SPORTS SECTION E
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
UB MINGOES - E11
Strachan clocks season’s best in 400, Gardiner 3rd in 100 dash Elite athletes Anthonique and Steven slowly making their return to international competition after series of injuries
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
AS they slowly make their return to international competition after a series of injuries, Bahamian elite athletes Anthonique Strachan and Steven Gardiner over the weekend displayed their versatility in events they rarely compete in. At the GC Foster Classic 2026 at the GC Foster College in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Strachan clocked a season's best of 54.03 seconds for third place in the women's 400 metres. While it was a step up from her normal 100/200m combo, Strachan, representing the MVP Track Club, lost out to
GARDINER
STRACHAN
her training partner Janielle Josephs, who won in 52.37. Dhiann Rashana Salmon, of SpinTec, was second in 53.17. Meanwhile at the 20th Carolina Spring Break Camp/Classic at the Pista de Atletismo Basilio Rodriguez in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Gardiner finished third overall in the men's 100m after winning his heat in 10.39.
The 30-year-old Bahamian national record holder in both the 200 and 400 metres also competed in the 200m where he posted a second-place finish in 20.71. Jose Figueroa from Puerto Rico emerged as the double sprint champion, taking the 200m in 10.22 and the 200m in 20.30. Yariel Perez, another Puerto Rican, was second in the 100m in 10.32. Strachan, the 32-year-old veteran sprinter, said it was good to run her first 400m
since 2023, just before she fractured both of her shins, although most of her severe pain comes from her right leg. "It was rough," said Strachan, who is training in Jamaica. "I haven't done one in a while, but I've been doing over distance training, so I've been trying to get a lot faster. "So trying to go up there was a test. It was just a feel out type thing. I will be back this weekend to do another
one just to see how it actually goes and feels." Although her specialty is the 200m, Strachan is capable of running the 400m, but she admitted that she tends to shy away from the one-lap race because of the lactic experience she has to deal with after competing. "My training has been great, but I still haven’t mapped out any plans for this year as yet," Strachan said. "I didn't start training like everybody else. I'm
technically still in the background of my training," she added. The CARIFTA two-time Austin Sealy award winner in 2011 and 2012 went on to win the World Junior Championships' 100/200m double title in Barcelona, Spain, in 2012, and the same year she later earned the Rising Athlete of the Year award. Strachan is not certain when she will compete in the two shorter sprint events this year.
BAAA holds key meeting ahead of CARIFTA Trials By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@tribunemedia.net WITH the 2026 CARIFTA Track and Field Championships approaching, the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) held a key meeting on Tuesday at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium ahead of the CARIFTA Games Trials. The session, led by sports nutrition specialist Dr Kent L Bazard of Empire Sports Medicine and Performance, focused on helping athletes achieve high performance through structured nutrition habits. The meeting included a strong turnout of CARIFTA pre-qualifiers, along with parents and coaches looking to sharpen the small details that often separate finalists from medallists. Dr Bazard’s presentation outlined what he called the four pillars of athletic performance - training,
HEALTH SAVVY: The meeting, led by sports nutrition specialist Dr Kent L Bazard of Empire Sports Medicine and Performance included a strong turnout of CARIFTA pre-qualifiers and focused on helping athletes achieve high performance through structured nutrition habits. Photos: Chappell Whyms Jr nutrition, recovery and consistency. In simple terms, athletes must train with purpose, fuel their bodies correctly, prioritise sleep and hydration, and maintain those habits over time to see
results. He then broke down what an athlete’s daily plate should look like. Many practical examples were given to help athletes understand how to incorporate this advice into training. Fuelling around training was another focus as Dr Bazard explained that pre-training meals should include carbohydrates for energy, while longer sessions require consistent intake during activity. Post-training recovery should combine carbohydrates and protein to replenish glycogen stores and repair muscle. He closed with the “4 R’s” of recovery nutrition - refuel, repair, rehydrate and revitalise - reinforcing the idea that what athletes do after training is just as important as the session itself. “A lot of athletes who think about nutrition are thinking about weight loss, trying to bring down their fat percentage, and trying to improve what they eat but, as an athlete, you can't eat like a bikini model, you have to eat like a racehorse. Their priority should be fuelling for performance as well as fuelling for recovery and fuelling for maintenance, they have to be much more meticulous about their energy intake,” said Bazard. Team Bahamas' head coach Alexis Roberts was also present at the meeting and spoke about the importance of the meeting for the athletes. “We took an initiative from the beginning of the season to start to educate coaches, and we want to do so also with the athletes. Having this information at
their fingertips allows them to make the best decisions in terms of nutrition and training so that they are able to achieve their goals,” said Roberts. “Many athletes will come out here and run and train hard and line up with seven other people and try to figure why they are not seeing a PR, why am I not running the same kind of times that they are running, and it's often times the small things like nutrition, recovery after workouts and getting proper sleep.” He also pointed to The Bahamas’ strong showing at the 52nd CARIFTA Games, where the team once again ranked among the region’s best with a medal haul that included 16 golds and more than 30 overall podium finishes. He noted that expectations remain high, but so does the standard. “We want to surpass what we did last year. If you look at the qualifying standards last year, you'll see that this year's are a little higher, every year the kids get better,” said Roberts. “We are now seeing now, under 15 and under 17 girls running 23 seconds, and the under 20 girls doing the same thing. The kids in college are running some fast times as well, so we expect to see more medals and better medals,” said Roberts The BAAA is expected to announce an 80-member team shortly after this weekend’s CARIFTA Trials, scheduled for March 20-22 at the same venue. Performances over those three days will finalise selections and shape the country’s medal hopes heading into Grenada 2026 at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.