ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Sep. 5,
2026 - The Grenada Athletics Association is working towards fielding
national teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, President Johnell Mitchell said
Saturday, although he gave no timetable for the initiative.
Mitchell was speaking on the
TalkSports programme in his first major interview following his election as GAA
president.
He said discussions and other
preparatory work were taking place but were not yet ready to be made public.
“We have quite a few of our
athletes who are running good times — 46s, 45s,” Mitchell said. “We have to be
able to get them together, and it is a direction that we are moving in.”
He said the GAA’s objective
extended beyond forming a single 4x400m team.
“In time to come, I’m going to
say to you and to the general public, we will have a relay team out there — not
a relay team, but we’re going to have 4x100s and 4x400s,” he said.
Mitchell also identified the
development and retention of female athletes as an area requiring closer
attention.
“We need to do something about
our female athletes and the direction of our female athletes,” he said. “That’s
one of the areas we’ve kind of dropped off in recent times.”
The GAA president referred to
Suerena Alexander and Jamara Patterson among the country’s established female athletes, but said too few promising juniors were progressing successfully into
the senior ranks.
“We need to probably take a deep
dive into what’s happening with our young female athletes who we see performing
well,” he said.
Mitchell also highlighted triple
jumper Christanna Charles, whom he described as a well-rounded athlete with the
potential to progress if she continues to receive proper guidance and support.
The comments identify relay
development and the transition of female athletes among Mitchell’s early
priorities. However, the GAA has not yet announced implementation dates,
selection standards, or targeted competitions for the proposed relay teams.
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