Grenada's Athletic Chief confident of 4x400m Relay Team

File Photo/Bascombe

by Michael Bascombe

ST GEORGE’S, June 14, 2012 – The Grenada Athletics Association (GAA) is pulling out all stops to ensure that a 4x400m Relay team qualifies for the Olympic Games in London.

In the most recent Best Relay Performances issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Grenada is 20^th among the top relay teams. However, only the top 16 teams will qualify for the Games, opening on July 27.

The IAAF will announce the 16 teams to qualify on July 3, based on the aggregate of the two fastest times achieved in the qualification period of January 1, 2011 to July 2, 2012.

Officials of the GAA and the Grenada Olympic Committee (GOC) have been discussing with Grenadian quarter-milers the possibility of entering a relay team for the 2012 Sagicor Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Track and Field Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain next weekend.

World 400m champion Kirani James, along with finalist Rondell Bartholomew, Bralon Taplin and Joel Redhead are the athletes who are expected to make the trip to Trinidad.

Bartholomew, who has not run competitively for the season and Taplin are also expected to compete in the individual 400 metres.

President of the GAA, Charles George is confident that Grenada’s 4x400m relay team will be in the top 16 by the July 2 deadline.

“This is our best opportunity but hinges on the availability of our top athletes,” he said. “As it is, that is a possibility since Rondell (Bartholomew) has indicated his availability for competition coming off an injury”.

Taplin, who has Grenadian roots, is a new entry to the relay team but will be attempting to lower his personal best of 45.36 seconds. His target is to better the Olympic “A” Standard of 45.30.

George said that the GAA has been in regular contact with both James and Bartholomew along with their coaches and agents but declined to give specifics. He said that it is customary for the association (GAA) to keep in constant contact with the athletes and their management team, and especially in the lead up to major events like the World Championships and Olympics.

At the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in April, the team of Redhead, James, Kevin Bowen and Keron Toussaint was 12^th overall in 3:08.85. James had a second-leg split of 43.8 seconds.

Seven athletes have already qualified for the London Olympics. They are James (Men’s 400m), Bartholomew (Men’s 400m), Kanika Beckles (Women’s 400m), Redhead (Men’s 200m), Kurt Felix (Men’s Decathlon), Janelle Redhead (Women’s 200m) and Neisha Bernard-Thomas (Women’s 800m).

The team will also include Andrea St Bernard (Taekwondo) and Esau Simpson with a wildcard in swimming.