Competitors Announced For USATF Track Event
The 2022 USATF Bermuda Games are set for Saturday, April 9 at the Flora Duffy Stadium in Devonshire, with numerous top international athletes set to take part.
The USATF website said, “Eight Olympic medalists from last summer’s Tokyo Games highlight the field for the 2022 USATF Bermuda Games. Set for April 9 at Flora Duffy Stadium in Devonshire, Bermuda, the meet is the first stop on the 2022 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
“Two medalists and three of the top four finishers in the men’s 200m at Tokyo will drop down to the 100m, where they will face some of the world’s top dash specialists. Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles took silver and bronze at the Games in the 200m, and Erriyon Knighton was fourth.
“That trio will go up against Marvin Bracy, the bronze medalist in the 60m at the recent World Athletics Indoor Championships, along with Jamaica’s Yohan Blake, the third-fastest 100m man in history with a PR of 9.69. Add in Ronnie Baker, a 9.83 performer who was fifth in the 100m at Tokyo, and this event takes on even more significance in the world rankings picture.
“Coming off a dominant performance at the World Athletics Indoor Championships where he won gold and tied his own world record in the 60m hurdles, Tokyo silver medalist Grant Holloway will open his outdoor campaign in the 110m hurdles against Jamaica’s Olympic semifinalist Damion Thomas, the 2021 NCAA indoor champion in the 60H for LSU.
“An Olympic champion at 400m last summer, Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas will contest the men’s 200m with a lifetime best of 19.75 and will line up against Trinidad’s Jereem Richards, the world indoor 400m champion, as well as Canada’s Aaron Brown was sixth at Tokyo and has dipped under 20 seconds with a 19.95 PR.
“Grenada’s Kirani James has men’s 400m medals from the last three Olympic Games, including a gold from 2012, and took bronze last summer. He tops a one-lap field that includes 2016 Olympic fourth-place finisher Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and 2018 U.S. champion Kahmari Montgomery, who has a lifetime best of 44.23. Noah Williams has a lifetime best of 44.30 and won the NCAA indoor 400m for LSU last year.
“Olympic 200m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas and Tokyo 100m Olympian Teahna Daniels are the top U.S. entrants in the women’s 100m. Daniels ran a personal best of 10.83 last summer, while Thomas clocked 11.00 in the heats at the Olympic Trials and just missed a berth in the 100m with a fourth-place effort in the final. Javianne Oliver won the Trials and was a semifinalist in Tokyo. She was a sub-11 performer in 2021, as were Tamara Clark, TeeTee Terry and Kayla White. Morolake Akinosun was a World Championships semifinalist in 2019.
“Talented across the sprint spectrum, Jamaica’s 100m bronze medalist from Tokyo, Shericka Jackson, moves back up to the 400m to take on Wadeline Jonathas, the 2019 world championships fourth-place finisher for Team USATF. Jonathas set her lifetime best of 49.60 in that race, just behind Jackson’s bronze medal effort of 49.47. Jamaica’s Candice McLeod was fifth at Tokyo and has run 49.51, while Lynna Irby was the 2018 NCAA 400m champion for Georgia with a lifetime best of 49.80.
“World indoor champion and former American record holder Ajee’ Wilson ran away with the 800m gold in Belgrade last month and has the fastest personal best in the field here at 1:55.61. Jamaica’s Chrisann Gordon-Powell has 50.13 400m speed to go with a silver medal in the 2016 Rio 4x400m relay and has steadily improved after moving up in distance, clocking 2:02.04 last weekend. Charlene Lipsey and Britain’s Ellie Baker are also sub-2:00 performers.
“2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships 60m hurdles bronze medalist Gabbi Cunningham and Puerto Rican Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn will face off in the 100m hurdles. Camacho-Quinn bettered the Puerto Rican record in the event with a 12.26 at Tokyo. Cunningham ran a lifetime best 12.53 at the Olympic Trials.
“The pair is joined by 2019 NCAA runner-up Chanel Brissett, who’s clocked a 12.52 in the 100H, and Trials runner-up Christina Clemons, a 12.51 performer.
“Camacho-Quinn is also scheduled to run the 200m, where her 22.27 lifetime best puts her in good stead against Jodie Williams, the Briton who clocked 49.97 to place sixth in the Tokyo 400m and has a 200m best of 22.46. Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas dipped under 11-seconds in the 100m last month with a 10.99 and has a half-lap best of 22.32, while Jamaica’s Briana Williams won gold on her nation’s 4x100m at Tokyo and was the world U20 champion at 200m in 2018.
“Jamaica’s Janieve Russell finished fourth at Tokyo in the greatest women’s 400m hurdles race ever with a lifetime best 53.08. She is the fastest entrant, but Ashley Spencer was the Olympic bronze medalist in 2016 and has a best of 53.11. Those two will have to contend with Canada’s Sage Watson, a semifinalist at the Games, and 2015 World Championships bronze medalist Cassandra Tate.
“In the men’s 1,500m, Brahim Kaazouzi of Morocco has the fastest personal best at 3:31.62. 19-year-old Kenyan Kamar Etyang clocked 3:33.02 last year, and Germany’s Amos Bartlesmeyer ran in the heats at Tokyo and sports a personal best of 3:35.24. Qatar’s Hamza Driouch, the 2012 world U20 champion, has a lifetime best of 3:33.69, but that was 10 years ago. Eric Holt is the fastest American with a best of 3:36.62.
“Abigail Irozuru of Britain was 11th at Tokyo and leads four other 2021 Olympians in the women’s long jump. Quanesha Burks was fifth at the recent World Indoor Championships and placed third at the Trials last summer. Sha’Keela Saunders was sixth at the Trials and finished ninth at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. Heptathlete Erica Bougard was ninth in the multi-event at Tokyo and won the 2017 U.S. indoor title in the long jump.
“Other field event action features Olympic women’s triple jump fourth-place finisher Shanieka Ricketts of Jamaica up against Dominica’s Thea LaFond, who took fourth at the World Indoor Championships last month. The women’s high jump has 2021 Olympian Rachel McCoy taking on Olympic veteran Inika McPherson, while the men’s triple jump will pit two-time U.S. Olympian Chris Benard against local favorite Jah-Nhai Perinchief of Bermuda, who was fifth at last month’s World Indoor Championships after a runner-up finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships for Tennessee.
“The 2022 USATF Bermuda Games will be broadcast live from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC and tickets are available here. Fans can view a full schedule of events here.”
