By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net    

IT was a good weekend for a number of rising Bahamian athletes competing in various track and field meets in Europe and the Caribbean.

The list included Olympic sprinter Ian Kerr, the return of decathlete Kendrick Thompson, the improvement of female quarter-miler Printassia Johnson and the emergence  of a pair of relay teams. 

Kerr triumphs in 200

At the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver’s Memoriał Czeslawa Cybulskiego in Poznan, Olympian Ian Kerr captured the victory in 20.91, well ahead of Jona Efoloko of Great Britain, who was second in 21.04.

Kerr, who competed in the event at the Olympic Games last August in Paris, France, was just off the qualifying standard of 20.16 for the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

Thompson shines

At the Decaster two-day meet for multiple-event decathlon and heptathlon at the Pierre Paul Bernard Stadium in Talence, France, Kendrick Thompson finished third in the men’s decathlon with 8,177 points.He was beaten out by American Ayden Owens-Delerme, who took the title with 8,470 points with Johannes Erm of Estonia placing second with 8,236 points. 

All of the competitors fell short of the qualifying standard of 8,550 points for the World Championships. After holding onto second place behind Owens-Delerme at the end of Saturday’s five events, Thompson slipped to third as Erm passed him on Sunday’s final day of the last five events.

As they began competition yesterday, Thompson got second in the last of the two heats of the 110m hurdles in a personal best of 14.19 for 950 points. 

Thompson, in producing his worst performance in the discus, was 13th with 131-feet, 2 inches or (39.98m) for 664 points. He was then tied for ninth in the pole vault with 4.53 metres for 760 points. 

But he redeemed himself with his victory in the javelin with a heave of 201-7 (61.44m) for 760 points and wrapped up the competition with seventh in the 1,500m in a time of 4:39.73 for 682 points.

As the competition got started on Saturday, Thompson opened up with the second fastest time of 10.65 in the 100m for 940 points for second overall. 

He came back with a personal best of 25-3 1/4 (7.70m) in the long jump for second in Group A for 985 points for second overall. 

In the shot put, he was ninth with a season’s best of 48-1 1/4 (14.66) for 769 points. However, he was fourth in Group B for a tie for seventh for 776 points.

And as he closed out day one, Thompson finished third in the 400m in 48.56 for 882 points to hold onto second place with his first day total of 4,352 points, trailing Owens-Delerme, who surged out front with 4,469 points.

Johnson in Barbados

At the Usain Bolt Sports Complex in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday, Printassia Johnson and the women’s 4 x 400m relay team both claimed 2nd-place finishes at the inaugural Barbados Grand Prix. 

For the individual events, athletes were selected to compete for either the Eagles, Outlaws, Lions or Panthers, while the relay teams represented their respective countries. 

In her individual event, Johnson, competing for the Lions, was timed in 51.29 as she trailed Barbados’ Sada Williams, who competed for the Outlaws, winning the race in 51.15. The World Championship  qualifying time is 50.75.

Grand Bahamians Alonzo Russell, competing in the men’s 400m for the Eagles, was sixth in 47.16 and Brianne Bethel, representing the Lions, came sixth in 24.46  in the women’s 200m. 

In their bid to try and secure a lane for the World Championships, the men’s 4 x 400m relay team of Zion Miller, Alonzo Russell, Andrew Styles and Wendell Miller clocked 3:05.05 for second place. Barbados won in 3:04.99.

Also in the final event of the meet, the mixed relay team attempted to get in with the combo of Wendell Miller, Printassia Johnson, Zion Miller and Cassidra Thompson placing third in 3:16.38. Jamaica won in 3:15.06 with Barbados second in 3:5.80.

The Bahamas, however, didn’t field a team to compete in either the men or the women 4 x 100m relays.

Jamaica won both relays, taking the women’s race in 43.35 and the men in 38.46.