By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net    

KEYSHAWN Strachan, national record holder of the men’s javelin, will be the latest Bahamian javelin thrower to make the transition to the Big Ten Conference with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers. The premier javelin performer announced the transfer from the Auburn University Tigers via his Instagram page on Wednesday evening. 

He will join the newest Bahamian national record holder in the women’s javelin throw event, Rhema Otabor, who has certainly made a name for herself down in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

The 20-year-old acknowledged that the decision was not an easy one to make but he is confident that it was a good choice.

“It was a tough decision but it was a good one. I mainly transferred because of the javelin programme they have there. They are number one in the men and women’s javelin and I feel like I would be a good part of the programme just because Rhema is there and Dior-Rae and Taysha are coming up there. I feel like the programme would help me a lot to achieve my goals,” he said.

The javelin national record holder had a tough season by his standards which saw him miss the Olympic cut and struggle to get close to his personal best heave of 84.27 metres achieved last year.

Strachan is very optimistic about the upcoming 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) outdoor season and is looking forward to working along with head coach Justin St Clair.

“I am just coming off an injury and still dealing with it but I know they are gonna make sure I am good. I have high expectations that I am gonna throw far and I know I will do good there for sure. I am capable of throwing 90m once I am healthy. I know going there to one of the best coaches in the USA, I will learn a lot more about my technique and he will fix what needs to be fixed. Through God I will get to that 85-90m range,” he said. 

During his freshman year, the gifted thrower made his season debut with a record-breaking throw of 84.27m at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas. 

He closed out his freshman season with four first-place finishes along with the Bahamian javelin national crown. This season, Strachan continued to try and work his way back from an elbow injury but was only able to post a season best of 76.25m at the Tom Jones Memorial in April.

Corrington Maycock, head coach of the Blue Chip Athletics Club, weighed in on the thrower’s latest move at the collegiate level.

“I feel it is a move that should’ve been done over a year ago. We thought it was a good fit but it wasn’t a good fit. I am just looking forward to seeing what could happen at Nebraska,” he said.

Coach Maycock emphasized that Otabor is a great example of the work coaches put in at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. With that being said, he believes a change of scenery will greatly benefit the senior athlete.

“When you look and see what happened to Rhema, she transferred out and won two NCAA championships back-to-back. When you have a coach that cares and is willing to work hard with the athletes, loves results and loves to win, it creates memories. I have seen that they do not like to be in a casual atmosphere that doesn’t push them towards what their talent level is and Nebraska is the place that pushes them towards their talent level.

“At minimum, I see Keyshawn hitting between 85m to 86m and at maximum the sky’s the limit for him. Keyshawn is too talented so I would not be surprised if he ends up hitting 90m,” he said. 

Although the men’s javelin national champion did not secure a spot in Paris, France, for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, he plans to make the cut for the 2025 World Athletics Championships set to take place in Tokyo, Japan next year. “I didn’t make the team but it is what it is. I was dealing with my elbow injury all season but I was kind of hurt about it. I am trusting in God and I trust that next year will be my year. We have the World Championships in Tokyo so I am looking forward to that and hopefully I am healthy enough to come out with a gold medal,” he said.

Strachan is looking forward to being 100 per cent healthy and regaining his footing in the men’s javelin across all levels.