Three of The Bahamas' relay teams hope to qualify for the Summer Olympics this weekend at the Blue Marlin Classic.
As it stands now, only one of The Bahamas' relay teams has safely secured a spot for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The Bahamas men's 4x400 meter (m) relay team finished second at last year's International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) World Relay Championships, and as a result, they automatically qualified for the Olympics. The top eight nations from those world relays automatically qualified. However, the country's other three relay teams missed out on a valuable opportunity at those relays, and as a result, they now have to be in the top eight remaining teams in the men and women's 4x100m and the women's 4x400m events in order to run in Rio.
The remaining spots will be awarded to the two fastest times achieved by national teams at IAAF sanctioned meets in the qualification period (January 1,2015 - July 11, 2016). Teams could run two fast relay times at the meet and qualify for the Olympics.
The deadline for Olympic qualification is on Monday, meaning that all three Bahamian relay teams will use the upcoming Blue Marlin Classic track and field meet as a possible springboard to Rio. The single day meet takes place on Independence Day (July 10) at the New Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, beginning at 4 p.m.
Local track coach George Cleare has been working with all three teams over the past few days as they prepare to qualify on Sunday. Despite being together for just a short period, he said that he's already seen an improvement in each team's chemistry.
"What I like is that the group is very positive and that everyone is getting along and gelling," he said. "We have a really good mix, especially on the female side. We have some veterans, some that are in between and also some up and comers.
"I like what I've seen out of them so far, now it's just a matter of putting in the time and the work as they prepare to run really fast on the weekend."
Along with instruction from Cleare, the women's 4x100m relay pool features one of the most decorated athletes in Bahamian history, Olympic relay gold medalist Debbie Ferguson- Mckenzie. The "Golden Girl" has been instrumental in the team's preparation for the big day and is expecting a strong performance in front of the home crowd.
"We're hoping that all the teams will be able to qualify. As for our team, we have an excellent group of ladies," she said. "We just have to make sure we're careful with the stick. We also have to remain confident in the team and one another and put it all together."
Along with Ferguson-Mckenzie, University of Southern California (USC) standout and national champion in both short sprints, Tynia Gaither, will also be a key component on the team.
She added: "We have a very strong group here and we look to do something magical on Sunday. I haven't had the privilege of working with these ladies until now, but it feels really good that we're able to bring our talents together."
As for the women's 4x400 team, veteran Chrisitine Amertil will be one of the athletes shouldering a lot of the load for team Bahamas. The women's 4x400m pool also features national 400m champion Shaunae Miller.
"Our chemistry is getting better. We worked a lot on exchanges, just trying to get a feel for one another," said Amertil. "The ladies are working hard and we hope to have a strong performance on Sunday."
Aside from the men's 4x400m relay team, only the women's 4x400 team is ranked in the top 20 by the IAAF. They currently sit in the 16th spot.
Randy Smith, Guardian Sports Reporter
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