competition on the whole was very exciting.”
Unfortunately, T&T’s 4x400m women: Shawna Fermin, Domonique Williams, Romona Modeste and Alena Brooks, failed to make it past the heats. T&T (3:30.91) finished fourth behind Nigeria (3:27.07), Brazil (3:30.37) and Italy (3:30.67) in Heat One, and ninth overall.
T&T’s men’s 4x400m team, comprising Lalonde Gordon, Jarrin Solomon (two of four runners in T&T’s bronze medal team at the 2012 Olympics), Renny Quow and Machel Cedenio eased into last night’s final after placing second (3:01.06) in the heat, behind a star-studded Olympic champion team, the Bahamas, which set the Championship record in 3:00.30.
Bahamas ran with all four runners, Chris Brown, Michael Mathieu, Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller, who led the country to glory in 2012. Overall, T&T finished third in the heats, behind Great Britain (3:00.74). T&T lined up in lane five in the final.
The highlight of the inaugural World Relays on Saturday, was Jamaica’s 4x200m which smashed the world record with a gold medal run in 1:18.63. Anchored by multiple Olympic medialist Yohan Blake, the Jamaicans led a Caribbean-strong final, which saw St Kitts finish runner-up in 1:20.51, and Barbados fourth in 1:21.88. France took third in 1:20.66.