By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

PARIS, France — The Bahamas mixed 4 x 400m relay team of Wendel Miller, Janvonya Valcourt, Alonzo Russell and Quincy Penn gave it their best shot, while triple jumper Charisma Taylor got eliminated at the end of the competition.

But as day one of the track and field competition for Team Bahamas closed out on Friday at the Stade de France, Ken Mullings kept his hopes alive in the men's decathlon.

Running a totally different team, except for Russell, from the team that qualified the Bahamas at the World Relays in May at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, the quartet here ran three minutes and 14.58 seconds for eighth place in their heat.

The United States of America took the top spot in a world record time of 3:07.41. The next four finishers behind the USA all established national records as France got second in 3:10.00, Belgium third in 3:10.74 and Jamaica fourth in 3:11.06. Poland was fifth in a season's best of 3:11.43.

The Bahamas' performance was 13th overall out of a field of 16 countries. But despite not qualifying for the final, each member of the quartet admitted that it was the best they could achieve on the day.

For starters, Miller said he tried his best.

"That was a difficult heat for us, but we did the best we could. We didn't make it, but we have the World Championships next year and Olympics in 2028, so you will see more from The Bahamas."

Valcourt, the women's national 400m champion, said it was all about getting international experience on the global stage.

"We didn't get the results we wanted today, but I'm so proud of us. We went out there and did the best we could. Next year, I feel we will come back stronger."

In running the third leg, Russell said it wasn't the best for the team.

"It was good to see the others stepping up now, so I feel going forth, we will be in pretty good shape. I'm happy everyone finished healthy."

For Penn, who got the baton from Russell in eighth place, said "I ran the best I could. That's all I could do."

At the World Relays in May in the Bahamas, the team of Russell, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Steven Gardiner and Shania Adderley clocked 3:14.86 to qualify the team for Paris. Both Gardiner and Miller-Uibo are here, but not in the pool. 

Adderley did it, albeit with controversy with Lacarathea Cooper, who is an alternate on the team. But without Gardiner and Miller-Uibo, the Bahamas didn't have the firepower to go up against the top countries.

Taylor missed cut

After taking the early lead in the competition with her best mark of 14.01m, Taylor watched as she was dropped to ninth in Group B and 15th overall as she just missed the top 12 that advanced to Saturday's final.

"It was a good experience. I was definitely disappointed that I didn't make the final," she said. "But I have the (100m) hurdles, so I just have to keep on going."

The 12th and final qualifying spot went to Llonis Gullaume of France with 14.05, while the top qualifier was Leyanis Perez Henandez of Cuba with 14.68.

Mullings holding on

As day one came to a close, Mullings finished in 13th place after he was fifth in the high jump with a leap of 2.20m and fourth in his heat of the 400m in a personal best of 49.43 seconds.

When he combined those two scores with the 2,592 he accumulated in the morning session from the 100m, long jump and shot put, he now has a grand total of 4,255 points after the first five events.

On Saturday, Mullings will conclude the two-day event with the other five events in the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1,500m.

Leo Neugebauer from Germany is still leading the pack with 3,726 points.