When one thinks of Bahamian athletes who have excelled in all three sprints in track and field, names like Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) President Mike Sands and International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) Council member Pauline Davis-Thompson come to mind.
However, even they probably weren't able to do it like at the pace that is presently being produced by Grand Bahamian Michael Mathieu. In one short week, the new national record holder in the men's 200 meters (m) has either tied or set personal best times in all three sprints - the 100m, 200m and the 400m. He accomplished the latter yesterday, finishing first in the men's 400m at the fourth leg of the Brazilian Athletics Tour, in Uberlândia. Mathieu ran a stunning personal best time of 45.06 seconds to easily win the men's 400m, breaking the stadium record of 46.02 seconds.
It was his third victory in a week, as he took the 200m at the second leg of the Brazilian Athletics Tour, in Belem, last Sunday, and then followed that up with a first place finish in the men's 100m at the third leg of the Brazilian Athletics Tour, in Fortaleza, last Wednesday. Mathieu ran a national record setting time of 20.16 seconds in the 200m last Sunday, and tied a personal best time of 10.30 seconds in the 100m last Wednesday. His previous personal best in the 400m was 45.17 seconds, done at the Beijing Olympic Games four years ago, and his previous personal best in the 200m was 20.38 seconds.
As for his run in the 400m, it was the fastest time turned in by a Bahamian quartermiler this year. National record holder Chris Brown ran 45.14 seconds in the Cayman Islands last week, and just this past weekend, National Champion Demetrius Pinder galloped to a first place finish at the 6th Ponce Grand Prix, in Puerto Rico, in 45.15 seconds.
In Mathieu's race on Sunday, Brazilian Anderson Freitas Henriques was a distant second, in 45.74 seconds, and American Greg Nixon finished third, in 45.77 seconds. In Pinder's race, on Saturday, American Manteo Mitchell was second, in 45.28 seconds, and IAAF World Indoor Champion Nery Brenes, from Costa Rica, finished third, in 45.51 seconds.
Veteran Chandra Sturrup also competed in the Ponce Grand Prix, in Puerto Rico, on Saturday, and finished sixth in her heat of the women's 100m, and 12th overall, in 11.87 seconds.
Also competing this past weekend, at the first Samsung Diamond League Meet of the season, were high jumpers Trevor Barry and Donald Thomas. They finished tied for fifth in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, with identical leaps of 2.27m (7' 5-1/4"). Dimítrios Chondrokoúkis won that event with a leap of 2.32m (7' 7-1/4"), American World Champion Jesse Williams finished second with a best jump of 2.30m (7' 6-1/2"), and Mickael Hanany, from France, finished third with the same height as Williams. Samson Oni, from Great Britain, was fourth, clearing the same height as Barry and Thomas.

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