The Bahamas will send only a men’s 4x400m relay team to the IAAF World Relays set for Yokohama, Japan from May 11-12.
That team will be comprised of Steven Gardiner, Alonzo Russell, O’Jay Ferguson, Andre Colebrook and Teray Smith.
The BAAA made the announcement via a statement released on Wednesday in which it cited a failure of to meet qualification standards as the reasons behind the decision not to enter a 4x100m or 4x200m squad or even a mixed relays team.
The Bahamas won the mixed relays when the championships they hosted the relays 2017. However, according to the BAAA things have changed dramatically since then.
“Within this track and field cycle, we are mindful of using every opportunity to qualify for the World Championships,” said Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations [BAAA] Chief Executive Officer [CEO] Mabeline Miller.
“This is why it was important to contest the traditional 4×100 and 4×100 events in Tokyo. Entry standards were only imposed in the 4×100 and 4×400 and are determined through the IAAF World Ranking list. The final entry deadline was on April 22, 2019.
“After submitting our entries, we received news today that the men’s and women’s 4×100 relay teams did not make the top 24, meaning that The Bahamas does not have a lane in those events. As a result, we have decided to withdraw our men’s 4×200 team as this is not an event on the World Championship schedule.”
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