DAEGU welcomes the world

Sat, Aug 27th 2011, 11:38 AM

DAEGU, South Korea - With thousands of spectators in attendance, and many more watching on local television, the city of Daegu, Korean Republic, welcomed the world through song and dance, and a celebration of athletes past and present, Friday night.  A colorful welcoming party was staged Friday night at the Duryu Baseball Park in Daegu. While most of the Bahamian athletes and officials chose not to attend the cultural extravaganza, those who did were left in awe.

The event kicked off what is expected to be a grand week of track and field here in Daegu. The 13th International Association of Athletic Federations' (IAAF) World Outdoor Championships will get underway this morning and will run through September 4.  Manager of Team Bahamas, Ralph McKinney, said that it was never their intention to attend the Welcoming Party, but added that they will definitely be a part of the opening ceremony tonight.

"Well, when you look at the timing of the events - with the welcoming party being tonight (Friday) and the opening ceremony being tomorrow night (Saturday), you have to be very careful not to tire the athletes out," said McKinney. "The utmost focus is to have the athletes performing at their best with no distractions. We feel that if our athletes perform at their best, we can expect some very good performances here in Daegu."

The 18-member squad got their final tune-up yesterday, as competition will start this morning in Daegu.  The country's newest national record holder, Bianca Stuart, will be first up for The Bahamas. She will compete in the qualifying round of the Women's Long Jump at 9:15 tonight in Daegu, and male sprinter Adrian Griffith is scheduled to compete in the opening round of the 100 meters (m) about a half hour later.

Stuart will be the fifth jumper in the first flight. She comes into the event with a personal best, national record breaking jump of 6.81m (22' 4-1/4"). The 12 best jumpers will advance to the final, with 6.75m (22' 1-3/4") being the automatic qualifying standard.

Bahamians are also set to compete on Sunday. Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder and Ramon Miller are all set to see action in the opening round of the Men's 400m, and Debbie Ferguson-Mckenzie, Sheniqua Ferguson and Anthonique Strachan have all been entered in the Women's 100m. Those events are expected to get underway at 11:15 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. respectively.
The focus last night was on Duryu Baseball Park though, as quite a number of athletes, coaches, officials and media representatives showed up at the official Welcoming Party.

The evening was filled with musical performances, featuring the introduction of legendary athletes, including present and former world records holders, and a spectacular fireworks display. As if that wasn't enough, another cultural showcase is set for tonight's Opening Ceremony.

As for the Welcoming Party last night, Americans Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene, Cuban Alberto Juantorena, Sergey Bubka from the Ukraine, Namibian Frankie Fredericks and Marie Jose-Perec from France, were just some of the former track and field stars who graced the evening with their presence.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads