LONDON, England - Based on what happens in practice today, the World Junior double sprint champion just might be scratched from her best event here at the 30th Olympic Games.
Anthonique Strachan has been removed from the 100 meters (m), and there's a possibility she might miss the 200m as well with tendinitis in her right foot.
According to her personal coach Henry Rolle, who is also a part of the Bahamian coaching team in London, they are taking no chances when it comes to Strachan's health. Right now, it's a wait and see situation based on what she does at practice today.
"Well, I made the tough decision to scratch her from the 100 meters prior to coming here," said Rolle yesterday in an interview.
"She's very young, and she needs to be protected. She should be okay to run the 200, and two rounds of the 4x100-meter relay, but we'll make a decision on that after Wednesday. Based on how much the foot has flared up, we'll make a decision on whether or not she'll be able to take the pounding and [be] fit enough to run the 200."
Strachan wasn't available for comment yesterday, but Rolle said that they really haven't been doing any intense training since her double win at the IAAF World Junior Championships at the beginning of July in Barcelona, Spain.
Strachan, who has set personal best times in both short sprints this year, left The Bahamas at the end of last year to train under the watchful eyes of Rolle in Auburn, Alabama.
"Really and truly we haven't trained the way we should have since Anthonique came back from Barcelona. We did some light workouts in the pool, but that was it," said Rolle.
"I don't want to put a young lady who has just come off a high in a situation that is going to demoralize her. You would want her to finish on a high after she won the world juniors."
An absence by Strachan from the 200m, and possibly the 4x100m as well, would be a huge blow for The Bahamas. She ran a new world junior leading time and championships record of 22.53 seconds in the 200m final at the World Juniors. In the 100m, she was just a hundredth of a second off Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie's junior national record.
On the senior level, a similar run in the 200m semis here in London would almost certainly get her into the final.
As far as the relay is concerned, she's a pivotal part of that team. With her personal best of 11.20 seconds in the 100m this year, Strachan is the second fastest Bahamian behind Sheniqua Ferguson. Ferguson, who also is a part of Rolle's camp in Auburn, has a personal best time of 11.07 seconds this year. Both young ladies are expected to figure prominently in the women's 4x100m relay here.
Rolle said they're just taking it one day at a time and hoping for the best.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian